Exploring the Unhinged World of Palworld: A Surprisingly Fun Creature Collection Survival Game

Palworld, the latest offering from developer POCKETPAIR, is an unapologetic and irreverent take on the creature collection genre. It’s a game that defies expectations at every turn, blending elements of survival games, base building, and action-packed combat to create a unique and engaging experience. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of Palworld, exploring its mechanics, tone, and what makes it so surprisingly fun.

First Impressions

Palworld’s opening moments are deceptively simple. You find yourself inexplicably dropped into a strange land filled with oversized, dangerous beasts called Pals. Your goal is to survive the harsh land and face off against evil and/or psychotic Pal trainers who raze villages, attack your base, and command foreboding towers and dungeons filled with goons who shoot to kill. But what sets Palworld apart from other creature collection games is its survival mechanics and the unhinged tone it brings to the genre.

Survival Mechanics

Despite the clear inspiration it takes from a certain creature collecting powerhouse, Palworld more closely resembles a formulaic survival game like Grounded. You’ll need to build a base, force the local fauna into your servitude, and upgrade your gear to wage war against the Syndicate. The survival mechanics are intuitive and deep, requiring you to keep a steady stream of crafting materials flowing in, like wood, stone, and food.

The key to automating this process is by making clever use of the Pals themselves. For example, farming could soak up lots of your time as you plant seeds, water your plots, and then harvest the crops, but once you’ve captured some Pals and put them to work at your base, you can have a plant Pal spit seeds out of its mouth, then have a water Pal blast them with water, before another Pal comes along to harvest the crop and move it to your storage container. This Pal-based cooperation is not only ridiculously adorable to watch, but it gives you even more reasons to catch every creature you find.

Creature Collection

Catching Pals out in the open world has been a ton of fun so far. It’s definitely a bit weird to hack a small penguin unconscious with an ax or take out a gun and riddle your target with lead before stuffing it into a capture sphere. But once you get over the initial shock, it’s a complete blast. The Pals themselves aren’t quite as original as the process of catching them, but they have pretty neat designs and a lot of personality, which makes each one a ton of fun to hunt and do battle against.

From the mouselike lightning Pal to the sassy two-legged cat Pal, the dinosaur with a flower on its head, and many more, most have unique abilities that make them invaluable in combat and at your base. And the best part is, you can even put them to work, like having a Pal cook for you, or having another Pal mine for resources.

Combat and Exploration

Exploring the world of Palworld has been consistently entertaining. In one area, I was ambushed by some wolflike Pals and a giant boss who was way beyond my level absolutely destroyed me. In another, I fought a camp of evil Pal trainers who had raided the area and put Pals in cages. And in another yet, I found a shady blackmarket trader who was selling rare, probably illicitly obtained Pals.

The combat is action-packed and satisfying, with a variety of weapons and abilities at your disposal. You can even ride some of your airborne Pals, which has opened up a lot of exploration options. And with a few dozen Pals unlocked in my Paldeck, I’m absolutely champing at the bit to see more.

Conclusion

Palworld is a surprising and delightful take on the creature collection genre. It defies expectations at every turn, blending elements of survival games, base building, and action-packed combat to create a unique and engaging experience. With its unhinged tone, deep survival mechanics, and lovable Pals, Palworld is a game that’s definitely worth checking out.

So, if you’re looking for a game that’s full of surprises, where you can build a base, catch and train creatures, and wage war against evil trainers, then Palworld is the game for you. And with its Early Access release, there’s still a lot of depth to be discovered, making it an exciting time to jump in and explore this strange and wonderful world.