The day has come. After first being announced in 2019 by solo developer Alex Massé (a small studio has since been formed), Paralives is now available in Early Access. Being an early access release, that means you shouldn’t expect anything as polished as its biggest inspiration, and now competitor, The Sims, but it looks like there’s a place to start.
To begin with, there is of course the construction of the character, which already promises to be quite complex. Many Sims enthusiasts will already have timed the micro-adjustments you can make to the game’s Paras, a powerful thorn in EA’s life sim. There’s also plenty of house building and decorating to do, and there’s a big world for your Paras to explore and find friends, lovers, or enemies. They can get a job, have kids, the usual things you do in life.
There are some things you shouldn’t expect. Currently, there is no weather or season in the game, and the world can seem particularly lacking when it comes to animals. Don’t worry too much, because Paralive Studios has confirmed in a roadmap that both of these things will be coming within the first two years of Early Access. Somewhere you can also expect vehicles, family trees, a calendar system, the ability to edit and create towns, and even story elements for NPCs. All this will be free! It’s good.
For several years, Massé has managed a Patreon to help finance the game, and in a way new message he and the rest of the team released a brief statement regarding the game’s launch: “Thank you for believing in us all these years and as we release Paralives, we are incredibly happy to have your support and proud of what we have created! Enjoy this first release of Paralives! We will carefully read your feedback and can’t wait to see what you create!” Please note that Patreon will end all subscriptions, but each publication that was previously reserved for paying members will be available for free viewing.
You can pick up Paralives at a discounted introductory price on Steam now.
