Review: Palworld

If you are in the gaming world, I don’t know how you could have avoided this one in the past week. It’s BLOWN UP. Broken concurrent users records left and rights. Millions of copies sold.

And I will be shocked if they are still in business in six months.

Not because it’s a bad game. It’s not. I usually avoid Early Access titles (I want to wait for the finished game), but I thought I better try this one while I can and it was available via my GamePass subscription.

You see, I highly suspect they are about to be sued into oblivion. The sprites of their “pals” are way too similar to Pokemon. So unless they change those sprites… I suspect the Pokemon Company is going to destroy them. And it is a SHAME. It is a fun game and very different from Pokemon games.

And let me be clear, the article I linked to states that “The Pokémon Company is not going to get anywhere with this just going “hey these sort of look like our Pokémon.” There would have to be actual asset stealing, while not impossible, again seems highly improbable.” -It doesn’t matter if the Pokemon Company sues them and bankrupts them through lawyers. It wouldn’t be the first time a company folded despite “not being in the wrong” on something like this.

I don’t know if they intended to infringe on the intellectual property. It’s close… I’m not a lawyer and I don’t pretend to know everything about it, but I definitely see enough similarities to worry me.

It breaks my heart. I liked Pokemon video games, to a point. I felt they became repetitive. The life of the game was the same theme with different sprites. I might as well replay my Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow. The new mechanics were so minimal. By the time the latest games came out, I was honestly burned out on the idea.

Not on the “make a team of buddy-monsters to fight with.” I love my Ark in a way I am slightly embarrassed by. And when I bit into Palworld – I immediately loved it. I love the Pals have purpose beyond fighting (they help you collect building materials, help you build and craft, help you farm, ride, and I don’t what else yet).

I’ve been moaning for 10 years I love the idea of Pokemon but I’m bored of the games. Even Pokemon Go! I wasn’t obsessed like a lot of people. It didn’t scratch any kind of itch for me.

I hope I’m wrong, I really do.