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I’ve had just about all I can stand of financial earnings this week, so let’s talk about an upcoming game I got the chance to play recently: Singularity 6’s Palia. The game, which is currently in beta, is a cozy, delightful life sim title that promises all of the beauty and wonder of living in and exploring a fantasy world with none of those pesky hardships other games throw at you. I played for a short while recently and, while the interface does take a bit of getting used to, thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Palia clearly takes influences from multiple sources — World of Warcraft was the first one that jumped out to me, but Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley and Final Fantasy XIV are clearly there in the mix. It can be played either alone or in small groups, and the whole world is a shared MMO-like space. Even if you’d prefer to play by yourself (as I do), you’re still never more than a moment away from other players to assist you should you need it. Now, if you want to be completely isolated in your fantasy life sim, Palia won’t be for you, but if you don’t mind just a bit of passing interaction, then I implore you to give it a try.
The game’s main charm is its guileless, bright energy, with a cast of colorful characters, its charming art design and a well-told (if not especially compelling) central mystery. It’s got all the cozy life sim staples: You cut down trees for wood, mining for ore, fish and befriend the locals with a possible eye for romance (not necessarily in that order). It’s everything sweet and charming about the life sim genre with little combat or conflict. Some players may find that boring, but I’m certainly not one of them and I look forward to playing more of Palia.
In personal news, I’ll be playing Baldur’s Gate 3 now that it’s finally launched officially. I’ve been following alone and testing out the game out for a large chunk of early access, so I’m excited to see how the “final” version of it looks. Also, I’ll be on vacation next week, so you’ll all have to do without your usual Kaser Focus for one week. But I’ll just assume you’re all still playing Baldur’s Gate right alongside me!
What to play this week
What’s new:
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Venba
- F1 Manager 2023
- Cut the Rope Daily
New on subscription services:
- Celeste (Xbox Game Pass)
- A Short Hike (Xbox Game Pass)
- Blue Fire (Xbox Games with Gold)
- Inertial Drift (Xbox Games with Gold)
- PGA Tour 2K23 (PlayStation Plus)
- Dreams (PlayStation Plus)
- Death’s Door (PlayStation Plus)
- PayDay 2 (Prime Gaming)
- Encodya (Amazon Luna)
- Wonderboy: The Dragon’s Trap (Amazon Luna)
- Star Wars Pinball (Amazon Luna)
- Batora: Lost Haven (Luna Prime)
- SteamWorld Quest (Luna Prime)
- The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf (Luna Prime)
- Ys VII: Lacrimose of Dana (Luna Prime)
- Bloons TD 6 (GeForce Now)
- Bloons TD Battles 2 (GeForce Now)
- Brick Rigs (GeForce Now)
- Demonologist (GeForce Now)
- Empires of the Undergrowth (GeForce Now)
- Stardeus (GeForce Now)
- The Talos Principle (GeForce Now)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (GeForce Now)
- Yet Another Zombie Survivors (GeForce Now)
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