The much-anticipated life simulation gameLife By Youwon’t have characters dying by illness. DeveloperParadox Tectonic said the game will simulate every secondof every character’s life, which many players have been raring to experience.
First revealed in March,Life By Youhas been dubbeda worthy competitor toThe Simsas both games feature character and home customization, and give players the power to build their characters' families and story.Life By Youwill enter early access on September 12, so Paradox could receive direct feedback and suggestions from players to improve on the game’s features.
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Based on the initial teasers forLife By You, players are expecting to have an almost realistic experience with their in-game characters. However, Paradox head Rod Humble revealed that they scrapped a feature that lets characters die due to sickness or “unfortunate means.” In an interview with GLHF, Humble said that COVID-19 pandemic played a big role into their decision to remove the aforementioned death feature, noting that the game “doesn’t come with any violence in it.” Characters can still die naturally inLife By You, but Humble emphasized that they didn’t want players to see the horrible things that might happen, especially to the older characters. He added that players will ultimately decide when their characters will pass away in the game. Unlike inThe Simswhere the Reaper would visit an elderly Sim once their time was up.
Despite the removal of the death feature,Life By Youwill still have mature themes. Humble explained that the game will feature nudity and romantic relationships, citing that, along with other features like building friendships and skills, they’re important storytelling components in a life simulation game.
SinceLife By Youwill have no violence, players might not be able totorment characters for fun just like inThe Sims, but it can also be a good thing. Humble made it clear that they wanted to create an in-depth life sim where players had full control over how their virtual stories will go, and probably won’t need to use cheats to stop their characters from aging and dying. The decision to remove the death by unfortunate means feature was also a great call considering that millions of people worldwide lost their lives to COVID, and Paradox likely wanted to respect players who might still be grieving.
That being said, many players areexpecting a lot fromLife By Youonce its early access comes out in September. Whether it can compete withThe Sims, which has been the leader in the genre for decades, will be totally up to players' first impressions.
Life By Youis in development for PC and enters Early Access on September 12.
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