As a big Pokémon fan, editor-in-chief Leya looks at Palworld and finds that Nintendo has been asleep.
Two years ago, I wrote here on MeinMMO that Pokémon is increasingly developing towards an MMO, but only slowly.
How slow it is became apparent to me again through the success of Palworld and the absurdly high sales figures. Many features that make Palworld so successful today should have been included in Pokémon at least 5 years ago.
It’s not about the exaggerated brutality that Palworld displays. Pokémon don’t need weapons, and they shouldn’t have to be killed. The family-friendly nature of the franchise, which appeals to multiple generations, is a great strength of the games.
I am aware that Palworld is also successful because the concept of armed little monsters works so well on social media and on Twitch. This is something that is not easily repeatable for Pokémon.
However, there are many things in Palworld that I, as a Pokémon fan, envy.
A beautiful, dynamic open world
With Scarlet and Violet, the latest main entries in the Pokémon series, an open world finally arrived. However, it was highly criticized. Tester Linda Sprenger from GamePro wrote in her conclusion at the time:
The aesthetics of the open world seem careless and lacking in detail, cities turn into mere backdrops with very little interaction options and shops that I can enter. Technical glitches further mar the gaming experience.
Linda Sprenger in the GamePro review of Pokémon Scarlet/Violet
Especially the muddy textures significantly detracted from the gaming experience.
I don’t want to say that Palworld has the most amazing open world of all times. But Palworld is still in Alpha, and the world is visually appealing with different biomes and interactivity. For example, I can climb mountains with my character and have dynamic interactions with Pals, the monsters of the world.
Seven years ago, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild introduced such an open world. Another old Nintendo franchise that has been given new life through this.
Pals can do more than just fight
I really don’t want Pokémon to have weapons or be brutally killed.
But Pokémon could have so many more features than just fighting battles. For that, the concept of the open world would need to be further developed. Why not a housing system in a main entry of Pokémon, where some Pokémon can stay to perform activities?
In Pokémon, everything is still more centered around the monsters than in Palworld. Therefore, it makes sense to focus more on interaction with the monsters.
I always have a lot of fun in the games when I can do small things like brushing Pokémon or tossing them a ball. I’ve always wondered why exactly these features weren’t developed more extensively.
A proper co-op multiplayer
Back in the day, it was revolutionary for the GameBoy to connect two Gameboys with a cable and actually trade Pokémon or battle against each other. But a truly good multiplayer experience still doesn’t exist to this day.
Yes, since Pokémon Sword and Shield (2019) there are co-op raids in Pokémon. But they do not provide a satisfying multiplayer experience, as it feels not much different from playing with NPCs.
I don’t need a super deep MMO with Pokémon right now. But at least exploring the world together in co-op, making progress together, and perhaps facing some boss fights against strong Pokémon – isn’t that too much to ask?
Everything has been there somehow, but never quite
The curious thing for me is that Pokémon already had many features somehow in the main entries. Since the first games Red and Blue, I have been with every edition.
I can’t exactly say from memory which feature appeared in which part. But I remember things like:
- building caves where you can place decorations and furniture
- diving with Pokémon through an underwater world
- sending Pokémon to resorts instead of boxes, where they can pick berries
- dynamically changing weather systems
- camps where you can cook and play with Pokémon
- the crafting of specific items
- … well, and the open world, which shows too many technical flaws for such a large franchise and feels very lifeless
These systems were all there in various forms and then partly disappeared again. They were never as developed as other modern games do.
It’s not about praising Palworld to the high heavens right now. I still have some skepticism about how things will proceed with Palworld. Additionally, there are also criticisms that some assets might have been copied and adapted from Pokémon using AI.
Are we finally waking up?
Nevertheless, it must be clearly stated here that the development studio GameFreak and Nintendo have been sleeping for a long time. Zelda already showed the way 7 years ago, and Pokémon has never caught up.
In principle, this is also what many Pokémon fans have been wishing for years: a good mix of Pokémon and Zelda: Breath of The Wild. Because Pokémon has always stood for exploring the world and freedom. By now, we have the means to create games that can convey that feeling of freedom.
I can only imagine how, at the Pokémon Company, they are looking at Palworld and essentially thinking as I do:
We want that too.
