“Palworld” had already seen major success, with the game selling over 7 million copies in only 5 days (RadioTimes). This survival creature-capture game was released on Jan. 19, 2024. A big part of this game’s stardom is that people coin it as a ripoff “Pokémon” game, but people who’ve played it would say otherwise.
First of all, “Pokémon” is a franchise geared toward children, meaning that it is very playful and lighthearted. “Palworld”, however, included weapons that the player and their pals can yield, earning it a T rating on ESRB, whereas the most recent installment of the franchise “Pokémon Scarlet” and “Pokémon Violet” sat at an E10+.
Also, in “Pokémon”, the objective was to defeat gyms and become the champion of the region, but in “Palworld”, the goal was to defeat bosses to progress, whether the player utilizes pals or their own arsenal.
Though both games contained creature capture mechanics as the main draw, the way they operated was much different in each game. In “Palworld” the pals captured could not only help you on your journey, but they could also stay back at base, get materials, gather equipment, craft and so much more, whereas “Pokémon” can only battle.
That being said, “Palworld” and “Pokémon” were two very different games with differing demographics and game objectives. Though both were good games in their own right, comparing them to each other was a flawed argument. They both shared the same origin but went in completely different directions and are both great games with different takes on creature-capturing games and both deserved a try.