Palworld

⭐8/10

I find it extremely difficult to rate a game like Palworld. On the one hand, this is a truly creativity bankrupt game. It's not just that they stole Pokemon's homework and wrote their name on it with the creature designs, but every element of this game seems stolen and cheaply applied. Clear rip offs from Elden Ring to Breath of the Wild, there is nothing sacred enough to not be stolen and desecrated. And yet? This game is also a ton of fun! 

This is a crafting survival game, a genre I have never explored and so most of this was new to me. Essentially there is a loop of exploring, gathering, and catching Pals, then going back to your base to craft and upgrade materials with the help of your Pals so that you can more effectively explore, gather and catch more Pals. There is a story here too (beat 8 gyms, the elite 4 and the final boss) to keep track on your progress, and this feedback loop is nigh irresistible. 

In a lot of ways, this is Pokemon as it should have been. Every Pal is interesting and offers something unique, and can be utilized in interesting ways. There is purpose to catching them all besides just having trophies in the collection. Every single thing you collect has multiple purposes, everything constantly contributing to something bigger. It's like Pokemon Arceus in a lot of ways (my favorite modern Pokemon game) but then iterated on in a million new ways. 

No one aspect (puzzles, action, exploration, crafting, story, music, visuals) is particularly good, and yet the game is greater than the sum of the parts. The heart and soul of this game is working together with your Pals, something not really replicated in other games, and all this other stuff mostly enhances that. The story and writing are mostly abominations, and yet the final confrontation had me swept up in the wonderful feeling of saving the world with my loyal allies. 

So with all that praise, how does this game not get a perfect score? Well, the first reason is that I simply can't give a great score to a game that is so blatantly and shamelessly a ripoff of better games. Like they aren't even trying, and I think that's worth mentioning. It almost feels yucky how many things are ripped off. But you know what other game is a blatant rip off? Stardew Valley! So I won't accept any pearl clutching here. 

But the bigger issue for me is that this game becomes an absolute slog the further you go on. Crafting is the name of the game, and to advance you need better stuff (better armor, weapons, better balls for catching better Pals, etc) and the wait times become absurd. I cannot fathom this decision. I hear it's somewhat normal in this genre, but as you progress the grinding should be less, not more! More automated, more efficient, less waiting, more exploring. I was losing my mind. 10 minutes to make a helmet?! I just want to fight the boss!! If the game started this way, I would not have made it to the end. But it had its hooks in, and I reluctantly limped over the finish line. The ending was fun and epic! So why make it so cumbersome to get there? 

So in the end I have very mixed feelings. I never expected to enjoy this game, but did against my better judgement. If only you could simply change the settings to get rid of wait times, I think I'd have called this a real winner.