4 Things Paralives Already Does Better Than The Sims (& 1 Key Feature It’s Still Missing)

At long last, the highly anticipated life sim, Paralives, is available in Early Access. Though the devs are very much still working out the bugs, the game is off to a solid start. With a charming art style and unique storytelling angle, Paralives is poised to become a true rival to stand alongside the life sim juggernaut that is The Sims. In fact, there are a few things the game is already doing as well as, if not better than, EA’s long-running The Sims 4.

Like many The Sims fans, I have a love/hate relationship with The Sims 4. There’s so much to like, but for a game that’s getting on in years, so many bugs still plague the game. And then there’s the high price of keeping up with expansions, something Paralives has already promised it won’t be bringing to its own update structure. That’s why many of us are eager to have other life sim options to enjoy alongside The Sims. And while it does have quite a ways to go, Paralives is already knocking it out of the park in quite a few areas. But there’s one big thing I still want to see the game improve upon.

4) Making It Clear If Your Para Is About to Burn Down the House While Cooking

Starting a fire while trying to make a difficult dish is a Sims right of passage. And don’t you worry, Paralives does pay homage to this life-sim staple. However, the way that recipes are organized by cooking skill makes it easier to tell how much of a gamble that meal really is. Though there are far fewer Paralives recipes in Early Access, those that your Para knows are clearly marked with the required cooking skill. You even get a percentage for how likely it is your Para can pull it off. So when I nearly burned the house down trying to make pesto pasta? That was a choice, and I love that for us.

3) More Control Over Wants & Goals

One of the things I’ve really been enjoying about Paralives in Early Access is how wants and goals work. When your characters experience certain emotions, you can pick a resulting and related want. So rather than just popping in randomly, these desires are somewhat curated by you as the player. That makes it much easier to craft a clear story and character out of your Paras compared to the sometimes random and occasionally horrifying whims of Sims. Yes, it does take some of the chaos out of it, but I think it’s a fun system and I’m excited to see where Paralives Studios goes with it.

2) In-Depth Personality Mapping and Level-Ups for Paras

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You get to make some basic choices with allocating skill points and traits when making your Paras. But the game also implements a cool level-up system. As you play, you’ll unlock new perks and points to spend on shaping who your Para becomes. That applies both to specific skills and affinities, but also to career progression. Not every person wants endless promotions, and the points-based system makes that a reality in Paralives. Rather than auto promotions when you’re doing well in your career, you get points to spend on perks you want. This lets your Para level up certain skills while working, or prioritize relationships. Or yes, you can also promote them.

1) Built-in Storytelling Structures

I absolutely adore Paralives‘ storyteller feature. Once per day, you’ll get to choose from a variety of cards that impact the day ahead for your Paras. Depending on which Storyteller you chose at the beginning, these options will be different. You can give your Paras a random energy boost or extra motivation for the workday, shaping the story as it unfolds. Along with this, Paralives has a daily newspaper that alerts you to events happening in town. This gives the community a sense of being alive and gives you a reason to make your Para leave the house, shaping a stronger sense of story. These features are still in their early stages, but I love where they’re going with it.

But We Still Need A Sense of Whimsy & Play

Though I do like what we’ve got from Paralives in Early Access, there’s certainly room to grow. In particular, I feel like I’m missing the sense of whimsy and play that I’ve always loved in The Sims. Because of how interactions work (a bar that loads until you click on one of just 3 options), interactions between Paras don’t feel as dynamic. I don’t feel like I get a sense of personality from them yet, and that makes the world feel a bit less vibrant and alive than I want. While Paralives doesn’t need to replicate the same kind of chaos as The Sims, I do feel like it hasn’t quite found the unique personality that will truly make it come to life. Thankfully, Early Access is just the beginning, and there’s time for this to take shape over time with feedback from the players.

Have you tried Paralives yet? What did you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!