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Palworld is a title developed and published by Pocket Pair, announced in 2021 and first showcased at the Tokyo Game Show 2022, generating immediate interest. Not only because of the Pal creatures resembling Pokémon from Game Freak, but also due to a shift in the trailer halfway through, featuring firearms, Pals used as shields, and enslaved for labor.
A trailer with a significant impact that initially seemed almost like a joke. However, Pocket Pair not only announced an Early Access release date on January 19, 2024, but also confirmed its arrival on Xbox, including Game Pass. Palworld is presented as a Survival and Sandbox game, featuring cute creatures inhabiting the game world. Despite the lack of a solid storyline, the title provides the necessary elements in Early Access to explore the main gameplay options, such as using Pals to help with crafting and work while exploring and gathering resources.
The success of Palworld can be attributed to various factors, and it’s the combination of these elements that has contributed to the immediate appreciation of the title:
Palworld stands out uniquely due to these elements, providing simple gameplay and a more open Sandbox experience compared to other Monster Tamer games. Notably, the elements that deviate from the friendly appearance of the title help break the monotony of various and often tedious survival game tasks. It’s no wonder the game reached over 7 million copies sold in its first week.
You can also check our Top 10 Games Like Palworld for games that share similarities with Palworld, from either the Monster Tamer part, the Survival/Crafting or both!
Pocket Pair, founded by Takuro Mizobe in 2015, is the studio behind Palworld. While Palworld is not their first title, it is the first to receive such attention. Among their previous works is Craftopia, also an Early Access title developed in Unity, seemingly serving as a foundation for Palworld. Craftopia offers many basic mechanics but focuses on Monster Taming aspects restricted to animals. Unfortunately left incomplete and with infrequent updates now that the team has moved to work on Palworld.
Craftopia, visibly inspired by Zelda: Breath of the Wild, was released in 2020, sharing visual and gameplay similarities with other “Zelda clones.” while also adding crafting, farming, and automation, serving as a precursor to Pocket Pair’s subsequent project, Palworld. Palworld, in development since 2021, underwent transitions from Unity3D to Unreal Engine 4, losing progress in the process, and eventually with a smoother transition to the current Unreal Engine 5.
Palworld’s sudden success brought criticism, including from PETA, a non-profit organization advocating for animal rights. Surprisingly, PETA’s critique focused not on the use of firearms and violence on Pals but on the lack of “vegan” options in the game. Additionally, Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, and Game Freak, the owners of the Pokémon IP, raised concerns after a YouTuber added Pokémon to Palworld through a mod, leading Nintendo to take legal action against the Youtuber. This sparked fear among Nexus Mod, prompting the site to preemptively remove Pokémon mods for Palworld.
Beyond this, users noted similarities between Pal and Pokémon, even in 3D models, leading to accusations and investigations by Nintendo. While Pocket Pair claims to be innocent and to not to fear legal action from Nintendo, on the grounds of Japanese laws, whereas Nintendo always took full advantage of international copyright infringement laws in other cases.
Many anticipate that Palworld could impact Game Freak, which has faced criticism for the Pokémon series state in recent years despite its financial success. Palworld’s enormous success might lead to a wave of clones, as seen with other titles influencing entire genres, such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild for open-world games, Fortnite for battle royales, Minecraft for sandbox games, and Hollow Knight for metroidvanias. While these titles serve as inspiration, they also contribute to create a new wave of games causing fierce competition and saturation in the market for many developers
Pocket Pair is delighted with Palworld’s positive feedback but now faces the challenge of capitalizing on the attention and support received. The Early Access excuse only lasts for a certain period, especially considering the game, despite using Unreal Engine 5, doesn’t excel graphically, and performance is acceptable but not optimal. Issues with co-op server problems, differences between the Xbox Game Pass and Steam versions without crossplay, have caused player concerns. Xbox’s collaboration with Pocket Pair aims to improve the game’s experience, and Pocket Pair has released a roadmap to reassure fans about their commitment to the title. Observers will closely monitor how the situation evolves, but Palworld has undeniably made a strong start to 2024.
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