VideoGame An uncut gem
I bought this game day one expecting it to fail. I had been following it since the beginning (hell, I even created this page), and the reveal trailer had the energy of a bootleg mobile game ad but the sheer Refuge in Audacity had me hooked. The more I saw pre-release, the more I was convinced their ambition would collapse under its own weight like No Man's Sky but I stuck around expecting to at least get a good laugh out of it. And laugh I did, for all the right reasons.
For starters, this was never intended to be the "Pokémon killer" some people want it to be or accuse it of trying to be. Looking past the surface, it quickly becomes apparent that this was a love letter (with some very mixed signals) to the franchise that inspired it. Despite relentlessly mocking common Pokémon tropes and being a Deconstructive Parody, much love and care was put into the mon designs which draw inspiration from a wide variety of existing Pokémon (as well as other franchises) and Dummied Out ones that never saw the light of day until now. Even so, it's a Survival Sandbox game first and a Mons Series second so trying to directly compare the two is a fruitless endeavor. It's not "Pokemon with guns" it's "Ark with Pokemon".
For an Early Access title, the level of polish is immaculate. There's a bit of jank here and there with base-building and rare clipping through walls, but nothing game-breaking and it's a complete experience playable from start to finish. If they had taken the money and ran without releasing further updates I'd be disappointed but not feeling as though I wasted my time. Progression feels natural as you gain exp from basically everything, just going about your day gathering resources and managing your base can lead to you unlocking even more to do. Despite being designed by a novice the gunplay is smooth and visually appealing. And the world is massive, I'm 80 hours in and constantly finding new things. The Pals interact with their environment, even starting fights with each other and making the world feel lived-in. The worldbuilding is barebones yet compelling, despite not having a single line of dialogue the Tower Bosses have backgrounds and quirks that make you want to learn more about them.
I'm not saying it's Game of the Year-worthy (yet), but the ludicrous sales numbers were well-deserved.
VideoGame A Success In Its Mediocrity
I anticipated having a lot to say about this game given the initial reactions of the public, and having gone through it personally? It leaves me wanting more... in that the overall experience has absolutely nothing that jumps out to me as a player. At its core the gameplay (although stable and polished) delivers nothing that I haven't experienced before in other games, and while I could appreciate that familiarity I did expect better, especially because of the reputation it quickly built up. Rather than do anything unique it just takes gimmicks from other games and attempts to jam it all together to make it seem like something new.
Moreover, it's impossible to overlook the striking similarities between the game's creature designs and those of a certain established franchise. While the obvious resemblances do understandably raise concerns, that's not necessarily why it irks me. I'm not all that interested in defending a franchise that I'm OK with saying has lost a lot of steam over the last several years, even as a casual player myself. My issue here is just a general lack of commitment from a creative standpoint. Many other games such as Cassette Beasts also draw inspiration from the same big franchise, but they are able to keep their own unique edge while Palworld simply does not. It's not plagiarism, per say, but it is just blatant laziness.
I also frequently see arguments saying that this game is supposed to be a parody of sorts, as if that's meant to excuse the game's lack of creativity? Frankly it's about as much of a parody as Date Movie is a parody to the romantic comedy genre. It's certainly no Spaceballs either.
Overall, Palworld falls incredibly short of establishing itself as a noteworthy contender in the monster companion based genre. With lackluster gameplay mechanics, an uninspiring world, questionable originality in creature design, and a general lack of charm, it just floats in limbo as something that I really had expected to be more engaging.