Highlights
- 1️⃣ Palia is a new MMORPG that takes inspiration from games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, offering a cozy, non-combat experience.
- 2️⃣ Developed by Singularity 6, the game aims to provide an open world with activities like crafting and farming, along with interactions with NPCs and friends.
- 3️⃣ The closed beta for Palia has started, with the open beta set to begin on August 10.
Some gamers can already play a new MMORPG called Palia, which ditches the frenetic combat loop of most games in the genre to focus on a more carefree, cozy experience. Palia is greatly inspired by games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, but with a larger scope, as it offers a big world ripe for exploration, akin to the recent Zelda entries such as Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom.
Palia was originally announced in 2021 by Singularity 6, a developer based in Los Angeles, which has veterans from companies like Riot Games and Blizzard among its staff. According to the developers, Palia’s goal is to offer an open world filled with activities such as crafting, farming, and gathering resources, at the same time that the players will interact with a cast of interesting villagers and their real-life friends. At the time of the original announcement, the popular streamer Asmongold talked about Palia, saying that it looked like the game could bring some fresh ideas to the genre, but also affirmed that the lack of risky combat may put off some players.
Now, the closed beta for Palia has already started. At the moment, only gamers who previously applied for the beta on the official website and received invitations via email can gain entry into the magical world of Palia. However, the open beta phase will start soon, on August 10, and everyone can join in then.
Palia’s gameplay loop has a big emphasis on social aspects and crafting, as the player will be constantly gaining resources via gathering, hunting, or harvesting to build more tools or objects such as houses. The game will also come with mechanics that resemble Zelda, such as the ability to scale mountains and cliffs, or to use a glider to explore the world from high places, which will possibly give the title more verticality.
While Palia managed to obtain the attention of over 600,000 players for the closed beta so far, it still remains to be seen whether it will continue to be successful over time, as it’s certain to have fierce competition. For instance, Genshin Impact’s developer HoYoverse may be working on a simulation game that will have strong Animal Crossing vibes, according to a recent leak. Between this leaked project and the other MMOs and games inspired by either Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, it’s fair to say that Palia will need to be really good to stand out.
Palia is in development for PC and Switch.
