Life imitates art, and the video game industry is imitating life even more. Among puzzles, adventures, action games and simulations, the calmest aspects of life are now becoming a fun game to play with cozy games. Palia is the newest cozy game out there, a simulation MMO game developed by the Los Angeles-based studio Singularity 6.

Where cozy and adventure collide

Palia is a cozy simulation game, based on a massively multiplayer online (MMO) experience. A mystical adventure accompanies activities such as fishing, hunting, building and cooking.

The game starts with the player’s avatar appearing in a world full of magic, with villagers called Majiri to meet and ruins to explore. As a human, a legendary race believed to be extinct, players need to trace back the history of their people; only their characters can read and understand the ancient human language.

Villagers scattered around different areas of the map can teach new skills, give the player new useful items, and ask for tasks to complete or missions to accomplish to go deep into the mystery of humans. Every mission is made up of puzzles to solve, items to collect, and characters to meet to proceed in the game.

In Palia players can also find well-known dynamics that made a success out of games such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. The extremely simple gameplay and the diversity of actions and activities are enriched by a story full of adventure that keeps the player focused and never bored. This is not to mention how colorful the game is, with a captivating graphic behind stunning landscapes waiting to be explored.

An enchanting world to belong to

What makes Palia different from other cozy games is the attention to the community. According to developers, players and their experience in the game are the priority. Palia is not only a video game, but also a big and friendly online community. Asking for help when following a mission is sometimes fundamental to succeed. It is also possible to share the adventure with friends, adding a new meaning to the life simulation aspect of the game.

As far as the simulation goes, in Palia it is possible to customize the character by choosing between different features such as hair, clothes and general appearance. Through foraging and gathering various materials, players can also customize the personal lot of the avatar, building the house of their dreams while crafting unique decorations and furniture.

Building relationships with different NPCs (non-player characters) and other players is even better when you can customize every aspect of the game. With that, Palia truly becomes a magical and unique world to live in.

Free to be, free to play

Palia is also a free-to-play game, which makes the game easier to reach even by those who are not really into gaming. The video game was first released in 2023, but alpha and beta testing started in February 2022. It took months of testing and improving before the final release date. This shows once again how important players’ experiences and feedback are for developers.

The game is available for Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows users only, with an official final release on Steam in March 2024 announced with a unique wishlist campaign: any gamer who will add Palia to their Steam Wishlist will be rewarded with an in-game plush toy that will grow with the number of wishlist saves.

For now, players seem to agree on how well done the game is, with a few conflicting opinions on the not-so-original gameplay. But developers plan on letting the story of Palia evolve for years to come so that those who are not yet invested in the game can change their minds and enter a world full of magic and wonders.