Palia has been described as a mix between MMORPG and Animal Crossing, without having seen proper gameplay. That has now changed, as the developers presented their game in a video for about an hour. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch is thrilled, even if it probably isn’t a real MMORPG in the end.
Palia aims to make the side aspects of a classic MMORPG – such as cooking, housing, or interaction with NPCs – the main focus. There are no real fights; you can only hunt wildlife with a bow. PvP is also absent.
Instead, you can accomplish almost all activities in the game cooperatively. Trees can be felled together, or difficult recipes can be cooked.
But how well does that actually work? Some were skeptical, and I didn’t know until yesterday if Palia could really convince me. However, after the latest video, I am very optimistic and look forward to the open beta in August.
Here you can watch the full hour:
Cool graphics, lots of Quality of Life, and a touch of New World
Right at the beginning of the video, the graphics catch my eye. I find the style incredibly pretty, love the colorful world, and the partially mysterious places, like the cave where we wake up as a character or the mines shown at the end in the adventure zone. Everything feels cozy, and while there is a sense of adventure, there is never a sense of danger.
The character editor offers a sufficient number of customization options, although I would have liked a bit more detail, like in Black Desert or the upcoming The Quinfall, which offers more than 150 tattoos.
The start in the game world is pretty much like in a typical MMORPG. You talk to NPCs, receive initial quests, and can build your own house at a selected location.
You must first clear this location of stones and trees and can then set up the first building, a large tent. You can choose from a third-person view or look down on your building site from above.
Interestingly, making large changes to your building takes real time. If you build a large house, you have to wait several hours before it actually stands. Even later additions like new rooms don’t happen immediately but take some time.
Inside the house, you can choose the walls, windows, doors, and furniture. There are supposed to be more than 1,000 decorations, and you can create plots for growing food on your building area.
Even in these first building minutes, the many “Quality of Life” aspects stand out. You can use crafting materials directly from the bank or have a wheel from which you can always select the appropriate tool. There are a total of 7:
- For cutting down trees, you need an axe
- For mining stones, a pickaxe
- For your own farm, there is a rake and a watering can
- You need a bow for hunting
- The fishing rod for catching fish
- The smoke bomb for catching insects
A bit reminds me of New World; although gathering materials isn’t as satisfying as in Amazon’s MMORPG, the animations and skill levels are quite similar.
The instanced housing, the minigame while fishing, aiming while hunting, or the compass as a substitute for a minimap have evoked this association.
However, Palia handles wood production a little cooler than New World. You push the raw piece into the workbench, and the wooden plank comes out on the left. It looks really cool!
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Palia scores points with coop and cooking
What clearly sets Palia apart from games like Animal Crossing is the coop. You can cut down trees together with other players, which means you can finish much faster. However, the rewards remain the same, so you are actively rewarded for the collaboration.
There will also be trees and rocks in the game that can only be mined in a larger group.
This collaboration works in all minigames:
- In the hunt, you can shoot game together. Some animals require multiple hits, while for opponents that can be taken down immediately, it’s fine if your shot arrives slightly late.
- When catching insects, you can set up lamps that attract many animals at once.
- While fishing, you can cheer each other on and thus support each other when reeling in the fish.
Cooking gets really fun. For the recipes, you need to solve various tasks, such as cutting ingredients or flipping them in the pan. You can accomplish these activities together, allowing you to complete the recipe much faster.
Food also plays an important role, as it strengthens your focus. Better focus means faster progress in skills.
Relationships with NPCs, fashion, and the adventure zone as “endgame”
In the long term, Palia is about improving your house, adjusting your look, leveling up your skills, and interacting with NPCs. You can build friendships or even romances with them. For this, you need to talk regularly and also get the right gifts.
For some NPCs, you first need to strengthen your relationship with others. Jina, for example, knows what your best friend Hassian wants as a gift.
Palia also offers you a wardrobe where you can constantly adjust your look. Here you have many outfits available, which can also be dyed according to your wishes.
It is still a bit unclear what to expect in the adventure zones. The first one was shown at the end of the stream. Here, you should also collect resources but can also experience “other adventures.” There was also nothing said in the preview about events like cook-offs or a fishing competition.
Criticism for shop and low player count
The video also discussed monetization. Palia will be Free2Play with an optional shop. This is not supposed to contain pay-to-win elements but will have cosmetics. Since appearance plays an important role in the MMO, some fear that the coolest clothes will end up costing real money, and everyone will run around in the same outfits.
There is also criticism regarding the player count. Although all players should be able to hang out on one server, they will be in different channels. There will only be 25 players per channel at the same time, distributing themselves in the village, in their own house, and the surrounding areas.
However, Palia will offer ways to guarantee that you can play together with your friends.
Palia is simply fun in coop
Palia is not a classic MMORPG with a dangerous game world, many quests, dungeons, and PvP in the endgame. While this was clear from the start, there were many negative comments under the video and in the livestream that apparently expected something completely different from the game.
For me, it fulfills its purpose exactly and even positively surprises me with the coop aspect of the minigames. The joint cooking looked incredibly fun, and when catching insects with a lamp, I felt almost like in Pokémon GO with the smoke. Plus, I find the graphics very successful.
I share some players’ skepticism regarding long-term motivation. Palia might only carry me through the dry (and hot) summer months until a new gaming highlight awaits in winter. However, the developers have already announced new updates, new adventure zones, and game content. A return to a free MMO is always possible.
Palia could become what The Sims was for me in my youth: a game that I always enjoyed playing with family and friends but didn’t become addicted to for weeks.
Alexander Leitsch
MMORPG expert at MeinMMO
