Cozy MMO Palia is proving anything but relaxing for fans

Cozy MMO Palia is now available in public beta, and although fans have wasted no time getting their best fantasy lives started, there have been a few complaints.

On August 10, Palia finally entered open beta and so opened itself up to all players for the first time ever. So far, the game has received mixed reactions, with some cozy gaming fans praising its visuals, NPCs, character creator, and more. There have, however, been some teething issues that have been shared in abundance over on the game's dedicated subreddit. 

One of the key factors in most people's complaints is that the game feels as if it's "lacking" in some way. The MMO lets players inhabit a gorgeous fantasy world as they find somewhere to live, craft, fish, and meet the locals - but this isn't quite enough for everyone. "Game feel is really important and Palia is really lacking in it," one Reddit user says.

"Catching bugs and fish, cutting trees, breaking rocks, and hunting [is] what we're going to be doing for the majority of our time in Palia and none of it really feels good." The same user then elaborates further adding: "Red Dead Redemption 2 does hunting and fishing better than Palia. Animal Crossing does bug-catching better than Palia. Valheim and New World did Logging and Mining better than Palia."

Game feel is really important and Palia is really lacking in it. from r/Palia

"Why did they deliver us an early alpha and call it open beta?," another disappointed Reddit user posts, before explaining that they find "hunting has no variety," "the quests are vague and directionless," and the game's housing and multiplayer are severely lacking at this stage. 

On a more positive note, there are also a lot of good things players are saying about Palia. For instance, this Twitter user has shared a screenshot of a dog with the caption: "Omg the characters and the environment art in the game Palia is so beautiful and cute! AND ALSO LOOK AT THIS DOGOO!!! I'm obsessed!" 

Another Twitter user has also already declared their undying love for one of Palia's NPCs, Tamala, saying: "It's only been two days in Kilima and I'm ready to throw it all away for her." This is just one of the posts I've seen so far of players fawning over one of Palia's many magical NPCs. 

Omg the characters and the environment art in the game Palia is so beautiful and cute! AND ALSO LOOK AT THIS DOGOO!!! I'm obsessed! pic.twitter.com/FOiQaeDQDCAugust 11, 2023

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it's only been two days in Kilima and I'm ready to throw it all away for ~her~☁️💜 #Palia #PlayPalia pic.twitter.com/S0wGozQ7OZAugust 11, 2023

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Regardless of the negativity surrounding Palia's launch, it's still nice to see players getting excited for another cozy life sim and proudly showing off their characters and the homes they've designed for them online. It reminds me of Animal Crossing: New Horizons' launch when everyone was just sharing their reactions to everything as it happened. 

It's also important to remember that Palia has only just launched, and so is likely to change and improve as its developers gain more players and feedback, so don't swear off Singularity 6's MMO just yet. 

If you're curious to see what we thought of it: Palia's cozy MMO sim is exactly what I wanted but didn't get from co-op Stardew Valley.