Paralives is my most highly anticipated simulation game, with good reason. It’s set to feature many mechanics I’d have liked to see in other games like The Sims 4, and overall feels like a more realistic representation of people. Paralives has just shown off a little more of its realism with a Patreon update revealing the in-game autonomy system, how death works, and more. If you’ve ever wanted your Sims to behave more like real folks would, you may want to read through this news.
The developer wrote, “In Paralives, your characters will be able to decide to perform some interactions on their own.” Some of the examples given include how a Parafolk will automatically go to work, use the toilet, find an activity to occupy their time, and more. If you want to have complete control over your characters, the dev clarified that “Players will have the ability to turn off the autonomy in the options menu if they prefer to control every single interaction their Parafolks do.”
While I appreciate that Sims in The Sims 4 automatically do some of those things, like going to work or using the bathroom when needed, there’s one big one that strikes me from Paralives’ reveal. When a Sim is bored, they typically just go to the computer. Regardless of their interests, they just start gaming. Wouldn’t it be cool if Sims grabbed their guitar or an easel to paint on more often?
I love gaming myself, but it would be way more realistic if Sims instead went and partook in activities relevant to their interests or skills. It looks like Parafolks are set to do much more than just play video games when they’re bored, thankfully, as the update reads that “Parafolks could automatically clean the house or highly skilled musicians could decide to play music in their spare time.”
Another really important part of the new Paralives update has to do with an automatic yet far less desirable action, death. Much like in The Sims 4, Paralives does not shy away from death. If you block your Parafolks from meeting their needs (totally not looking at my childhood self deleting my Sim’s pool ladder), they will die.
The dev did specify that “they die after being in the complete red for a good while,” so you won’t randomly be devastated by the death of your long-time-with-no-save family. I’m personally very happy to hear that, and also hopeful that it applies to other depleted needs. If you’ve ever played Sims, then you know that bladder mishaps are too common.
Nothing has been said about ghosts or the Grim Reaper in Paralives just yet, but the dev did say, “Adding more deaths to the game is also something I’m really looking forward to.” Any other fandom would think this sounds evil or something, but we Sims stans understand. Paralives, please give us a death that even the Cowplant would be jealous of!
If you can’t wait to get your hands on Paralives either, chances are that you could find some cool ways to spice up your base Sims game for now with our list of the best Sims 4 mods. For non-Sims-specific content, you can check out some of our other favorite life games while you wait for more Paralives news.