Call me “late to the party,” but it is truly not my fault. It is not my fault that Pocketpair, the developers of Palworld, made an incredible game that I have been unable to put down. Since the game’s release, I have been living and breathing these adorable Pokémo- I mean, Pals, and their whacky world.
Palworld is the talk of the internet town. Currently trending on every social media platform, dominating the news cycles, and as of writing holds the silver medal in peak-concurrent players on Steam, behind PUBG: Battlegrounds.
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Palworld has created a lot of hype and a lot of controversy. There hasn’t been a game this contentious in a while, and I’m here to weigh in.
Ark Survival Evolved Meets Pokémon
Palworld is a mash-up of popular genres; action-adventure, survival, and monster-taming. The premise of the game involves capturing Pals, building a base, surviving the world, and uncovering the story within (or lack thereof). While the Pals may resemble Pokémon in their art style, this game is not for the faint of heart. Mature themes litter the game, from animal slavery to human slavery; its cutesy aesthetic should not give you the wrong impression.
While the internet seems intent on comparing Palworld to Pokémon, I would rather compare its gameplay to Ark Survival Evolved – an open-world base-builder that requires the player to survive and thrive.
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All the classic elements of an action-adventure survival game are present: farming, fighting, exploring, and crafting. While Palworld doesn’t re-invent the wheel, it has been listening. Many quality-of-life functions in the game are lacking from other popular titles in this genre. One example of this is the ability to use any stored item to build or craft without having it in your inventory – Palworld simply draws from all the resources stored in chests within the base’s perimeter. Bloody brilliant.
Progression is achieved through levelling up both your character and your base. These are two separate levelling systems: one requiring experience points through battling and taming Pals, and one through building new assemblies and structures. They feed into one another, as levelling up your character unlocks new recipes for objects to build on your base. This cycle is peppered with short-term goals that keep you hooked.
Overall, for an early-access game, Palworld achieves more than many fully-fledged games of this genre could ever aspire to. While there is room for improvement, that room is minor, and this game could almost stand on its own in its current state. This makes me excited to see where it’s heading.
I’ll Take One Depresso To Go, Thanks
We simply have to talk about the Pals.
From cuteness to usefulness, there is a lot to love about these monsters.
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Depresso has made the rounds on the internet for being the most #relatable Pal. You’ve probably seen this Pal on TikTok more than you actually have in-game. Afflicted with permanent resting-grouch-face, you can see why it’s a fan-favourite.
A little-known tip that may help you early on: Vixy are top-tier, and can be found in the autumnal biome closest to the starting area. These guys, when placed in a ranch, offer an infinite supply of Pal Spheres and arrows, both invaluable resources. If you get three or four of them grazing away, you’ll never want for either of these items again. You’re welcome.
Chillet is one Quest Daily Editor Julian Price‘s favourites. He’s also been bitten by the Pal-bug… His pick is Chillet, an extra cute, ice-dragon type with a long blue body, four little feet and big ears. While you can ride it, it does look a bit goofy. It’s reminiscent of Falkor from The Never Ending Story.
And last but certainly not least, the adorable Fuack. A substitute for Psyduck from Pokémon but not resembling it (the way some other Pals do, but again, more on that later), it’s an incredibly handy water-type Pal to have around your base. It also just has a fun name that if you mispronounce, it may land you in some trouble.
Where the Fuack is the accessibility?
Palworld is seriously lacking in the accessibility department. But it is easily forgiven given how early it is in development.
Right now, the UI is a sensory overload, being able to tone back the flashing text and adjust font sizes would be a game changer.
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Thankfully there’s no voice acting, so subtitles are already in place, but some descriptive audio would be a treat.
Let’s hope Pocketpair is listening and adds some much-needed quality of life options for disabled gamers in the future.
The Story Is inCawgnito
Story? What story? Oh, that’s right, there kinda’ isn’t one. Palworld is severely lacking in narrative. If you need a reason for building your base or catching Pals other than just ‘cause, then I’m afraid you’re out of luck.
As you adventure around the archipelagos you can pick up journal entries from previous travelers. While it might seem like you’ve found a narrative, in actual fact you’ve found a tutorial. Honestly, I wouldn’t even bother picking one up if you come across it. They add nothing to the game – it already has a tutorial.
Some context of the world is told through the Pokéde- sorry, Paldeck entries. Here we are given a bit about the backstory of the creatures and the world, though not enough to drive a plot.
Palworld is lacking much in the way of cut-scenes or narrative like its comparison, Pokémon, or more subtle but deep world-building the way one might appreciate it from a game like Elden Ring. It’s just kind of, bleh.
Being early access, my hope is that the world becomes more fleshed out in future updates. At the game’s full release, I would hope that there is a reason for our character appearing from another world, and a reason behind all these different factions of thugs and cultists existing and fighting one another.
Let’s Not Beat Around The Caprity
This is the part you all care about, I won’t pretend like you haven’t scrolled to the very bottom to see where Quest Daily stands on the issue of Palworld very closely resembling Pokémon. The truth is, we stand divided on the matter.
We have discussed the likeness of Pals to Pokémon, previous “Pokémon-like” games and how they tread the line, and the issue of Pokémon themselves being rather lackluster in their ability to create a good quality game. Ultimately, our opinions are scattered.
The art style of Pokémon is iconic, however an art style is something that can’t be copyrighted, no matter how distinct it is. Additionally, the fact that some of the Pals closely resemble Pokémon while being defined enough to stand on their own is honestly just clever marketing. However, there have been a myriad of comparisons to some Pals looking almost identical to Pokémon, which is where the potential legal issues lay for Pocketpair.
Despite the internet being ablaze, this isn’t the first we’ve seen of a game ripping off the likeness of Pokémon.
If you liked Generation 5 Pokémon, might I turn your attention to Coromon? A Pokémon game in literally every single way except for the name; you adventure, battle, capture, train, and there are even monsters that resemble actual Pokémon. I would also like to point out that you can purchase Coromon on the Nintendo Switch, so clearly Nintendo was happy to greenlight it.
I share this recommendation to illustrate that the controversies surrounding Palworld really aren’t that controversial, or new.
The other debate I see is people hoping that the success of Palworld will kick The Pokémon Company International up the butt, and get Game Freak to produce a mature Pokémon game. The fact is: they won’t. Their audience isn’t adults; their marketing is aimed at kids, knowing full well that adults will buy the game for nostalgia. It would be irresponsible of them to mature with their audience if they want longevity. Pokémon is a children’s game that adults love (I know QD’s Editor doesn’t like me saying that, but it’s true. I should know, I’m a massive Pokémon fan).
Besides this, I believe Pokémon have learned some hard lessons from the quality of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, as this is evident in their latest DLC: The Indigo Disk. They’re already improving on their own terms.
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I wouldn’t hold your breath for a mature Pokémon game any time soon…
The Ultimate Verdict: A Success Or Flop(ie)?
Palworld achieves a heck of a lot, but there is still a way to go. It crushes, tackles and craps on the competition, but a lacking story makes it fall a little short of perfect.
Though the controversies that surround it aren’t new, they are valid discussions to be had in the video game industry. I believe much will come from this in the years to come.
I can’t wait to see what its future holds, both for Palworld and the impact it’s had on gaming.
