Sometimes it takes more than one run at an MMORPG or online game for it to click with you. There are titles that have taken multiple approaches before they improved and I finally “got it.” I would say that Palia’s one of these games for me.

The early access launch of this still-in-beta MMO-lite life sim happened all the way back in August 2023, and I’ve given it a few half-hearted attempts after bouncing off it that first time. I always liked the idea of Palia, but the scattered-objective design wrinkled my focused MMO brain and made it hard to embrace. However, thanks to Daybreak giving Palia the time to grow, it’s truly starting to flourish as a premium online RPG — and is a lot more enjoyable to play than it once was.

Palia was one of MOP’s most-anticipated titles a few years back, and for good reason. We loved the cozy, (mostly) combat-free lifestyle that this game offered, and the amazing housing system looked like the perfect answer to the starved Sims or WildStar player looking for a home. It clearly was drawing upon the same formula that made Stardew Valley and other similar titles so popular, but hey, if it works, it works!

Yet Palia certainly had a rough start. The initial early access was more bare-bones, with only two zones and many features still in development. The finances were slow too, and in April and May 2024, developer Singularity Six downsized its staff through two rounds of layoffs. There was serious concern about the future of this title until Daybreak bought the studio in early summer 2024 with the intent of seeing Palia through console releases and a full launch.

With the support of Daybreak and EG7 behind it, Palia’s climbed out of its freshman slump. The blessing of more time and finances allowed the studio to improve the game, bring it to more consoles, and, most recently, release the Elderwood expansion zone. Players are flocking to the title, and it seems like a great time to get on board with it — which is exactly what I have done.

As an aside, this makes me wonder how many promising game projects really could’ve made it if they were given more runway to take off rather than being shut down the moment they weren’t wildly successful right from the start.

There’s no guarantee that Palia’s going to make it for the long haul, of course, but it certainly is looking way better than it did a year ago. There’s a lot of positive buzz surrounding this title thanks to the increased visibility caused by Elderwood’s release, and the promise of even more systems to come — like animal husbandry! — project a growing, vibrant game.

I lightly dipped back into Palia earlier this month with the intent of seeing how it’s shaped up. It was going to be a side venture, something to do here and there… until it became an “every day” compulsion. That’s most likely because I got comfortable with the gameplay loop, which is a bit of gathering, crafting, decorating, money making, and apparently tending to the social needs of an entire village all at once.

As with other life sims that I’ve tried, I found it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of things to do at any point and worried that I wasn’t pursuing anything optimally. But the truth is that there’s no rush; the game’s in-day clock cycles through every hour, and there’s rarely a time limit for any task.

Until I get completely familiar with all of the systems (and there are a lot!), I’ve been logging in with a single general goal in mind and pursuing that. It might be “get a repair station up and running” or “expand my garden” or “go on a giant gathering loop.” Narrowing down to a single focus removes the stress of all of the other options and inches the progress meter forward in some way, shape, or form.

I’ve been pulling for Palia since 2023 and am gratified that this appears, so far, to be one of the rare titles that have a very shaky beginning only to gradually thrive as it fills out. I’m eager to see what it’ll be like when Singularity 6 gets this to a full 1.0 launch, and I hope by then I’ll have moved past my novice state and truly made this title a virtual home.

Do you love spectating and speculating about upcoming MMOs? We do too! Every week, Justin tackles another upcoming title on the MMO Hype Train with opinions, analysis, and blind fervent hope. Choo choo all aboard!