Palia Review – Cozy, Chill, and Mostly Drama-Free

Palia Review

It might not be entirely true now, but for a long time the public perception of video games was that they were mostly focused on violence. Of course, that tired trope was mostly spread by non-gamers. Actual gamers know that games come in every possible shape, size, genre and approach. There are plenty of so-called cozy games where the biggest source of drama is running out of crafting materials. Palia is one of those games, nearly bereft of violence and drenched in chill. We previewed Palia back in 2023 and subsequently it was released on PC and Switch. Now, it’s coming to other consoles and adding a big new zone called The Elderwood.

Get in the Groove

Palia is not an offline experience, but an MMORPG. It’s free-to-play, but of course this means that a cash shop filled with cosmetics is only a button press away. Being an MMORPG there is at least the potential for teaming up with — but never fighting against — other human beings. Still, the majority of time players will be exploring, building and puttering around the world on their own. The narrative is mostly focused on why you are in the world and what happened to the ancestral humans. There’s a fair bit of subtle environmental allegory if you’re paying attention. New species play havoc with the world, after all.

That world is called Majiri, and the player is human plopped down in a world of fantasy characters and animals. The basic task is to do favors for a widening circle of locals and ingratiate yourself into village life. Generally, this involves hunting, gathering and schlepping back-and-forth between NPCs. Unsurprisingly, the game’s main and side quests fuel the familiar loop of explore-collect-build. Most of the NPCs are somewhere on the spectrum — no, not that kind — of quirky, gently humorous or slightly melodramatic. They’re affable if not exceptionally memorable.

Palia tags itself is a life sim, but if so it’s a life without much in the way of high drama or genuine excitement. That’s not to suggest there’s nothing to do. There’s plenty of stuff to collect, a catalog of tools and decor to craft, and a comfy, modular house to build. There are lots of mini-games to play with others or with NPCs. One of Palia’s downsides, however, is that it takes quite a lot of patience for grinding and relatively slow progression.

The Elderwood Opens

Palia’s map is fairly expansive, with forested areas and bayside environments. Alongside the game’s release on Xbox and PS5, Palia has added The Everwood. The Everwood is a moody and magical sort of place drenched in glowing color and mystery. It’s a pretty sprawling zone, too, with lots of new animals, plants and unique crafting materials to collect. I can’t say I’ve had time to explore or experience much of it yet, but it looks very different than the rest of the game, with atmospheric audio. It’s a little like the florescent world of Avatar meets the bayou. For players who have settled into Palia’s loop for a year or so, The Elderwood will be an exciting addition.

Aesthetically and visually, Palia hasn’t changed much since our preview. What’s good is still good. It’s a colorful, stylized world that’s pretty interesting to explore, and the evergreen cartoony art means it ages well. On the other hand, the lack of textural richness and somewhat generic fantasy vibe are a little underwhelming in comparison to more recent games. The music is a highlight. It’s as lovely and gentle as the visuals.

When we previewed it, Palia had only rudimentary controller implementation. Over time, it has been refined — which of course it has to be, since it’s jumping to consoles — but it still feels a little clunky. On PC, the game’s performance still isn’t perfect, with some stutter, pop-in, and the occasional crash marring the experience.

Home Away from Home

Aside from being an MMORPG and having the cooperative multiplayer element not always found in cozy life sims, Palia doesn’t really stray far from the formula. I can certainly understand gamers vibing with Palia’s gentle, appealing world. Thanks to playing with others, it can easily be a nice little alternate reality that’s almost entirely free of conflict and violence, and that sounds pretty inviting. Palia might not be incredibly original, but it’s definitely worth checking out for fans of the genre.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***