Palworld (Early Access)

Games taking inspiration from things we are already familiar with is nothing new. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's something that feels like a pale copy or even shameless plagiarism. The most interesting things are usually when you take inspiration from other things and put a new and original spin on it. Palworld is definitely a lot of things we've already seen, there's no denying that most of its ingredients aren't exactly unique and you can easily name its sources of inspiration on the fly. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter that Palworld is a strange mix and it doesn't ruin the gaming experience even though some things feel and look a bit too similar to the titles that influenced it. Because there is also a dose of something unique here, even if it can be difficult at first to find it among this rather bizarre coagulation.

Because we are offered a lot and everything is not as simple as it may seem at first, but thanks to a smooth set of steps of what should be done first, you learn everything quickly and after laying a solid foundation, building the first things in your camp and capturing your first creatures, here called Pals, you begin to realise a few things; it is very entertaining but also quite repetitive and time consuming. You have to have a large dose of patience, create your own little adventures and above all you have to want this kind of experience in order to spend any more time with it. Because time is something that Palworld requires from you in most respects and the more you give it, the more fun you have and the more effective everything the game has to offer becomes in the end.

There is no story offered. You wake up and it's time to start collecting, building and capturing. Fortunately, you quickly realise that most things are very fun and even if things take time and sometimes feel clumsy and cumbersome, it's enough to stand on a hill and look out over the huge world to awaken the desire for adventure. Palworld is as much about collecting items as it is about building things, in what feels a bit like a shameless Pokémon replica, as you have to capture creatures using a Pal Sphere. Then your small collected companions can be used in battle, but above all they can be used to manage the chores in your camp where you spend a lot of time. Watching the little creatures run around watering crops, gathering resources or rushing to your aid when you need to build something is very amusing.

There are over a hundred different Pals to capture in the world, and their different characteristics also allow them to contribute different things to your ever-expanding base. Because after building a small shed, putting a bed in place and slowly starting to level up (which is done most effectively by capturing Pals), you only have to look at the menus to see that there is a lot to build and do. It always feels like there is something to do even though the game itself has a rather narrow framework. The mix of collecting, building and capturing is a successful move where each new game session allows you to spend time on what you feel like at the time.

Just about everything you do, build, collect and capture will give both you and the little creatures experience points and make them stronger. Basically, it's a classic setup that higher levels give you the opportunity to build new things, capture stronger creatures, be more efficient in everything. You end up in a circle of collecting and building, but at the same time the chores become smoother and faster as time goes on. If you want, it is also possible to pick up some of your Pals and go out and explore the world and even though it feels quite empty, every element here is still something that contributes to the variety. Above all, it is fun to constantly feel that there are new things to unlock and discover with each level you gain. However, I hope that the world is filled with more interactions and things to discover over time.

Something I really appreciate is that resources are plentiful. It is easy to collect hundreds of them and as you increase the level of your camp, you also get the opportunity to build more of them. So if you find a nice place with good proximity to resources, you can build a new base there. However, it is not possible to move what you have built as you have to destroy (you get all the resources back) it and build it in a new place, which feels very strange. A tip is therefore to try to find good locations to build your base on from the beginning.

The visuals in general are also a bit uneven, there are plenty of nice views and the Unreal Engine lifts it all to a decent standard technically. But it often feels quite empty and the frame rate sometimes struggles to keep up and I have also encountered a lot of graphical mishaps where especially the resolution of textures varies and sometimes it becomes very pixelated on certain surfaces. In addition, the user interface with all the text is very overwhelming when you are in your camp as all the text is constantly popping up and covering the screen.

It's a pity that some areas are quite rudimentary because even though this is an Early Access project, there is some frustration in especially your Pals' behaviour that disturbs the game experience. They have an ability to get stuck or glitched in a variety of places in your base, and since your Pals must be taken care of in regard to food and rest, there will be some annoying moments when a creature starves just because it's stuck somewhere. Here I hope for a lot of polishing before the full version arrives. Crafting certain items also requires a certain type of Pals and sometimes they can just disappear and do other things and then not fulfil their task. Having to go into a menu and change it and then switch back is an annoying distraction.

Similarly, the sound profile could use a real boost as the game here feels incredibly desolate. Since so much time is spent either building in your camp or exploring the big world, much more atmosphere is needed regarding the sound.

Near the area where I built my first base, giant creatures that are many levels above me in strength roam. Knowing that it will take time before I can catch them, or go on a hunt for new types of creatures is one of Palworld's strongest aspects. They have simply succeeded very well with the joy of discovery and curiosity. There are plenty of places to fast travel between so when you unlock these you can easily get to an area and also your base, so even though the world is big and the journeys can be long, it is easy to get around. Although the world feels quite desolate, there is still a lot to discover and be enthralled by, you just have to be prepared that it is not a game where any story accompanies you, but it's mainly the hunt for new Pals that is at the centre here.

If you want a clearer goal, there are large towers that all involve a boss, a kind of equivalent to the gyms found in Pokémon and it is important to be well prepared as these fights are timed and also require you and your assistants to be strong enough. Since there's nothing on offer story-wise, it's a bit sad that this is really the only major goal you have to work towards, but each play session is really what you make of it. Building is where I've found the most enjoyment myself, and as more Pals get together and perform tasks, the process becomes smoother. You can even go so far as to basically run a rather cruel regime and let the poor creatures work themselves to death.

The premise of this game has often been about it being "Pokémon with guns" and just like everything else, you unlock the ability to craft firearms for some of the individual Pals as you level up. However, these weapons are unlocked well into the game and the progression around how you constantly unlock new items makes each new game session extra fun, as you get new things to do and seeing the cute little creatures walk around with their weapons is devilishly fun.

It's not only weapons that can end up in the fists of the little animals, as you can also make a saddle so you can fly or cross water with certain types of them. This makes the world even more fun and efficient to explore and just like everything else; it takes time to get to the level where you can create all this, but all the effort you put in is really worth it when you get your reward.

The ability to run multiplayer is welcome and something that will eventually be developed even more so you can have multiple players per world. As it is now, four players can adventure and build together and on the occasions I have jumped in with some friends, it has worked well minus a few crashes and not being able to connect to a friend's world. The help you can get from friends to defeat a certain boss or build a larger project is welcome, but the most fun thing to do is to just hang out and talk together while crafting. Time flies when you're playing Palword without really knowing what you've accomplished.

This Early Access version is promising, but in addition to being a taste of something that will certainly be updated and expanded, I also think that the entertainment that is currently here is actually great. Several times I've started it up and not really had a clear focus and then spent hours gathering materials, building and then going out to hunt in the big world. It's as easy to get the urge to rebuild your camp as it is to spend hours hunting for new companions. Just like a game like Minecraft where the only limit is your own imagination, Palworld also requires you to enjoy crafting and tackling things that may seem a bit tedious at first but will reward you well. If you have that attitude, there are many amazing hours to be enjoyed here and no doubt plenty more down the line when it's expanded and improved further.