Palia Dev Talks Elderwood Expansion: Darker Themes, Vertical Exploration, and Cozy Balance

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As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but marvel at the unique allure of Singularity 6’s Palia, even amidst a sea of comfort-focused games. Ever since its debut in 2023, this game has left an indelible mark on the gaming world, boasting over 6 million players and racking up more than 15 million hours of content watched on Twitch.

With its rich narrative, intriguing lore, and a plethora of cozy activities like fishing, crafting, and most notably, home design, Palia has carved out a niche for itself within the cozy genre, proving it’s more than capable of holding its own in such a bustling landscape.

Now, the game is set to expand its horizons, making its grand entrance on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on May 13, coinciding with the release of its largest update yet — Elderwood. The anticipation is palpable!

Game Rant recently participated in a virtual tour of the upcoming Elderwood map in Palia, followed by an interview with senior game designer Richie Berry about the expansion. In the interview, Berry shared insights into the story behind Elderwood, its darker atmosphere, the heightened importance of vertical exploration, advancement system, and other aspects of the expansion.

Palia’s Elderwood Map and Its ‘Beautiful Spooky’ Approach

Q: First, can you tell us about Palia’s Elderwood expansion and what players can expect from it?

Since the debut of Palia, this is our first new adventure zone we’ve introduced. It initially included Kilima and Bahari, now expanding to Elderwood as our third area. This post-launch release dwarfs anything we’ve done previously in scale. Elderwood is jam-packed with fresh content for players, such as quests, collectibles, huntable creatures, and innovative gameplay systems. The story revolves around an enigmatic energy that has infected Elderwood, where players will team up with Subira to unravel the secret behind it and prevent disaster.

The Elderwood is a thickly enchanted woodland teeming with mysteries hidden in every nook. We’ve striven to make it not only more intricate but also brimming with unexpected delights compared to our past endeavors. It offers chances to discover fresh artifacts, creatures, bugs, plush toys, and so forth. A significant addition we’ve introduced is the Artifact and Relic system. Artifact hunting enables you to delve into the remnants of long-lost civilizations and retrieve Relics, which serve as new gear that can enhance yourself and your entire party, enabling more efficient exploration and collection, and they can be upgraded. By teaming up with friends, you can stack multiple buffs at once.

A: Why did the change towards a more somber tone in Elderwood occur? It’s quite distinct from the current game’s themes.

It seems there are multiple possibilities for that question. One possibility is, if you’ve delved into some of the Temple quests in the game Palia, you might have noticed an ongoing tension in the game. The human race became extinct a millennium ago and is now re-emerging, correct? It’s evident that something terrible took place long ago, but I believe that maintaining a world where nothing negative ever occurs can make it feel somewhat devoid of substance. Perhaps “risks” isn’t quite the ideal term, but if everything remains effortlessly easy and joyful, it may leave the setting feeling somewhat void or hollow.

Woven within the fabric of Palia is a rich history with intricate details. Our aim has always been to explore this backstory further, enabling players to unravel the past and work towards amending it – making improvements wherever they can. We’re delving deeper into the elements that have been part of the game since its inception, possibly in more subtle ways or hidden within side quests, or even tucked away in a corner where not everyone might find it, or perhaps overlooked entirely.

You might notice this style in many media outlets too, such as movies like “The Nightmare Before Christmas” or “Little Nightmares”, and we haven’t even delved that deep yet. The appeal lies in the adorable-yet-creepy genre, which seems to be quite popular. It’s a mix of something slightly scary but still comforting, similar to the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

A: In discussing ways to preserve the comfortable ambiance of Palia, you asked about other strategies besides introducing Subira, an NPC designed to make players feel at home in Elderwood. Could you explain more about how else you are managing a harmonious blend between the darker aspects and the warm essence of Palia?

We need to tread lightly on this path. I’ve given this a lot of thought, especially concerning the Ogopuu, which is the first creature in Palia that puts up a fight. This adds an element of fear, in its own unique way. In Palia, there are no health points, so you can’t die or get a game over, and you also can’t respawn. When the world fights back, it slows you down a bit. For instance, there might be a substance that decreases your running speed, allowing the Ogopuu to escape.

In certain situations, we strive to avoid stepping over distinct boundaries. For instance, in games like Stardew Valley’s mines, one could encounter a slime that might cause harm, necessitating rescue by another character. However, we aim to stay far from such intense scenarios. We’ve adopted a purple theme and set our environment within mysterious caves, but we’ve ensured these areas are lit properly. Rather than being pitch-black and eerie, they have a cool ambiance that’s illuminated well enough for visibility at all times.

The atmosphere is more about “subtly eerie” rather than “potentially perilous.” Our aim is to ensure the player never experiences a sense of genuine danger. They might find themselves thinking, “This is slightly unsettling. I’m concerned about the child, or I’m anxious about this situation. I’m unsure of what lies ahead,” but there will always be an undercurrent of comfort and warmth. We strive to infuse every aspect with a touch of that reassuring warmth.

Elderwood’s Gameplay and Story

A: What led to the focus on vertical exploration in Elderwood, and could you elaborate on the thought process behind making it more vertically-oriented compared to Palia?

A: I’m very passionate about exploration. From our previous experiences in certain zones, we found that we wanted to create something more compact. Bahari features caves and geysers, which I believe were fantastic. However, both Bahari and Kilima have expansive open plains. When you’re in a vast open space, you might accidentally take a winding route if you’re picking up things opportunistically. But at times, you could simply press the W key or hold it up on the stick for an extended period without having to think much about movement.

As an enthusiast, I’m thrilled about the concept we’re experimenting with in this game – integrating numerous “micro-choices” for movement. Imagine, you come across two routes to reach a destination, one you can scale, while the other has a bouncy mushroom. Or consider a cave nestled in the northeastern part of the map, where a stream flows below. You see items on the opposite side, and the path divides and rejoins. One side is slightly lower, making it easier to reach the river, while the higher one offers an easier climb up a small cliffside. This way, each step feels like a dynamic, engaging traversal experience, adding a layer of intrigue to gameplay.

In addition, we’ve devised a climbing and gliding mechanism that allows us to cover greater distances and explore farther views. When you find yourself in an expansive open area, it’s beneficial to leap from a high spot for a longer glide, which can be quicker and offer a wider view. However, when the environment is filled with verticality like mushrooms, platforms on trees, and other obstacles, climbing and bouncing off these features allows you to reach greater heights. From there, you can glide over obstacles to see what lies beyond. This could lead to discovering hidden signs, intriguing paths, or simply expanding the excitement of exploring this map.

As a passionate admirer, I was wondering if you might be able to shed some light on the subject. Could you possibly give us an insight into how Elderwood plans to develop Palia’s grand narrative, focusing specifically on the intricate connections between The Flow and the Magiri?

So far, we have visited Kilima and Bahari, which introduced us to the Majiri. Subira hails from a distant land. Now, we are about to explore more of the world of Majiri, this time with the Umbraan. The Umbraan originate from Elderwood, as well as other regions, and they differ slightly from the Majiri we’ve previously encountered. Their perception is unique in its own way. Moreover, we will observe how they interact with Flow in Palia differently compared to those who have gone before.

Through our exploration, we’re gradually uncovering new facets of the world, with Kilima serving as a starting point for our characters, essentially their entire universe so far. However, fresh insights are emerging, casting light on past events as the story unfolds. The “Ancient Battery” serves as the foundation of our main narrative, leading us to delve into these temples. We’ll further develop Palia’s story and delve deeper, while also revealing more about the world and its hidden aspects. This tale will continue to expand and evolve for years to come.

As an enthusiast, I’m curious about how Elderwood will seamlessly integrate into Palia’s advancement structure. To ensure it serves as an inviting starting point for novice adventurers, what key elements will lead players on a journey that eventually takes them to Elderwood?

For newcomers playing Palia, they are welcome to join anytime, however, to embark on the Elderwood questline, there are several steps that need to be completed first. This includes advancing the main story by conversing with Gina and the Battery, navigating through the Water Temple followed by the Fire, Air, and Earth Temples, and then accomplishing the Subira quests. Additionally, recent updates require you to revisit these temples. Once all these tasks are done, an Elderwood cutscene will appear immediately. Nonetheless, feel free to jump in whenever you like.

As a dedicated gamer, I’m excited about our approach to gameplay design, ensuring it’s not a linear, one-way street. There’s a sense of progression, where you need an Iron Pickaxe to harvest Palium nodes. This means you’ll start with a Makeshift Pickaxe, upgrade to a Copper Pickaxe, and then to the Iron Pickaxe before you can gather Palium. Once you’ve reached that stage, you can use the gathered Palium to craft a Palium Pickaxe!

As a gamer, I don’t want to be confined and forced to explore Elderwood only after playing for a million hours or so. That’s not my style of gameplay. Instead, I should be able to wander into Elderwood whenever I choose. However, to complete the Elderwood quests, there are certain prerequisites that need to be met first. It’s strongly advised to go through the main storyline before diving into Elderwood, but ultimately, it’s up to me as a player to decide how and when I want to play.

The new additions will adhere to a side-by-side advancement structure. For instance, the Echo will possess its unique type. To eliminate contaminated creatures, you’ll require Echo bolts, which aren’t necessarily an advanced level of arrows compared to the ones we’ve previously had, but rather a parallel tier. They can be obtained and utilized in Elderwood.

What can we anticipate for Elderwood beyond the routine updates? Are there any distinctive strategies we should expect post-launch?

Absolutely, we’re preparing to reveal our next steps shortly. In essence, after the release of Elderwood, we’ll carry on with our regular monthly updates for the game. We’ve been brainstorming numerous ideas and strategies, and once we have more time, we’ll share them in greater detail. Essentially, our focus now is to decide the sequence of these exciting developments.

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2025-04-15 22:19