IMITATION IS INDEED the best form of flattery, or in terms you were probably more familiar with in school, "Feel free to copy my homework, but just make sure to change it a little."
Palworld is finally here after being revealed way back in June 2021. For the longest time, Palworld was essentially hyped as Pokémon with guns. However, after the game officially released in Early Access on Steam last January 18, it has proven to be so much more.
Early Access games are infamously known to be ridden with bugs and unfortunately barren with content to keep you busy. But Palworld is a game with a lot to sink your teeth into a few days into the EA release and is surprisingly polished for a game touted as version 0.1.2 (as of writing).
While there are obvious and blatant similarities to Pokémon and Palworld design, it provides an odd but welcome breath of fresh air to the age-old formula of "capturing them all."
Palworld vs. Pokemon
Shinagawa, Tokyo-based developer Pocket Pair does not shy away from its homage to its more famous Japanese neighbor Nintendo, with decades-long work with Pokémon. The designs are oddly similar, from the yellow mouse-looking Electric Pal called Sparkit to a Grass-themed Mammoth-like Pal called Mammorest.
Similer to Pokeballs, You use Pal Spheres to capture Pals after weakening them in battle, but that’s just the Pokémon part of Palworld because the developers really took elements from many popular games, and Pokémon is just the obvious homage.
Palworld is a beautiful amalgamation of not just Pokémon but also of Minecraft, Genshin Impact, Legend of Zelda, and probably many other games I didn't get to recognize, but it damn fits like a glove with how well Pocket Pair executes. Palworld places players in a vast sandbox experience with multiple biomes and over 100 different Pals to capture (as of writing).
But unlike Pokémon, where becoming the champion is the goal, Palworld allows you to do your own thing, with its strong monster-capturing and crafting at its core. This is where the real magic of Palworld happens. You don’t just focus on battling here because players will want to eventually build a self-sustaining base with their Pals.
Grass-Pals can be good farmers or loggers. Fire-Pals are great for cooking or forging metals. Electric-Pals can become your energy source to improve your base further. Water-Pals can keep your plantations well…watered. The list goes on.
A promising game
Despite this being mostly advertised with guns, it will actually take a while for you to get your first gun. As you work to improve your technology with your Pals, you’ll improve your weaponry in the game as well. From Primitive Wooden Clubs to Bow and Arrows to Muskets to Assault Rifles to Rocket Launchers, the game really goes all out with the arsenal you can build.
There really is so much you can do in Palworld, and the devs are already promising a roadmap of what to expect from the game throughout Early Access, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
This game is already breaking records on Steam with 815,000 concurrent players online (as of writing), on top of selling over two million copies in a single day (this writer included). The future is already very bright for Palworld, and you can join the cult— I mean, the fun with up to three other friends in free servers or with up to 31 others if you decide to rent a persistent server for your group. It’s available on Xbox Game Pass or on Steam for around 800 PHP.
Come on, it’s Pokémon with guns; just try it already!
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