Meet The Villagers: The Friendship & Romance of Palia
If you’re a member of Palia’s Discord, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, then you’ve met each one of the charming Villagers who you will be able to forge bonds with! But what you may not know is how they relate to each other. Our local Villagers have been a long time in the making, we can’t wait to share more about how they all fit together.
The Friends You Make Along The Way
Palia’s Villagers are designed for depth and feature complex, interconnected stories. As EmbrasAshes, our Narrative Lead explains, “We always want to make sure that the characters in Palia feel rich and meaningful. Taking the time to make sure they have deep backstories and connections with other characters is very important to us, including both new romance and friendship options.”
The time you will spend getting to know our Villagers adds depth to the entire world, giving players unique story threads to follow, putting more puzzle pieces together with each conversation. And as the puzzle comes together, you may uncover even more mysteries that keep you digging deeper.
Travel Down the Road and Back Again
One of the first pairs of friends you meet are Jina and Hekla, who help you get your footing after you emerge as one of the mysterious humans who surprisingly appear in Kilima Village one fateful day.
Their friendship is a bit unorthodox. Jina found Hekla one day among the ancient ruins that are scattered around Kilima Village, and Hekla hasn’t left her side yet. While we don’t know a lot about Hekla’s past, we do clearly see she has strong maternal instincts, and can be heard singing old human lullabies.
Welcome To The Farm
The Daiya family helps out every day to keep the produce farm running smoothly. Between Delaila’s daily optimism, Badruu’s cheeky puns, Auni’s infectious enthusiasm, and Nai’o’s ability to see the best in people, any member of the Daiya family is sure to brighten your day.
Young Love
One of these nights in Palia, you may accidentally stumble across these two whispering secrets to each other under the stars. Will you help them forge a connection, or will one of them catch your eye?
While you do have the option to woo either of these characters, romance is not the only way to discover the deeper story of Palia. As EmbrasAshes shares in our Ask The Team event on Discord:
“Finding romance is an exciting way to forge your story within the world of Palia, but you will not have to romance characters to unlock gameplay or progress the main storylines. Romance storylines unfold alongside the main story, and serve to add more options for your adventures in Palia.
We do want the romance to feel meaningful and satisfying, but we don’t believe that close relationships need to be romantic in order to be meaningful. And neither do the citizens of Palia!”
That’s What Friends Are For
Chayne and Ashura are long-time friends, which is a special, unique bond. But you may have noticed in the relationship chart above that Chayne is a “Shepp” of Hassian and Sifuu, which is a whole different kind of bond.
"Shepp" is a Majiri word with a similar meaning to “mentor”. Joining a village is a rite of passage in Majiri society. In order to do so, certain tasks must be completed and you must find a Shepp, who officially sponsors you joining a community. A Shepp is responsible for teaching a new villager the ways of the village. Perhaps someday you'll need to seek out a Shepp that can help you find your path to acceptance into Kilima?
There is much more to learn about the characters of Palia! To dive into the details that have been shared so far on each of the citizens of Kilima Village, visit our Meet The Villager Guide.
We will be releasing regular updates and sneak peeks to keep you involved in our development every step of the way. Be sure to join our Discord or follow us on Twitter and let us know what you’re most excited for from Palia!