In Life By You, meddling is encouraged. Though you can stay neutral, watching its characters and their lives go by, you’re also welcome to jump in and take control of anyone you see. In our hands-off demo of this upcoming life simulator, we’re opting for the second option by stepping into the plimsolls of fitness instructor Ronnie Maisonet. Right now, Ronnie is having a bad day – but it’s about to get much better.
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For those who didn’t catch Life By You‘s debut in March, this is Paradox Tectonic‘s attempt to break into a genre dominated by Electronic Arts‘ The Sims series. It’s in a good position to do so. Tectonic is led by former Sims producer Rod Humble, and the game’s Steam page ambitiously declares it will be “one of the most moddable and open” life simulators around.
But none of that matters to Ronnie Maisonet, who’s just trying to get through her morning. As a yoga instructor at her local gym, Ronnie needs to finish six tasks to consider her shift complete. Today, her responsibilities range from merely turning up and getting changed into her gym uniform, to wiping down exercise mats and demonstrating yoga poses.
Putting up with rude gym-goers is not on that list. We’re given a taste of Life By You‘s branching dialogue options when someone walks up to Maisonet while she’s holding a yoga class, with the express purpose of being mean. Unlike The Sims‘ iconic Simlish language, you can actually understand what’s being said in Life By You, which means Ronnie fires off a zinger of her own – expressing disappointment at ever meeting this strange woman – and leaves work early.
As Ronnie walks out of the gym, our Paradox demonstrator says she’ll be “playing hooky” for the day. Life By You is completely open-world, which means Ronnie could use her free time to explore the gorgeous coastal town she lives in. Instead, she runs home and eats a massive chicken caesar salad.
It’s here that we notice many of Life By You‘s smaller details. Ronnie has a long list of foods she could have prepared, but most of them look healthy because staying fit is important to her. When she changes out of her work clothes, they aren’t magicked away – they lie in a crumpled heap on her bedroom floor. Arranging flowers has its own skill that characters can practice, and while Ronnie’s happy to chuck in some plants she picked before work, there are specific bushels for those who want to live out a floristry fantasy. There’s also a moment where Ronnie’s nemesis from the gym turns up to stare through her window, but who can say if this is a behavioural bug or the work of a dedicated hater?
Ronnie’s day gets even better when we dive into Life By You‘s building mode, which lets players customise and decorate a character’s home. Though our look at building was brief, it looks in-depth – windows can be dragged and dropped onto walls with ease, while there are a wealth of options for smaller changes, like new wallpaper and decorative items. Ronnie gets an expensive TV out of the demonstration, something that we’re told will make her happier ahead of her party. Our demonstration ends before Ronnie’s party can kick off – but with the way her day’s been going, we’re sure it was a hit.
Looking ahead, Paradox tells NME that it is already working with modders from other life sims to lay the groundwork for Life By You‘s modding scene, and the game will undergo a year of Early Access before it launches in full. So far, Life By You feels custom-made for Sims players who can’t resist sticking their grubby little mitts in characters’ lives. It’s too early to tell whether the game will give Electronic Arts a run for its simoleans when it launches in Early Access next year, but the ambition here is undeniable.
Life By You will be available on PC from March 5, 2024.
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