After releasing into early access on Jan. 19, Palworld, the new survival game from Pocketpair that has widely been dubbed “Pokemon with guns,” has exploded in popularity during its first 24 hours on the market.
According to the game’s developer, Palworld sold one million copies in eight hours, and that figure does not include the people who are playing it through Xbox Game Pass.
Palworld is available on Steam for $26.99 at a 10-percent discount, but if you want a cheaper option you also have the ability to play it through Game Pass, which comes at a monthly cost of $9.99 and has a 14-day trial for $1.
After seeing all the hype surrounding this game, and knowing that I’m a fan of both Pokemon and survival games, I just had to jump in and give it a look to see what all the fuss was about.
Palworld has sold over 1 million copies in about 8 hours since release!
Thank you to everyone for playing!#Pocketpair #Palworld pic.twitter.com/HbllMotIJr— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) January 19, 2024
And, following my nine hours or so with Palworld, I can see why people are loving it. Here’s a look at four reasons why you should give Palworld a shot.
Pokemon elements
Players can fight, catch and level up creatures called Pals that look and act very much like Pokemon.
Players use a Poke Ball-like device called a “Pal Sphere” to catch enemy Pals after weakening them in battle, and that can be done using your weapons and your own Pal’s attacks that are automatically deployed on enemies you’re attacking.
Once caught, you can put the Pal in your party of five to bring along on your adventures, or you can use them to complete tasks at your base. Pals can be leveled up by doing tasks and by either defeating or catching enemy Pals.
Each Pal has an element or two attached to it, and each element has its own strengths and weakness. Pals can be taught new and more powerful attacks, as well.
There are timed boss fights that are similar to gym battles, except the enemy Pal you’re fighting can damage you, and you damage it, and the same goes for whatever Pal you have deployed.
In the first “gym battle” I took part in, the trainer rode on the back of her Pal and I was given 10 minutes to complete the fight. It was no walk in the park, either, and both my gear and Pals had to be sufficiently upgraded and leveled.
Survival elements
Palworld gives you all the cool stuff of Pokemon and adds survival elements.
You’ll build your own home base, where the Pals that aren’t in your party can do different tasks, from mining and logging, to cooking and crafting, and much more.
Certain Pals are capable of doing certain tasks, so a bit of strategy is involved in deciding which Pals will work. Also bear in mind, you have to feed them (and yourself) and provide some amenities to keep Pals happy and working. Specific personality traits assigned to your Pals will impact their work ethic.
Players must also level up their base and themselves in order to enhance stats and unlock new recipes that enable them to upgrade their weapons (there are guns, on top of bows, etc.), tools, gear, and base overall.
Amassing resources and crafting can get a bit grindy and time-consuming, but Pals certainly help to ease the burden on players. Pals that aren’t in your party or working on your base are kept in the Palbox, which is also used to heal any of your injured friends back to full health.
If you want to tone down the survival elements a bit — like not having to drop your backpack where you die, for example — the game offers options to customize your world.
Beautiful open world
Now that we discussed the two main elements of the game, let me just say that the art style of Palworld and the world itself are absolutely gorgeous.
I’ve barely gotten out of the starting area and can’t wait to see what else is out there on what looks to be a very large map that is filled with Pals roaming around for you to catch.
Thus far, I’ve seen grassland, beach, desert and snow biomes, and all of them look unique.
There are also underground dungeons for players to explore, complete with a boss fight at the end. And these aren’t some tiny dungeons, either, at least not the one I explored or the ones I’ve seen explored while watching streamers.
Multiplayer
My experience with Palworld was as a solo player and I had a blast, so I can only imagine what the multiplayer experience would be like. Thankfully, players have options on that front.
You and up to three friends can hop on your own server to give it a whirl, or players have the option of joining a dedicated server that holds up to 32 players.
No matter your play preference, whether that be solo or multiplayer with either friends or strangers, Palworld has what you’re looking for.
