Paralives Enters Early Access After Seven Years of Development
▼ Summary
– Paralives, first announced in 2019 by solo developer Alex Massé, has now launched in early access.
– The game features in-depth character building with micro-adjustments, house building, and a single world for exploration.
– Missing features at launch include weather, seasons, and animals, but these are planned for free updates within two years.
– The game’s Patreon will shut down, making all previously locked posts free to browse.
– Paralives is available on Steam at a discounted launch price.
Seven years after its initial announcement by solo developer Alex Massé in 2019, Paralives has finally entered early access. While the studio has grown since those early days, this is not yet a polished rival to its primary inspiration and now competitor, The Sims. Still, the foundation offers plenty for players to explore.
Character creation is already impressively deep. Fans of life simulation games will immediately notice the micro-adjustment options for Paras, a direct challenge to EA’s dominance. Beyond designing your avatar, you can dive into house building and decoration, then step into a single, expansive world to find friends, lovers, or enemies. Your Paras can get jobs, raise children, and navigate the usual milestones of a simulated life.
However, some features are missing at launch. There are no weather effects or seasons, and the world feels sparse in terms of animals. Paralive Studios has addressed this with a roadmap promising both additions within the first two years of early access. Future updates, all free, also include vehicles, family trees, a calendar system, town editing and creation tools, and even narrative elements for NPCs.
Massé funded the game for years through Patreon. In a launch statement, the team expressed gratitude: “Thank you for believing in us all these years and as we release Paralives, we’re incredibly happy to count on your support and proud of what we have created! Enjoy this first version of Paralives! We’ll be reading your feedback closely and can’t wait to see what you will create!” As a note, the Patreon will be shutting down all subscriptions, but every previously locked post will be available to browse for free.
You can purchase Paralives at a discounted launch price on Steam now.
(Source: Rock Paper Shotgun)
