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Needs System
May 15, 2026 at 07:10 PM
Updated the confirmed-Needs framing from five to six by adding Me Time, with a hedged description noting Me Time appears in the official Needs table without a full description text yet
Needs are a core gameplay mechanic in Paralives that represent the bodily functions and mental state of each Parafolk. In Live Mode, the basic gameplay loop revolves around monitoring and fulfilling the Needs of every Para in the active household. When a Need is satisfied, the Para remains happy and productive. When a Need is neglected, the Para's well-being deteriorates, their Emotions shift negatively, and in extreme cases the consequences can be fatal.
The system is designed around a thought-based display model. Needs do not appear on screen at all times. Instead, they surface dynamically as thoughts when they become relevant, such as when a bar drops to a pressing or worrisome level. If a Need is currently fulfilled, it may not be shown in the list of thoughts at all. This keeps the interface clean while still alerting the player when something requires attention.
Each Need is represented by a bar in the Para's thoughts UI. Every bar is divided into 10 cartridge segments by default. These cartridges appear as either full or empty, giving the player a granular view of how close each Need is to depletion. The color of the bar changes based on the current status:
Color | Status | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
Green | Fulfilled | The Need is adequately met. No action is required from the player. |
Yellow | Pressing | The Need is beginning to demand attention. The Para may start showing behavioral cues. |
Red | Worrisome | The Need is critically low. Immediate action is recommended to prevent negative consequences. |
Dark Blue | Empty | These are the unfilled cartridge segments waiting to be replenished. |
The cartridge system provides more nuance than a simple percentage bar. Players can see exactly how many segments remain and gauge how urgently a Need must be addressed. Certain Stats and Lifestyles can modify the number of cartridges in a given Need bar, meaning that some Paras may have more or fewer segments for a particular Need than the default 10.
As of the Early Access release, six Needs have been confirmed for Paralives. Each one corresponds to a fundamental aspect of a Para's daily life.
Hunger tracks whether a Para has eaten enough food. When the Hunger bar is depleted, the Para is described as starving. Players can relieve Hunger by having the Para use the fridge to prepare a meal, purchase food from businesses around town such as Chez Maurice or Creme, or grab a quick snack. Hunger follows a schedule designed to mimic three meals per day, which helps synchronize the eating habits of multiple Paras in the same household. If Hunger is completely ignored for an extended period, the Para will die of starvation. The starvation death animation shows the Para slowly dropping to the floor while clutching their stomach.
Sleep represents a Para's need for rest. When fully depleted, the Para is described as exhausted. The primary way to restore Sleep is by using a bed. Sleep also operates on a schedule, with a nightly period that encourages Paras to rest during the evening hours. Lifestyle modifiers can alter this schedule; for example, a Night Owl lifestyle shifts the sleep schedule so that the Para naturally stays up later and sleeps in longer. When a Para's Sleep Need drops low, they will begin yawning as a visual cue to the player.
The Bathroom Need tracks a Para's bladder. When this bar depletes entirely, the Para desperately needs to use the restroom. The game provides clear visual feedback for this state: a Para with a critically low Bathroom Need will clutch their lower torso and bounce up and down in an unmistakable urgency animation. This Need depletes at a steady rate throughout the day and is restored by using toilet facilities.
Hygiene reflects how clean the Para is. The description for a depleted Hygiene bar notes that the Para is "filthy." Hygiene drains throughout the day and depletes faster when the Para is exercising or performing cleaning activities. A Para with low Hygiene will sniff their own armpit and recoil with a slightly disgusted expression. Players can restore Hygiene by having the Para take a shower or bath.
Fun is a contextual Need that does not behave like the others. Rather than depleting on a fixed timer, Fun becomes available when a Para has been performing a single activity for too long and grows bored. At that moment, a Fun Need appears, prompting the player to engage the Para in something more stimulating. Personality plays a role here as well. Paras with the Jester personality trait, for example, have a constant Fun Need because entertainment "impacts them more" than it does other Paras.
Me Time is a tracked Need that appears in the same Needs table as the other five. It surfaces when a Para has been spending too much continuous time around other Parafolk or in busy public spaces, and it is restored when the Para gets time alone, whether at home, on a quiet bench, or away from social interaction. Like Fun, Me Time interacts with personality: outgoing Paras may tolerate more group activity before Me Time becomes pressing, while more introverted Paras will surface a Me Time thought sooner.
The Me Time Need is part of the launch Needs roster but no detailed in-game description text has been published beyond its place in the official Needs table; the gameplay model above reflects the studio's public framing of the Need.
Several Needs in Paralives operate on schedules rather than depleting at a constant rate. This design choice adds realism by ensuring that Paras feel hungry around typical mealtimes and tired around bedtime, rather than at random intervals. The Hunger Need is scheduled to peak around three meal periods per day (roughly corresponding to breakfast, lunch, and dinner), while the Sleep Need has a single nightly period that encourages rest.
The schedule system also helps synchronize household routines. When multiple Paras share a home, their Hunger schedules align so they tend to want to eat at similar times. This makes it easier for players to manage a large household, since everyone can be directed to the kitchen at once rather than one Para needing food every few minutes.
The default behavior of Needs can be modified by a Para's Stats and Lifestyles. These modifiers take two primary forms:
Schedule alteration: Some Lifestyles change when a Need becomes active. The Night Owl lifestyle, for instance, shifts the Sleep schedule so the Para naturally stays up later and wakes later. Players can decide whether their Para has standard or nonstandard sleeping and cleaning habits during character creation in the Paramaker.
Cartridge modification: Certain Stats and Lifestyles add or remove cartridges from specific Need bars. A Para with additional Hunger cartridges, for example, takes longer to become hungry because there are more segments to deplete. Conversely, a Para with fewer Sleep cartridges will need rest more frequently.
Personality traits and current situations also influence how Needs manifest. As mentioned above, the Jester personality keeps the Fun Need active at all times. Situational triggers can cause Needs to appear outside their normal schedule; for example, intense physical activity drains Hygiene faster than normal.
Neglecting a Para's Needs has cascading consequences. The most immediate effect is a negative shift in Emotions. A hungry Para becomes irritable, a tired Para becomes lethargic, and a Para with poor Hygiene may feel embarrassed. These emotional states can affect social interactions, work performance, and the progress of Together Cards.
In extreme situations such as house fires, Needs become temporarily marked as "ignored" while the Para deals with the emergency. The most severe consequence of unmet Needs is death. Starvation from a completely depleted Hunger bar is one of the confirmed causes of death in Paralives, alongside fire and smoke inhalation.
In Live Mode, adult Paras have a duty to take care of young lifestages in their household. This manifests as an obligation to monitor the Needs of Babies, Toddlers, Children, and potentially Preteen and Teenager Paras. If a player fails to keep young Paras' Needs adequately met, child services may intervene and remove the child from the household. This mechanic adds meaningful stakes to raising a family and ensures that younger Paras cannot simply be left unattended.
During Early Access, non-player character (NPC) Paras do not have actively managed Needs. The developers have stated that NPC needs are not updated in the background. However, NPCs will occasionally perform actions like using the toilet or eating food, but these are classified as regular idle interactions rather than responses to genuine Need depletion. Future updates may expand NPC behavior to include more robust Need management.
Needs are listed among the moddable features in Paralives. Through the Steam Workshop, modders can create custom Needs, adjust depletion rates, modify cartridge counts, and alter the consequences of Need failure. This opens the door for community-created gameplay variations, such as survival-focused mods with faster Need depletion or relaxed modes where Needs barely matter.
