Does Paralives Have the Potential To Be a Sims Killer?

After years of waiting, the Paralives Early Access is now available to play. This game has been on my wishlist for a looooong time, and as someone who grew up playing various titles within the Sims franchise, I’ve been looking for a new life simulation game that scratches the same itch.

Unfortunately, a lot of us feel burnt when it comes to the Sims in recent years, so it’s no wonder that we’re all seeking an alternative.

Free DLCs Forever Versus Paid DLCs

The first win for Paralives when comparing it to The Sims is that the price of the game is more or less the same, if not lower than, the multitude of Sims Expansion Packs. The developers of Paralives have promised that there will never be paid DLCs.

Every update which brings new content to the game will be completely free. That alone should pique the interest of veteran Sims players. The team has also explained that their own experiences with life simulation games inspired many parts of Paralives. Essentially, the things we love about the Sims, and some extra stuff sprinkled in. Sounds like a win-win to me.

The Paramaker Versus Create-a-Sim

With the game in Early Access, a lot is missing, but one thing players are super excited about is the sheer amount of customisation. The Paramaker,  the character customisation feature, lets you edit almost everything about your Para with functional sliders. And here’s the big thing: you can change the height of your Paras. Unheard of in The Sims, unless you download mods.

Right off the bat, we can alter the height of our characters, but there are also the options to layer makeup, place tattoos exactly where you want, and select from a range of piercings. With the art style of the game leaning more cartoonish, there’s an option to change the highlights and contours of your Para, too. I’m truly having a field day with the Paramaker, if you couldn’t already tell.

Building in Paralives Versus Building in The Sims

Now for the house building. It’s certainly giving The Sims a run for its money. In The Sims, building is one of the main functions, leading to many a YouTube challenge. Paralives takes the best parts of building in The Sims and somehow makes it even better.

You can scale objects to your liking with ease, which, yes, is a feature in The Sims 4, but it’s definitely a more encouraged feature in Paralives. Despite the game only being out for a few days, I’ve seen a plethora of unique builds from the community, all serving as inspiration for my own in-game projects.

Plus, clutter. Oh, how I love clutter in life sim games. If I can make a room look like organised chaos, I’m all for it. I want my builds to look lived-in and personal, and Paralives does just that. I haven’t even scratched the surface yet when it comes to furniture and all the bits and bobs I can use to decorate.

Together Cards: A New Approach

One polarising thing about Paralives is the addition of Together Cards. They bring a whole new way to socialise in life sims to the table, and some players aren’t a fan of it. Personally, I think they’re a breath of fresh air, but they need some work. That’s what Early Access is for, though, so I’m not writing the feature off completely.

Together Cards puts you in control of where conversations go. The available cards depend on recent/current activities and feelings of your Para, making for unique interactions that take context into account. It’s very different from The Sims, but let’s put it this way: you can select the same dialogue option in The Sims, and it’ll make no difference; that’s not the case in Paralives.

Is it a Sims Killer?

It’s clearly early days right now, with Early Access becoming available a few days ago at the time of writing this feature. Does it have the potential to be a Sims killer? Absolutely. There hasn’t really been a major competitor in recent years, but that’s all about to change with Paralives.

Due to the nature of Early Access, there are a lot of things missing, but as the game further develops, there’s a huge potential for this to become the next Sims.

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