With Palworld, a new open-world RPG is coming to Steam that focuses on crafting and survival. The colorful creatures in the game are reminiscent of Pokémon. However, they are not primarily used for fighting; instead, they serve as slaves and shields. The concept of the game is well-received, although there is criticism of the developer.
What kind of game is this? In Palworld, you primarily fight for survival. Firearms are used to defend yourself against other players, alongside your own base and the Pal.
Pal are the cute monsters that roam throughout the world. You can:
- Tame and collect
- Use for breeding
- Ride
- Employ as workers on your farm or in factories
- Send into battle against other players
- Hold as a shield in front of you to absorb shots from other players
There is even a possibility to slaughter your own Pal to eat them. However, according to the official description of the game, this is supposed to be “illegal,” whatever that may mean in this crazy world.
Unlike in Pokémon, the Pal are not your friends and partners; they act more as a means to an end.
When is Palworld set to be released? According to Steam, the release of Palworld is slated for 2022 (via Steam). There are no exact details on alpha or beta tests yet.
The official trailer gives you a first look at the game:
“How Humans Would Use Pokémon in Real Life: The Game”
What can be seen in the trailer? The first gameplay trailer for Palworld initially resembles a Pokémon clone, where you can catch, ride, and breed the Pal from eggs. Additionally, they are depicted as livestock, pulling carts or assisting in construction.
However, about halfway through the trailer, the tone changes. Suddenly firearms and rocket launchers are utilized for players to combat one another. The Pal also join in the fights.
Towards the end, the trailer becomes even darker. A Pal is used as a shield against shots and is then simply thrown away. Other Pal are seen on an assembly line being forced to craft weapons.
How is the trailer received? Below the trailer, many comments express amusement over the stark break from Pokémon:
- TheDiego908 writes: “This looks like a shitpost made by someone who was too frustrated with modern Pokémon and accidentally landed in a game document.”
- Top Kek thanks the developers: “Finally a Pokémon game with forced labor, slavery, war crimes, weapons, eugenics, poaching, and destructible environments. Thank you, Pocket Pair.”
- User Red Bottle sees Palworld as a realistic representation of Pokémon: “This is ‘How Humans Would Use Pokémon in Real Life: The Game.'”
Overall, the trailer for Palworld is well received. As of June 8 at 10:30 AM, the video has around 220,000 views, 8,116 thumbs up, and 412 thumbs down. Negative comments focus primarily on the development studio that made Craftopia.
Developer criticized for needing to finish another game
What is the criticism about? The developer Pocketpair released the game Craftopia in Early Access on Steam in 2020. Exploring, crafting, and building massive factories is the order of the day.
The game was well-received at launch and also impressed MeinMMO author Sascha Asendorf: I now understand why Craftopia is so celebrated despite being in Early Access.
However, there are now more and more complaints:
- Craftopia is hardly being developed further and mixes too many genres at once without properly handling any of them.
- Meanwhile, the developers announced a new title with Palworld, causing players to fear that Craftopia will never be completed.
- They also fear that the developers are only after the “quick money from sales” and thus develop games quickly but also abandon them just as quickly.
However, on June 5, the developers addressed this, stating that two separate teams are working on the games. 15 employees are reportedly working on Craftopia, while 5 newly hired developers are working on Palworld. Craftopia is also set to receive a performance improvement with the next major update on June 23 (via Steam).
What do you think of the new game Palworld? Are you interested in a blend of Pokémon and Call of Duty? And have you had any experience with Craftopia? Feel free to share it in the comments.
If you’re looking for more survival games, you should check out this list: The 25 Best Survival Games 2021 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
