Paralives players noticed something off about their virtual babies almost immediately after starting families in the Early Access life sim: the infants looked less like newborns and more like tiny, world-weary adults. The community response ranged from amused to alarmed, with comparisons to Bobby Hill and medieval paintings of babies that look suspiciously like middle-aged men.
The core problem comes down to proportions. Real babies have oversized heads relative to their bodies, with large eyes and soft features spread across a round face. Paralives babies instead have small eyes and compact features positioned in the center of the face, giving them an oddly mature appearance. Some players spotted babies with under-eye bags and what appeared to be pencil mustaches, prompting a wave of screenshots and jokes across social media.
The studio is already on it
To their credit, the Paralives team responded quickly. On July 28, the official Paralives account posted a preview of redesigned baby models with the message: "we heard you loud and clear… the babies needed some work!" The updated designs show more infant-appropriate proportions, with larger eyes and softer features that read as actually baby-like.
The fix is scheduled for the game's next patch on August 10, according to the developer's announcement.
Early Access responsiveness in action
This kind of quick turnaround on cosmetic feedback is a good sign for the game's development trajectory. Paralives launched into Early Access in late May and has already maintained a 91% positive review score on Steam while pushing out substantial patches, including a July 2nd update that slashed save file sizes and added in-game appearance editing.
Not everyone wants the old babies gone, though. Some players have expressed affection for their strange, gremlin-like quality, comparing them fondly to those medieval manuscript illustrations where artists clearly had never seen an actual infant. But for most players hoping to raise a normal-looking family in Paralives, August 10 should bring some relief.
Source: Kotaku via Google News - Paralives