Palia was recently shown off during the latest Nintendo Direct, an adorable and cozy life sim that is also an MMO, allowing you to explore and live in a world amongst fellow players. It's an idea we haven't really seen before despite the two genres sharing an alarming amount of similarities, and developer Singularity 6 is hoping it can take the game's strong Alpha performance and build upon it in Palia's closed beta which begins on August 2.
Announced via a new trailer on the official Palia YouTube account, registration for the closed beta is officially open in North America and Western Europe, and you can do so by visiting the Palia website here. Access to the game will be granted to those who register on a rolling basis, before the game's Open Beta kicks off on August 10. For those that want to jump in early, you'll be pleased to know that all the progress you make in the Closed Beta will carry over to the Open Beta and beyond.
Speaking on the announcement of the Closed Beta, Palia director and Singularity 6 co-founder Aidan Karabaich explains that the developer considers it to be "the next step in a continuous journey to expand and improve the game", and that the team has worked hard to "create an experience that feels like a relaxing home away from home". It definitely sounds like Palia is being set up as a little virtual getaway.
If this is the first you're hearing of Palia, then imagine a game like Stardew Valley but in 3D and set in a world full of other players. All the standard life sim mechanics are there, including fishing, farming, and customizing your home and character, but it's made a little more interesting than usual thanks to Palia's emphasis on community engagement. You can either keep to yourself, or you can work with others to collect resources and complete quests.
For all of those who like a bit of meat on your MMOs, there is also an overarching story in Palia that will allow you to "unravel the secrets of Palia’s always-evolving adventure". There's also the progression and social systems that you'd expect from an MMO to get stuck into, as the game pushes you to learn more about its deep lore and enticing mystery.
If you like the sound of that and want to know more, then you'll be pleased to know that Palia will be getting a special Gameplay First Look livestream on July 18 via the official Palia YouTube channel. There you'll be able to see how the game plays and whether you want to jump in and try it out for yourself when the Closed Beta begins a couple of weeks later.