Palia is oh so cozy: My first impressions with the social MMO

Last month we got to see gameplay for the upcoming social MMO Palia, and it left me feeling excited. The developers at Singularity 6 invited me to jump in and take a look at Palia ahead of its closed beta launch today. Excited for the opportunity to make some friends and go fishing, I pounced on the offer.

After a few days of casually exploring and immersing myself in the world of Palia, I’ve come to the following conclusion: Palia is exactly what it advertises it is. A cozy experience that focuses on the social aspects of playing a community-driven game.

Palia is not your traditional MMO

If you’re looking to choose a class and venture out and slay some beasts or delve into a dungeon, that is not Palia. In fact, the only type of combat you will encounter is a system to hunt creatures for meat and furs. Instead, you’ll be doing a plethora of life skills including chopping down trees, mining minerals, and best of all: fishing.

After agreeing to be a responsible, kind, and helpful neighbor, you will create your character and enter the world. The character creation offers a variety of options standard in MMO titles today.

From a lore perspective, your journey into Palia is pretty remarkable. Humans are considered a legendary species, having disappeared thousands of years ago. Nobody knows where they went, but you and your fellow players are the first Humans to be seen in a long time. You’re not quite sure how you got here, but thankfully the inhabitants welcome you with open arms. From here it’s your task to learn about the world, while also working to make a home in it.

You’ll soon stumble upon the community in Palia: Kilima Village. If you’ve played games like Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley, you’ll recognize the NPC interactions here. You have a separate reputation with each NPC which you can improve by chatting with them and giving them gifts. Of course, every NPC has their own likes and dislikes, so it’s up to you to get to know them and befriend them.

Eight life skills to level