A promising new sprout.
Two years ago, a new developer called Singularity 6—comprised of various ex-Riot, Sony, and Blizzard staff—announced Palia, a “Massively Multiplayer Community Sim” that would aim to bring together the best parts of Stardew Valley and World of Warcraft. Since then, the title has been in early access on PC, and even though it’s still yet to arrive at its 1.0 release, a Switch version has arrived as part of the continued development. After spending some time with it, Palia shows a lot of promise, though it also notably still feels like an unfinished game.
The gameplay loop in Palia feels like it falls neatly between the grindiness of an MMO and the sedate pace of a farm sim. You engage in all the expected homesteading tasks, such as fishing, cooking, and tilling your field, to not just acquire gold to spend on some better furniture for your house, but also to progress an ongoing series of chained questlines from various NPCs that gradually lead you deeper into the world of Palia. You’re encouraged to take things at your own pace and engage in the activities that interest you, though fulfilling quests is usually the quickest way to secure yourself some ‘renown’ currency that can later be spent at a shrine to increase your focus meter. Focus is what you get when you eat food you cook for yourself, and this consumable resource will ensure that your labor will be rewarded with additional experience for as long as it lasts.
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