7 Life Sim & RPG Games I Play

Hello Everyone!

Today, we’re talking about video games, particularly Life Simulation and RPG games. Now, I’ve already touched on this subject a little, in a previous post, where I talk about the games I play at home, when I have a particularly slow day. This time, I’ll specifically talk about Life Simulations and Role Playing Games (RPG). There are loads out there, and it can be difficult to know which one to start playing. So, here are my top 5 Life Sim & RPG video games.

1.   The Sims 4

We all know I love playing on The Sims 4. I’ve built a legacy save for myself, because I’ve got stories to tell, as well as lots of ideas for houses, venues and even rooms I would like to one day own. It’s no surprise that I will include The Sims 4 on here. So, I might as well get it out of the way first. What I like about The Sims 4 is the nostalgia of the game. I’ve played both The Sims 4 and The Sims 2, and while they are miles apart from each other, the memories of opening a save file, and just living out a fantasy life with the beautiful Sims I make, is the same.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The Sims 4 does have a lot of problems. There are many glitches, limitations and restrictions, which on multiple occasions, have caused me a huge amount of grief and frustration, especially when I’m just playing the game for fun. However, I don’t let that stop me. I love playing the Sims. I love giving my Sims the life they want or the life I think they deserve, because they help me make up some good stories. Not only that, but because the game is limited, in terms of build mode it really challenges me when I create my houses.

Yes, it doesn’t have the freedom that some of the newer games have, like with InZoi and Paralives, but I think the limitations are actually a good thing. I don’t feel so burnt out, with the hundreds of different options I could use, for my builds. With InZoi and Paralives, you can be as creative as you want, use whatever colour you want, and even design your own patterns, or grab them off of the internet. However, with so many options available, I’m overwhelmed. I find it difficult to get past the sheer number of options available to me, and sometimes I wish their build mode could be similar to The Sims 4, because the options aren’t as overwhelming. Of course, there are times when I wish the opposite, and I end up trying to recreate a room or house I built, in InZoi or Paralives, in The Sims 4, but that’s a whole other blog post (if you’ve read my blog post in the Build The Dream section, you’ll know what I’m talking about).

Anyway, The Sims 4 has been, and always will be one of the top games I play, no matter what other games come out. If not for the nostalgia of playing, then the inspiration it gives me, when I build my many dream homes. The Sims 4 will always be an integral part of my life, until I familiarise myself with other Life Simulation games, or if I upgrade to whatever instalment of the game, the developers make (after all, I heard on the grapevine that they’re working on new ones).

2.   InZoi

Now, while I haven't actually made any substantial progress in creating homes and rooms in Inzoi, I do also play the game, not only for the build mode aspect, but its live mode as well. I know that there are many things in InZoi that I could compare to The Sims 4, like some of its animations or the speed at which the Zois do things, but I won’t, because many have already done so, and I’d like to try and avoid comparison. Of course, I may unconsciously compare them, every now and then, but I will always try to review my games as standalones.

Source

Having said that, InZoi is such a good game. I like how, while it’s a life simulation game, it has notes of RPG in it, particularly the freelance delivery jobs they have. I like how those jobs have time limits and are set to random places in the world you’re in. It actually helps when I’m trying to discover the place my Zoi will be living in. It’s very cool, and I do love how sleek and modern the houses look. Even the starter houses and apartments are no joke. They’re kitted out with the latest technology and look ultra-modern.

While I love this hyper-realistic style, and the ultra-modern look, I can’t help but wish they had a cosier style or at least have a separate world for the cosy style. It would be nice to have that option. You know, like the farm life, or the wood cabin look. Essentially, I'd like to be able to live out the fantasy of homesteading, in my video games, since I'm still not quite ready to dive into having a real homestead. Not to mention, I'd love for there to be more arts and crafts in the game (like knitting, sewing and even papercrafts - you can tell my real world obsession with arts and crafts are bleeding into my games). Even in another life, I love the idea of making your own things, like sewing your own clothes, building your own bookshelves or even creating your own wall art to cover your walls (I mean, who doesn’t want a gallery wall!).

Nevertheless, I do love playing on InZoi, and while I don’t have a legacy save file yet, I am slowly building one up. It’ll take time, because I’m still getting used to the options I have, both in live mode and in build mode. I mean I took half a day playing around with the Zoi creator and creating my first Zois! There are so many options to choose from, in all aspects of the game, I highly recommend playing around with it. However, bear in mind that it’s still in Early Access, and the developers are continuously improving the game to make it better for everyone who plays it.

3.   Paralives

I think it’s a must that I talk about Paralives as well. While I haven’t played it much, the little I have played has fulfilled my collector’s heart. I love collecting things, whether it’s seashells on the beach, or crystals I buy from shops, or even plants I can grow. I love my collections. The same goes for all my video games, and Paralives is no different. While, yes, like InZoi and The Sims 4, it’s a life simulation game, it’s also a collector’s dream, because there’s so much you can collect. I mean, every now and then, I’m just wandering around Melino, trying to find buried chests and collecting mushrooms.

Source

Not to mention, the artwork is insane! I love the sketched look of the game. It really does bring me back to the late 2000s, when I used to play a game called Millsberry (who else remembers that weird cereal brand game?). It’s rare to find a stylised game like this, nowadays. No matter where I turn, it’s all about hyperrealism or the clay figure type of artwork, and honestly, I kind of miss the quirky styles of older games. Granted, the reason for this is because those games are old, and were designed for older computers and consoles, but Paralives brings the nostalgia of those quirky styles back, and I’m here for it.

Of course, mind you, I’ve not played Paralives for a few weeks now, because things have become incredibly busy for me, but from what I’ve played, there is still quite a lot that the developers still need to add to the game, and of course, they are doing that, slowly. Like InZoi, it’s in Early Access, so of course there will be lots of bugs, glitches and aspects of the game that isn’t available yet. So, it’s still rather bare bones at the moment. However, that’s not to say the game isn’t playable, it’s just not fleshed out, since it’s only been available for a few months. Still, I do love the cosy style of Paralives, and I cannot wait to see what else they come up with, for this cute game!

4.   Palia

I’ve recently started playing Palia because I wanted a different style of gameplay, and when I came across it on the Steam store, I knew I had to download and play it. It isn’t like The Sims 4, or InZoi, or even Paralives. It has a design of its own and takes place on a fantasy world where humans no longer exist. It’s also heavily stylised, which I love about it! The graphics and the visuals are just so beautiful, I can’t stop playing this game!

Source

If you don’t know, Palia is a life simulation/RPG, it combines the cosiness of life simulation, with the action mechanics of RPGs. I’m talking about hunting, collecting herbs and crystals, magic and unfamiliar races, creatures and pets. Not to mention, it’s an online game, so you can play with other people! I love Palia so much, because it’s just that cosy, and I’ve gotten pretty obsessed with it, over the last couple of months. It’s just so different to some of the other games out there that it really feels like I’m starting a new life, every time I play. Literally…

The game starts, when you are “born out of mist” and land in an unfamiliar temple, to the excitement of the people who live in the village nearby. It’s not completely open world, because your house is cut off from the main village, but once you do enter the village, you’re free to roam its many different houses and buildings, as well as the forest around it. Of course, you can’t really age or develop any relationships with the NPCs, at least as far as I know, but you can increase your friendship with them, and gain new quests and other perks from them, the more you play.

I highly recommend playing Palia, if you want a cosy combination of life simulation and RPG. What I mean is, if you want to play house, you can, if you want to go out and hunt for your food, you can. If you want to fulfil NPC quests, you can. It’s all available to you, and it’s easy to go through. I know I’ll be playing this game for a while, before moving on.

5.   Disney Dreamlight Valley

Ok, I started this, while I was on vacation, back in June, and I cannot stop playing it! It’s such a cute game and brings out the inner child in me. I love the game’s mechanics, which is actually very similar to Palia, where you enter a world, are given a home to live in, and collect lots of different things, to grow, craft or use, for some of the quests you’re given, further down the line. Disney Dreamlight Valley is one of my favourite go-to RPG/Life Simulation Games, because it combines characters we know and love, with the adventure of uncovering an ever growing world.

Source

I do mean that, quite literally. While the mainland, Dreamlight Valley, has its predetermined landscape, Disney is constantly adding more worlds to this delightful game. They’ve added the Eternity Isles, where you’ll find Jafar, EVE, Gaston and Rapunzel. There’s Wishblossom Ranch, where you’ll find Snow White and Cruella, and now there’s Honeyglow Woods, where you’ll find Pooh Bear and the gang! Now, mind you, I haven’t played too much into the game, I’ve just managed to unlock Wishblossom Ranch, in the mobile version, but I cannot wait to continue playing, because it’s just such a cute and cosy game.

I will say, however, it’s unfortunate that the mobile game and the PC version of the game is not linkable, meaning that whatever progress I made on my mobile phone isn’t saved to the PC version of my game. So, I’ve essentially got 2 game saves, both on different devices. I understand though, having the same game on different devices can be difficult to optimise, and in truth, Disney has a lot more to do than to babysit a game that will require a lot of time and energy, so it’s understandable. Still, I would have liked to have been able to play the same game and have the same progress on different devices.

6.   Genshin Impact

Speaking of being able to play the same save file on multiple devices, I don’t know how they do it, but Genshin Impact does it so well. I’ve been playing Genshin for a few years now, on and off, for the most part, but it’s a game I go back to, over and over again, when I have the time. In fact, if I wasn’t playing Disney Dreamlight Valley, on my vacation, I was playing Genshin Impact. I love Genshin, I love the music and the visuals of the game. It reminds me of the days I used to be in love with anime. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it, but I haven’t watched a good anime in years (mostly because I’ve been busy).

Source

Genshin Impact, for those who don’t know, is a fantasy RPG, where you play as a transient character, looking for their sibling, as they travel through the world of Tevyat, befriending the locals and defeating the evil forces that threaten to destroy the world. It’s a good RPG to get into, if you don’t want the fast pace of some of the other games out there. Now, mind you, once you start playing the game, and you’ve progressed far, there will be a lot of content that might overwhelm you (it overwhelms me sometimes), but as long as you have a path you want to take in the game, whether it’s focusing on your teapot space, the main storyline, the commission quests, or the actual gacha aspect of the game, you’ll be fine. You can slowly explore the extra aspects that they’ve added, so it doesn’t overwhelm you.

Having said that, I love the mix of RPG and action in this game, it’s not too demanding, and it doesn’t get boring. The boss fights are sometimes very difficult, and as you level up, the monsters do too, so you aren’t one-shotting those Hilichurls or Slimes, they do become more difficult, the higher your level. Not only that, but there are many, and I mean many, collections you can find, throughout the game, like the artifacts for your characters, or the card decks for the Genius Invokation card game they included in Mondstadt. There are even book collections scattered around Teyvat.

Honestly, while it can be overwhelming, it’s still such a good game. If not for the story, or the quests, then the visuals and music. Like I said, it is in an anime style (it is Japanese made, after all) that is so nostalgic to me, and I love jumping into the world of Teyvat every time I have a moment free enough to play, and if I’m not playing the game, I’m listening to the soundtrack. It’s so calming, at least most of the songs are. There are a few driving and hard-hitting songs that can crop up now and then, but even then, the orchestral composition is absolutely beautiful.

7.   Black Desert

This one is a full-on RPG. It’s actually an MMORPG, which is one of my favourite genres of video games. I used to be obsessed with this game. Before Genshin, before Palia, before any of these games, really (except for The Sims 2), I would play MMORPGs every chance I could get. I’d start a new game, and level up my characters to as high as I could (I think the highest I got to was 120), so I could fight those big bosses. Black Desert is one of those games. Granted, I’ve had to delete old accounts and start new ones, and I haven’t made it past Level 20 in a while, but again, that’s because I’ve been busy, and I’ve not had the time to sit down and play.

Source

Black Desert follows your character, as you move from one town to another, meeting new people, earning or crafting new gear, magical enchantments and weapons, and figuring out who you are, and why you’re the only person who can see your own black spirit. There’s a lot in this game, like the arena where you can practice your PvP styles, or one-time events and seasonal passes, but the game itself is so fun to play. Like InZoi, it has the hyper-realistic look and is so beautiful to play. Even the cut-scenes, when you reach a major milestone, are cinematic.

I do love playing Black Desert, especially the mobile version of the game, because it’s so cinematic and easy to get into (and it's free, unlike its PC counterpart). Not to mention, while you’re downloading the updates, you can still play a minigame that actually gives you extra points or resources, once you step into the game. I would highly recommend Black Desert, to anyone looking to play a good MMORPG.

Wow, That’s A Lot Of RPG Games!

Ok, so I’ve rambled on, quite a bit, about my favourite RPGs and Life Simulation Games, but that goes to show, just how good they are. Of course, I could go into essays for each of them, about what makes the game good, and what bugs there are, what areas of the game I like and don’t like, or what I think about the mechanics of these games, but I won’t do that, not here, at least, maybe another time. For now, I hope I’ve inspired you to try these games out, and if you have, what do you think about them? Let me know!

Well, that’s it from me today, I’m going to go and play The Sims 4, as usual, and I may even throw in a little bit of Genish Impact in there too. While I do that, please don’t forget to like, subscribe, comment, share and follow me, here on Feather’s Charm, on my YouTube channel, on my other social media channels (Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok) and on Patreon. Your support really does help me make more content like this, for you guys.

And as always, be kind, be creative, and be unique.

I’ll see you later!

Feather, out!