Palworld is described everywhere as a Pokémon with weapons. At first this sounds exciting and disturbing at the same time. There is actually a lot more to the game, as I was able to experience for myself after a few days and many hours of playing the game. The game captivated me in the first few minutes in a way that my hopeful titles Diablo 4 and Starfield failed to do – not to mention Pokémon.
A comment by Peter Hryciuk
Advertisement
Palworld enchanted me
I can't describe my entry into the world of Palworld in any other way. I found out about the game on January 19, 2023 from a work colleague who pointed out the hype on Steam. I then spent a few minutes on Twitch checking out various streamers who had already started. Even then I thought that The game looks very promising for under 30 euros and in early access. I had never heard of Palworld before.
That's probably one of the most important reasons why I like Palworld so much. For me – but also for many others – the hype around the game came out of nowhere. There were no big promises from the developers that ultimately couldn't be kept – see Starfield. There isn't really a story that captivates you for the first few hours of the game, but then the game fails in the endgame – see Diablo 4. Palworld is simply a mixture of several games, with only the best features taken from them.
You can of course catch the little pocket monsters in Palworld, just like you can in Pokémon. Where the classic ends, Palworld really begins in this area. Because the Pals can not only be used for fighting, but you can fight together with them like in Fortnite. At the same time, Palworld, like ARK: Survival Evolved, is a survival game where the Pals have different characteristics and abilities that you can use to obtain resources or to cultivate your fields.
Palworld knows no borders
What already sounds like an exciting combination is sweetened with additional features. Because as you progress through the level, you can ride or fly on your Pals, them Use as a penguin rocket launcher or send them into battle with a submachine gun, shoot at opponents from your dragon like a bomber, or face bosses who want to get to you. If that's not enough, there are also dungeons.
Advertisement
And the best thing is that you can do anything. There are no unnecessary limitations, as you know it from other games. I currently fly around the map on my bird and can simply throw my spheres from there at much stronger opponents in order to catch them with luck. I don't even have to dismount to open chests, catch Pals or fight. When I'm standing on a cliff, I just jump down and slide to the ground like Zelda. If I want to go up again, I just climb as long as my stamina allows me. Palworld's focus is clearly on you simply having fun.
Exactly I haven't had this much fun in a Pokémon game in recent years. The franchise is world-famous and no longer reaches its full potential, despite making so much money from it. Palworld shows that you can develop a really great game with a much smaller budget and team that will delight millions of people and beat much better known games at launch.
At the time of this article, Palworld has sold seven million units in just five days:
The game is currently only available for PC and Xbox. It is also available for free in Game Pass. A PS5 version could follow and further fuel the hype. It might even be in the works:
Palworld should be better
The hype surrounding Palworld also came as a surprise to the developers. This success was not expected and so problems take longer to process. There is the Developer completely transparent and asks for your understanding. At the same time, it was confirmed that the game is not yet finished. An initial roadmap has already been published and promises many new functions and not just fixes of bugs. Including more content for the endgame, PvP, raid bosses and more:
Even though there is currently a lot of hate from Pokémon fans against Palworld, I can only say that Nintendo could have brought out a game like this – but didn't. Instead, real fans like me who have been playing Pokémon for decades were fobbed off with half-baked solutions for a lot of money. But I recently gave up on that. Palworld fills this gap and, in my opinion, is simply the better Pokémon at the moment. So treat yourself to Palworld on Steam or in Xbox Game Pass (check it out on Amazon). Nintendo, however, is currently busy ensuring that Palworld really doesn't become Pokémon.