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Currently, PalWorld stands out among other titles as a highly unique spin on two separate and perhaps equally titanic genres. While there’s a lot of good to be seen in PalWorld, some flaws and hiccups hold the game back. However, it’s important to acknowledge that the game is currently in Early Access and is prone to big changes. PalWorld may not be the same game it is now in a year’s time.
I enjoyed my time with Palworld. It had just enough structure and variation between working at my base, exploring, and catching Pals, throughout which I relished the fact that it all worked. It’s a game that’s pushed me to rethink what kinds of games and genres can and do fit together. At times, the game buckled under its massive scope; certain systems glitch or play like works in progress. Still, this Frankenstein’s monster of a video game contains a survival adventure that’s both tough and surprisingly joyful. It’s only in early access, but I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future of Palworld.
Palworld is honestly a refreshing experience for older Pokémon fans who've long wished that The Pokémon Company would experiment with different types of games. The survival and crafting elements may also interest other gamers who've never played Pokémon before. [Early Access Score = 80]
Everything that Palworld lacks in originality, it makes up for with impressive execution. The combination of survival genre elements with creature catching is hugely captivating, resulting in a serotonin-gobbling gameplay loop. Despite the modest size of the team creating it, Palworld’s litany of systems mesh perfectly together, defying its indie origins. [Early Access Score = 80]
Everything's in service of building your base in Palworld, and if that's where you get your kicks from, then by all means have at it. There's room in this world for junk food as well as fine cuisine, and sometimes we all need a bit of simple satisfaction in our lives. But right now, there's very little else to recommend Palworld, least of all its 'take take take' mentality and the way it so brazenly frames everything as a tool to exploit for your own gain. Maybe Assassin's Creed is guilty of that, too, as well as Monster Hunter, Pokémon and all the other games Palworld's so clearly riffing on. The difference, I think, is one of attitude and ambition, because for all their respective monster mauling, those games still feel alive in ways that Palworld simply doesn't at the moment. They have the heart and presence to laugh at their own silliness, but Palworld just feels a bit dead behind the eyes. All that exists is the infernal checklist. [Early Access Review]
Palworld is an entertaining game if you connect with its survival and monster-catching mechanics, and its gameplay loop. But, at the same time, it's easy to feel that it's not original, that it doesn't do anything you haven't seen before, and that it crosses some red lines by drawing inspiration from certain games. [Early Access Score = 79]
Palworld is a game of bare minimums, unscrupulous and soulless, designed by the numbers to hit all the right notes to keep you hooked on its addictive catch-grind-craft loop. [Early Access Provisional Score = 50]
User Reviews
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Summary Palworld is a game about living a slow easy-going happy life with mysterious creatures called "Pal'' or throwing yourself into life-and-death battles with the villainous poachers. On your adventures in Palworld, you can befriend Pals and explore the vast world happily together. You can sell them, butcher them to eat, give them hard labo...
Platforms:
- PC
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
- PlayStation 5
Genres: