When the first images of Palworld were shared, there was something very fishy about what we were seeing. There was definitely-not-Decidueye and legally-distinct-Lilligant among a number of other suspiciously Pokémonesque Pals. Palworld is more about survival crafting than collecting Pals. While the Pal designs are familiar, the gameplay is anything but. Instead of taking on fights with just your Pals, you have a gun, your Pals have guns, literally everyone is armed.
A Different Kind of Pokémon Game
The trailer showed us a number of litigious Leafeon toiling in an arms factory, as you venture out to partake in some survival crafting. Pals are more of the side game, and instead of trying to collect ‘em all, you will be focusing on building your empire. However, if the Pals weren’t part of the package, you would have your basic survival simulator, with all the status bars that come with that.
Assisting Your Progress
The Pals elevate this. Integrated into every system is a way that your Pals can help out, and assist your progress. It follows the Pokémon Legends: Arceus catching system, where catching multiples of the same beast offers more experience, with battling as an afterthought. Once caught, you take your Pals back to your base, where you get them to slave away on whatever you are trying to build. Pals will also have their own status bars that you have to manage and you’ll have to take good care of them to keep them working effectively.
Challenging Boss Fights
While it is not packed with battles, there are several major boss fights that can get tricky if you’re not prepared. These are more MMO-raid style and can be taken on with up to four players at once.
A Missed Opportunity?
It’s just a shame that in a game so unlike Pokémon, the team felt the need to so blatantly copy Pokémon designs to piggyback off the popularity. Palworld is an excellent game in itself, and it should have had the confidence to stand on its own paws.
Palworld will be released on Friday, January 19, 2024, for Xbox and Steam.
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.
