‘Palia’ is shaping up to be the cosiest MMO around

In Palia, you’re more likely to burn your thumb in the kitchen than meet a grisly end adventuring. Despite sharing the massively multiplayer online (MMO) genre with the likes of World Of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14, Singularity 6‘s debut has more in common with slice-of-life sim Animal Crossing than anything else.

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Forget daring raids, violent quests, and endless grinds for better armour: the “low-pressure” fantasy world of Palia is all about making friends, building a home, and learning new hobbies. In this pacifist paradise, humans have been missing for years — so when human players emerge from a portal, they’re tasked with building a new life in Palia while investigating their missing ancestors.

But the big mysteries can wait. During our hands-on with Palia, we were more concerned with settling into life in the idyllic Kilima Village. After a fly-by introduction with some of its purple-skinned villagers, we were handed a set of tools and tasked with cleaning up the overgrown plot of land we’d (eventually) call home.

Palia. Credit: Singularity 6.

Your starting plot in Palia can look intimidating, but beneath the weeds and rubble, it’s bursting with potential. Robust crafting options and a free-build system mean you can place items, walls and structures wherever you like within your land, while a handy zoomed-out grid view makes piecing everything together incredibly easy. You’re also encouraged to turn part of your plot into a farm, which means fresh ingredients are always on hand once the small matter of building a kitchen has been attended to.

After settling on a canvas tent to call home, it was time to dive into Palia‘s hobbies. While most MMOs include nonviolent crafting skills, they almost always lead back into combat — whether that’s by smithing a new set of armour, brewing status-enhancing potions, or baking the best food for healing. Without the draw of battle, skills in Palia can be enjoyed for what they are: a way to pass time, create decorations, and find gifts.

Almost all of this feeds into Palia‘s social elements, whether that’s with its in-game characters or other players. Spending a few minutes in Palia‘s fishing minigame can turn up plenty of delicious ingredients, which can be used to cook meals back home. Elsewhere, certain trees and ore deposits can only be harvested if several players are teaming up to take them down, encouraging cooperation over resource hoarding. Find, carve or bake something particularly nice and you can even gift it to one of Kilima’s villagers, which opens up their unique storylines with the power of friendship.

After a whirlwind tour of Kilima, we were given access to an account that was much further along in Palia. Here, we were given a taste of everything that’s possible in the MMO: our own fluttery tent paled in comparison to this late-game home, surrounded by ponds and thriving farms. Inside, the lavish house was decorated with fish and bugs caught by the player, and its decked-out kitchen came in handy when a Singularity 6 developer popped in to help cook a steak dinner through a series of simple yet satisfying cooking minigames.

Palia. Credit: Singularity 6.

When players team up for things like cooking, everyone gets a slice of the rewards. This means that while there’s always the appeal of inviting friends over to show off your interior decorating skills, engaging with the social aspects of the MMO has tangible benefits. It’s a little like visiting your pal’s island in Animal Crossing, except you’re there to bake pies rather than steal their flowers.

By the time our preview came to an end, there was still plenty of Palia we hadn’t checked out. Our hands-on kept to one area of the world, and largely brushed over the game’s main story. Neither did we get too stuck in with the relationship systems that lets players befriend Kilimo’s villagers, though we did leave our heart with charming robot fisherman Einar.

There’s a lot that remains to be seen, yet Palia already promises to be a charming, social-first MMO. Players will soon be able to make their own minds up though, as the game enters a closed beta from today (August 2).

You can check out Palia here. 

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