TECH

Paralives: the game that wants to challenge the legendary The Sims

If, by chance, you are not satisfied with the direction that EA has given to The Sims, a promising alternative is about to arrive. The independent project, Paralives, a game that was developed with great passion, will be released in Early Access on the Steam platform on December 8th.

Paralives presents all the elements that define the life simulation genre. You will have the freedom to create your character, defining their physical characteristics and personality traits. The game allows you to establish friendships, advance in your career, fall in love and start a family — or not, the choice is yours!

Design and construction also occupy a central place in the experience. You will be able to design the house of your dreams, move walls freely and resize objects, such as a small sofa, transforming it into a larger sofa.

The game promises “innovative construction tools that are easy to use, but powerful for advanced builders”. Unlike other titles in the genre, you won’t feel limited by a rigid grid when creating your space. You’ll be able to build on curves and customize the colors and textures of any object. For those looking for extreme precision, the game even includes a virtual tape measure, allowing you to fine-tune every detail of your project.

Paralives is the work of Alex Massé, a Canadian developer who started this project in 2019. Since then, the Paralives Studio team has grown to 13 members, all with the singular goal of developing “an innovative and fresh life simulation game”.

Fundraising for development has been done exclusively through the Patreon platform, which demonstrates a strong connection with the community that believes in the project. The team’s development process is transparent, with a detailed history and a roadmap of planned features available online, allowing interested parties to closely follow the game’s evolution.

One of the most important points, and one that will surely please many, is the young studio’s promise that Paralives will never have paid Downloadable Content (DLC). All expansions will be free, which is a clear difference from other games in the same genre that rely heavily on DLCs for monetization. This is a strategy that aims to benefit the user in the long term and build a relationship of trust.

And unlike other games that bet on a more flashy presentation and focus on artificial intelligence, such as inZoi, Paralives emphasizes depth and flexibility over mere visual presentation. Its artistic style, which stands out for its simplicity and charm, serves as the basis for creating an environment that fosters feelings and connections between the characters and the game world. The visual simplicity hides a wealth of interactions and possibilities that promise to captivate.

You will have the opportunity to see for yourself in the launch trailer. You will be able to purchase Paralives in Early Access on Steam (for PC and Mac) starting December 8. A new life simulation experience awaits you, with the promise of creative freedom and a more player-centric approach.

mundophone