Palia is an intriguing new MMO now in limited pre-Alpha access with a somewhat odd* name from Singularity 6, a startup I last wrote about in 2019, led by many AAA developers who ambitiously promised to create worlds that built "community, friendships and a real sense of belonging.” I was somewhat skeptical at the time, but Palia announces itself as aiming to be just that:
Palia is a massively-multiplayer community simulation game set in a brand new high fantasy world with elements of open world adventure games. It’s a cozy and welcoming world that we hope fans of the community sim genre will love for years to come.
As all that suggests, there's little or no typical "kill 10 rats" type of gameplay, almost as if it's set in a fantasy world that takes place in between the great battles that get way more press:
Players can expect extensive character customization and fashion, crafting skills like cooking, lifeskills like fishing and farming, activities like climbing and gliding, a robust housing system with “more than 1000 decor items,” a multi-year community storyline, guild-like neighborhoods… really, it’s all the “social” content that is just an afterthought in most MMOs, brought to the forefront here.
That from Massively which has a full break-down here. The backstory is fairly original and suggests an epic plot that will collectively unfold over time:
Humans are the legendary race, having disappeared thousands of years ago at the height of their grandeur and mastery of magic. Nobody in modern times knows why. Players awaken as human characters without explanation in a quaint village on Palia’s southern coast where they’ll make their home and forge a new future for humanity. Together with a massive online community, players will uncover the secrets to humanity's past through an evolving narrative that will take years to fully unveil.
Go here for more and to request pre-Alpha access.
* Not to be confused with the Pali, a mountain range on Oahu where King Kamehameha and his warriors famously drove their enemies over the cliffs, which certainly doesn't seem like a Palia thing to do.
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