EVER wonder what Pokemon games would be like if they had guns? The answer can be found in Palworld, launched on Steam’s Early Access and Xbox Game Pass Jan 19. Palworld, a satirical spin on Pokemon games, was first revealed back in 2021.
Featuring creatures that looked nearly identical to Pokemon, this new game by developer Pocketpair features modern firearms.
The game features similar monster-catching gameplay from Pokemon while mixing in third-person shooting, base management, hunting and crafting from other games to deliver an open-world survival and crafting game.
Gameplay revolves around hunting, fighting, selling and exploiting the game’s cute monsters and the Pocketpair is self-aware of the game’s presentation.
“In a harsh environment where food is scarce and vicious poachers roam, danger waits around every corner. To survive, you must tread carefully and make difficult choices... even if that means eating your pals when the time comes,” a part of the game’s entry on Steam reads and further insinuations are made about slave labour using the game’s “Pals”.
In its Jan 10 launch trailer, the footage from the game revealed that not only can players (through their playable character) use firearms like assault rifles and rocket launchers, but so do some of the AI-controlled Pals.
According to the game’s website, Palworld has over 100 monsters that can be captured, while the game will also support up to 32 players in multiplayer, where players are able to either cooperate with or fight against each other.
To further deepen the uncanny resemblance with the Pokemon games, Palworld will feature an open world with different biomes, such as snow-addled mountains and roaring volcanoes, for players to explore, with each having its own set of unique Pals.
It will also have battles against “leaders of hostile factions”, similar to the gym leaders in Pokemon. Palworld is currently available on PC via Steam, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One through the Xbox Game Pass.
