You’ve probably heard about Paralives, the new upcoming life simulation game. By looking at the gameplay so far, there’s a big possibility that it might surpass the giants in this category, including The Sims 4.
But is it really going to be better?
Paralives is yet to be released, but it already seems like it offers much more than The Sims 4.
And although I’m a big fan of The Sims franchise, I also recognize the benefits that arise with the new features Paralives is introducing.
Here are the 7 most important ones.
1. More Content In The Base Game Upon Release
Many players were disappointed when The Sims 4 was released because it didn’t include multiple features that were present in the previous Sims base games. The most obvious ones were pools and toddlers.
In fact, toddlers were nonexistent in The Sims 4 for more than two years, until January 2017.
Unlike The Sims 4, Paralives is going to have much more content when it’s released.
In addition to pools and toddlers, the creator has confirmed that Paralives will also have seasons and pets in the base game!
Yes, you read that right. The features of the two most selling expansion packs of The Sims 4 (Seasons and Cats & Dogs) are going to be right there when you purchase Paralives.
However, Paralives’ creators don’t stop there. The base Paralives game will also include cars, bikes, and boats that your Para can use to get around town.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably also hated waiting for a new pack to drop with your favorite features in it.
For example, I waited for four years for the Seasons expansion pack to come out so that I can finally enjoy winter and snow in The Sims 4.
Paralives seems to offer all of the most important features a life simulation game should have. Even tiny details like a shoe removal animation make the game much more cozy and immersive to play.
Check also: First Look At Toddlers & Babies in Paralives
2. Players’ Feedback Actually Matters
Listening to players’ feedback has always been lacking with big-name game studios, and EA is no different.
As mentioned above, it took the Sims team more than 2 years to add toddlers to The Sims 4, although players have complained about it since day one.
That’s not even the first nor the last time they haven’t listened to their players’ opinions and wishes. And these are the people they are earning money from.
The indie developer team behind Paralives couldn’t be further from that.
Not only do they make polls on Patreon where the community can vote and say exactly what they want, but they also actively take part in discussions on other platforms like Reddit and Discord.
There’s even a weekly one-hour live chat with the team where Patrons with membership level Hero or higher can ask all kinds of questions.
The polls on Patreon cover almost all about how the game should look and feel. These are some polls in which the community has taken part:
- The detail level of the Paramaker (the Parafolk creation tool)
- Pets autonomy level
- Skills & hobbies diversity and complexity,
- Cutscenes inclusion, etc.
As you can see, the voice of the community is heard and matters when it comes to Paralives.
And since I’ve been a Patron for more than a year now, I feel like I’ve taken part in the making of some important decisions.
So, I honestly can’t wait to see how the team implemented these decisions once the game is released.
Check also: Paralives Steps It Up With Brand New Terrain Tools
3. Bigger Freedom In The Build Mode
By now you’re probably familiar with the Paralives building gameplay video that amazed many members of the Sims community and made the Sims Build Mode look like a joke.
And if for any reason you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend checking it out.
In the video, we can see that Paralives seems to break all rules that we’ve been taught in the Sims games so far.
All build objects including outdoor plants and rocks, walls, and furniture can be resized to any dimension you want.
You can stack objects on top of each other or make clutters to create that homey, lived-in feeling, as there are no limitations to where you can place seemingly anything.
Oh, and did I mention curved walls and gridless construction?
Also, walls can be placed at any angle, and windows and doors can be resized too. All these features make it even more unbelievable that this is ‘just’ an indie game that has only ten people working on it!
And yes, The Sims 4 has improved the Build Mode greatly over the years, from giving us the possibility to put windows and doors that don’t snap on the grid, to making it possible to put platforms with different heights.
However, after writing this I’m beginning to realize just how limited the Sims build mode has been.
So, I’m saying this in the name of every Sims player that enjoys building and spends most of their time picking the right decorations and frets over finding the most fitting color – the Paralives build mode is simply better.
Any build option you needed to write a cheat for or download custom content in The Sims 4 is right there in the base Paralives build mode, just waiting on you to unleash your creativity.
4. Never-Before-Seen Customization Options In The PAM
The Parafolk creation tool called Paramaker or PAM for short shows great potential with its amazing customization options and features.
Following the build mode example, tattoos in the Paramaker are resizable and adjustable. The Paramaker Overview video showed us that the townies can have different eye colors (heterochromia), adjustable beauty marks, body freckles, eyelashes, etc.
Each body part can also be adjusted via sliders or by clicking and dragging the specific body part like we’ve been used to doing in The Sims 4. And, the Parafolk can also have body hair!
However, one key feature in Paralives that was lacking in The Sims 4 is adjusting your character’s height. This is a game-changer since it brings us even closer to creating even more unique Parafolk, just as unique as the people we see in real life are.
You can also choose textures and patterns for the outfits, so you can create different-looking clothes every time! Furthermore, the Parafolk can equip any outfit regardless of their gender.
As a years-long Sims player, I believed up until now that the Create-A-Sim has everything I could ever need. And I still think that it would take a while before PAM has as many options as CAS.
After all, The Sims 4 has been around since 2014 and has thus given us a lot of content with each new pack.
Nevertheless, the Paramaker shows great promise and is shaping up to be truly creative and player-focused. I wouldn’t mind if it couldn’t compete with the amount of content there is in CAS.
Nonetheless, I’m certain we will receive (free) updates over time that will include more and more content.
5. Two Words: Color Wheel
When The Sims 4 came out it immediately felt like a downgrade from The Sims 3. One of the main reasons for it was the lack of a color wheel. The studio explained this sacrifice had to be made so that Sims 4 could also run on lower-end computers.
And yet, in Paralives you can use the color wheel to adjust the color of the skin, hair, clothes, furniture… you name it! Moreover, the color wheel is designed in a very helpful way. Underneath it, you can also write down the code of the color you want.
Of course, apart from the color wheel, there will also be multiple default color swatches. These can be used if you are in a rush or don’t prefer experimenting with the color wheel.
Or, if you find a color you like and you know you’d like to use it again, you can save it for future use.
Spending hours to find the perfect end table which would match the wood color of the bookcase is now a thing of the past!
As I mentioned previously, I love building in The Sims 4. I could spend hours just decorating the already-built houses. But, not being able to find the right color option for the furniture I liked was frustrating, to say the least.
When it comes to decorating a home, the color wheel is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.
And as such it completes the customization tools in the Paralives and makes this wonderful game even more appealing.
6. Open-World Neighborhood
Goodbye loading screens!
Open-World Neighborhoods is yet another amazing feature Paralives is going to be released with.
Having this feature will make all of our lives easier and simpler. Imagine being able to travel just by zooming out and selecting the destination.
After that, instead of a loading screen, you see your character get into a car and drive to the lot you selected.
In comparison, The Sims 4 currently splits the towns into three or more areas, or neighborhoods. Inside these areas, your Sims can move freely and visit any lot without spending time on the loading screen.
This already is a cool feature in my opinion. But, being able to move around in an entire town without the game pausing? Consider my mind blown!
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been footage of the open-world feature in Paralives yet. If it’s anything as I imagine it, it would completely change the paradigm that certain life simulation games (cough cough) have been based on.
7. Fully-Fledged Neighborhood Builder
I talked about how you can modify and adjust everything on the house lots. But, what if you could just as well modify the neighborhood those house lots are on?
In Paralives you will be able to create and build your very own neighborhood. The lots can have various shapes and sizes, which you can customize the same way as you can customize rooms.
This is much more realistic than the rectangle and square-shaped lots we have in The Sims 4, as in real life most of the lots aren’t a perfect quadrilateral.
Also, I’m pretty sure it would make for a nice and lively neighborhood, especially when multiple lots share a border.
However, having lots with different shapes isn’t something I’ve given much thought to. I would have to see it in-game first to decide whether it truly is a game-changer or not.
Conclusion
Paralives might turn out to be one of the greatest life simulation games we’ve ever seen.
There are so many new features being introduced, with even more to come as the game development progresses to the next stages.
As an enjoyer of this game genre, I can’t help but compare Paralives to other life simulation games, and The Sims 4 is the obvious leader in that category.
But, as Paralives nears the end of development, The Sims franchise sure is looking at some real competition for the first time ever.
However, I do not expect Paralives to “fix” The Sims 4 in any way. These are two completely separate games, and I will probably continue playing both even after Paralives is released.
