(Courtesy of Pocket Pair, Inc.)
“What if Pokémon had guns?” That was what we believe was written down on a whiteboard at Pocket Pair, Inc., the company that created the smash hit video game, “PalWorld.” This game was a surprise hit as it dropped recently in early access on both PC and Xbox systems. The game was lambasted by many due to the CEO’s positive thoughts on artificial intelligence, while also pointing out its extremely close designs to many characters from the global phenomenon, “Pokémon.”
But enough about the controversies, how is the game itself?
To be completely frank with you all, while the system of catching pals is intuitive and the addition of firearms is hilarious and adds an action movie touch, the game is bogged down by lots of menus and crafting. This is not a Pokémon-style game. You can catch monsters to do your bidding, but the core of the game is to build a base and put your pals to work in expediting your crafting materials into a well-oiled machine. As Guillermo has lived through the crafting game boom of the early 2010s, many of these games have been flash in the pan.
“7 Days to Die,” “Rust,” and the incomparable and titanic “Minecraft” just to say a few.
Out of all these games, “Minecraft” is the only one that can fit in because it doesn’t feel like a 100% chore to do anything in the game. Another good survival game is “Lego Fortnite,” because it streamlines so much of the slow and dragged-out pace of survival.
The biggest sin of “PalWorld” besides it feeling like a game that belonged in the mid-2010s, is the user interface. These are menus that show so much info, minutiae, and statistics that while welcome to a hardcore player, a casual like many people can have their heads spin violently from the overload of information.
Both Pocket Pair, Inc. and Nintendo need to take notes from each other, because while there is an interesting and fun game in “PalWorld,” it is buried under a sea of crafting mechanics that overwhelm the player and make the game feel like a total chore to play. The developers are planning to make the game more of a live service-style affair with constant updates, but it still will not erase the crafting.
3.5 “bootleg Pikachu plushies” out of 5.
Guillermo Guzman (he/him/they) is a Texas-based nerd who loves talking about video games, autism, and entertainment. Follow him on Instagram: @boofy_booferson and X: @Dimpy_Tenders.
Zipporah Pruitt, (she/her) is an L.A. homegrown journalist, who covers entertainment and culture. Follow her on X and Instagram: @zippzapps.
Edited by Nykeya Woods