There are one or two surprise phenomena every year that nobody sees coming. In 2023, it was the surprise drop of Hi-Fi Rush, and then Baldur’s Gate grabbed the world by the dice. This year, the gaming world discovered a new addiction: cute and fuzzy pocket monsters. No, not a new Pokemon game; Palworld! This new phenomena, by Pocket Pair, Inc, has created a huge buzz, both good and bad. Most importantly, Palworld is a game that speaks to thousands of gamers. It’s one of those games that creates a time vortex where time has no meaning.
But what’s Palworld? How did it become so popular? Why is it so addictive?
Artistic…Inspiration?
Before we answer all those questions, let’s address the Snorlax in the room. On the surface, Palworld looks a lot like Pokemon. “Pals” inhabit the islands of Palpagos. The goal of the game is to catch Pals with Pal Spheres. But the major complaint roaming the depths of the internet are the designs.
Yes, some of the Pals look like Pokemon. Some are definitely more egregious than others, but are they the same? Of course not. There are 1025 Pokemon after the newest generation. That’s a buttload of elemental monsters to take inspiration from. A few, being a little similar, is not a big deal. Plus, how many later generation Pokemon are almost identical copies of earlier additions? Medicham and Mienfoo look identical, Krabby and Corphish might as well be the same crustacean, and Dedenne is a Pikachu/Raichu mix.
Palworld isn’t a Pokemon clone. It’s an evolution of the genre. How many times do people compare something to a FromSoft, Metroid, or RogueLike game? Those games are homages to the genre that add something, not a ripoff.
Palworld obviously took some artistic inspiration from Pokemon, but the artistic similarity to Pokemon is not what has sent Palworld to the moon.
A Perfect Blend
Palworld is similar to Pokemon, yes, but in looks alone. That has been talked about ad nauseum. No one has discussed how Palworld innovated on the building blocks of Pokemon by blending other amazing games. A Pokemon evolution of endless creativity. Palworld incorporates the mining and crafting of Ark: Survival Evolved, the farming of Stardew Valley, and stamina systems of Breath of the Wild. A builder, shooter, monster collector, and farming sim all in one!
And the gameplay loop is so addicting. Your character starts out with nothing, mines basic wood, stone, and Paldium ore fragments to create your first Pal Sphere, and catches a Pal. You and your Pals then create and grow a base of operations that eventually becomes self sustaining by the tireless efforts of your Pals. This allows more exploration of the map to find different Pals and rarer resources, which helps you and your current Pals gain more experience. It’s an endless loop of growth and discovery.
The island design is perfect for discovery too. It’s completely open to discover at your own pace, regardless of level. Running into a vastly stronger Pal that decimates your team is very common, and super frustrating as you lose everything. Palworld takes something from Souls-Like’s too…
And just like Souls games and Breath of the Wild, Palworld begs you to discover the map with elevation changes and shiny objects. If the player can see something, you can go there. The player just has to figure out how to get there, and maybe dodge any potential powerful Pals about to rip your face off.
A Message
Most importantly, Palworld speaks volumes. The game itself touches on a thematic parody of Pokemon and their indentured servitude to Pokemon trainers. Every Pal has a move to be unlocked that interacts with the player. The coolest so far that I’ve experienced were Lifmunk sitting on the trainer’s head and shooting, and Foxsparks becoming a flamethrower. Of all of them, Lamball was the funniest. The adorable little sheep can become a ‘Fluffy Shield’ to protect the player, but it looks terrified whilst doing so. That speaks like the player is forcing the cute ball into something it doesn’t want to do.
Also, when a Pal is working in camp, the player can force the Pal to do things, like chop wood or mine stone. While the player goes out into the wilderness, they force them into servitude. It’s an amazing mechanic and fun gameplay, but the Pals are happily working for the man.
But Palworld is not just making a commentary on Pokemon, it’s screaming from the mountain of every Pokemon fan’s dreams of a truly open world game. The success of Palworld is a message to the Pokemon company that people crave a fresh experience that defers from the catch, gym, and final four formula. Pokemon Arceus and Scarlet/Violet were small steps in the right direction, but Nintendo’s dated hardware held back what the games could have been. Arceus had a cool open world filled with Pokemon and a different overall story, but Scarlet/Violet took a step in the wrong direction by trying to do too much with 2016 hardware. Where Palworld succeeds is in capturing the magic of discovery, and truly feeling like these little monsters are a part of this world and helps it thrive.
Palworld might be a little rough around the edges. What it does well, it does really well. Pocket Pair created a fantastic open world collector and builder that could be the home of really cool content in the future.