You only lives once, and even though you may be satisfied with the life you have, you sometimes can’t help but wonder what life could have been like had you made different choices along the way. Life sims are a genre of games that allow you to live out some of these fantasies – both the good and the not-so-good ones. It is a genre that has long been dominated by EA’s series, The Sims, which is now finally starting to get more competitors.

One of these competitors is Paralives, which released in Early Access on Steam a few months ago. It deliberately sets itself apart from The Sims in many ways, and therefore won’t be for everyone. Competition is good though, and Paralives offers something more cozy and quaint, rather than sprawling cities full of life.

Cozy and moddable

Paralives probably differs the most in its aesthetic and scale. Whereas The Sims often has you living in cities or suburbs, Paralives instead places you in a small, charming town. There is some modern construction, but most of the houses ooze with fairytale charm and history – I’ve heard others describe it as “Cottage-core,” and I can only agree.

As mentioned, it is something quite different from The Sims. Should you happen to prefer something other than what Paralives offers by default, however, you’re in luck. Paralives is even easier to mod than its competitors – and those already offered good options for it. Steam Workshop is supported, making it incredibly easy to both browse and download mods without any technical wizardry.

With the help of mods, you can completely change many of the game’s functionalities, add furniture and clothing, and much more. It is a cozy game by default, but modding allows you to fine-tune the experience into something that is more precisely suited to you.

Architecture made fun

One of the defining features of life sims is the ability to build and decorate your home. That’s also possible here, and oh boy is it good. I’m very impressed by how many tools Paralives provides for building exactly what you want – tools such as curved walls. You aren’t simply limited to straight, boring walls, but can use curved walls as much as you want, really allowing you to create some unique buildings.

Even more impressive are the decorations and furniture. You can change the colours of pretty much everything, and if that wasn’t enough, you can also adjust their sizes. If you have a desk that could really do with being half a metre longer, you can simply click and drag its end to adjust the size. This applies to almost all furniture, and what really impressed me is how well the game’s Paras – the characters in the game – interact with the modified furniture.

There is so much freedom when building, and for me, it is clearly the best part of Paralives.

The simulation lacks soul

Once you’ve built – or chosen – your dream home, it’s time to experience the core of the game: the simulation. It is, for the most part, very similar to other life sims, though with a few changes made to the formula. You start by creating your Paras, after which they arrive at your chosen home where they will live out their lives. How their lives unfold is then up to you. They have certain needs that must be fulfilled, but otherwise the player has full control over their hobbies, jobs, which friends they should have, and so on.

Although it is largely the same as other games in the genre, it simply fails to entertain me in the same way. My biggest problem is probably the characters themselves, the “Paras,” and how little soul they have. It is difficult to explain without comparing it to other games, so let’s direct focus to The Sims. In The Sims, the characters vocally and physically exaggerate their reactions in pretty much every situation they find themselves in. I think this gives the characters, and by extension the game, a lot of charm. In Paralives, the characters are too grounded in reality and therefore completely lacking in charm, in my opinion. It makes completing small tasks and satisfying needs boring when the reward is simply a green smiley face on the user interface, signifying a job well done. It’s certainly a matter of taste, and for me, it just doesn’t taste very good.

Conclusion

The life sim genre has long been dominated by The Sims, and although Paralives doesn’t live up to the standards set by The Sims in its simulation, it has a fantastic build mode and an aesthetic that I’m a huge fan of. Paralives is still in Early Access, and with such a strong foundation already in place, I have great confidence that the boring simulation – which unfortunately makes up half of the game – will eventually become just as impressive as the excellent build mode. The simulation simply isn’t quite there yet though, and that makes it difficult for me to give it a strong recommendation.