Summary
Pokemonbegan in 1996 and was a hit in Japan, and it became an even bigger success when the series eventually crossed over into the West in 1998. Alongside the Game Boy games came comics, toys, anime, and so many other tie-ins. There was no avoiding it even if one didn’t play video games.
Years later,Pokemonis still the most popular monster-catching series around, but several have tried to take the throne, includingDigimon,Yokai Watch,Monster Rancher, and dozens more.Palworldis the latest attempt, and it does a lot different from the latestPokemongames. Maybe Nintendo and Game Freak could even learn a thing or two from this massive hit.
6The Open-World Structure
Hello Minecraft And The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
While thePokemonseries has seen some open-world elements in the last mainline games,Palworldis a broader open-world experience. There’s no escaping just how muchPalworldborrowed from other games and series beyondPokemon,includingThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Players can climb nearly any surface inPalworld, and there is a stamina gauge as well to balance this ability.
There is acooking mechanic inPalworldtoo, which can lead to temporary boosts beyond refilling health. The crafting and gathering resource mechanics fall more in line with a survival game likeMinecraftthough. Things aren’t blocky in Palworld, and it’s a bit harder to craft and build structures, but the two games certainly share DNA. Ultimately,Palworldhas more in common with these two games thanPokemon.
5There Are Difficulty Options
A Standard Nintendo And Game Freak Have Ignored
Pokemonwas always meant to be a series aimed at kids to get them into RPGs. Except for some side quests, most entries were never that challenging. However, Nintendo never implemented difficulty levels beyond making the games generally accessible. Well, inPalworld, there are plenty of difficulty options.
Players can immediately decide to play on Casual, Normal, or Hard. Plus, they can customize their experience with a wealth of options beyond that. They can decrease how much Stamina is used up on actions like climbing. They can also boost EXP earned. It’s assist options like these that will help carrythe RPG genreforward for an ever-evolving group of players.
4You Attack Pals Directly
Cute Doesn’t Protect From Bullets
ThePokemonseriesleaves a lot of unanswered questions for players to figure out for themselves. For example, are there people who beat Pokemon into submission with their fists or weapons to weaken them? Do people regularly eat Pokemon? The questions can be nauseating for this seemingly innocent series aimed at kids.
Well, inPalworld, things work a bit differently with capturing Pals. Players can directly attack monsters with clubs, axes, guns, and so forth to weaken them. It’s a bit brutal, especially when Pals are directly killed, and they drop materials or even meat that can be eaten. Some of these recipes look delicious too. Also, another player character difference is that they level up alongside Pals and there are two separate upgrade trees.
3Pals And You
From Fighting By Your Side To Working At Base
There are many more differences between Pals and Pokemon that go beyond how they are captured. For example, players don’t choose a starting Pal and can just start catching them once they make a Pal Sphere, which islike a Pokeball. Once caught, they can be used in battle, one at a time, and players can carry five at once.
The rest of the Pals will be transferred to a Palbox at home base, and they can help with crafting. Unless there is an obscure mini-game collection or spin-off lost to time, Pokemon aren’t known for doing hard labor, be it mining rocks to chopping down trees. It’s something the anime touches on, but games likePokemon Scarlet & Violetcertainly don’t allow players to build bases using Pokemon labor.
2Pals Are Like Skills
You Don’t See Ash Using Pokemon As Weapons
The last wild difference between the two creature types is that players can use Pals directly as weapons. Players can build weapons and other gear to equip themselves with, but they can also make gear for specific Pals to enhance them via Partner Skills. For example, many of the bigger ones can be equipped with saddles for exploration services. One of the best early monsters to catch inPalworldis called Nitewing and it can fly.
Equipment for Pals goes beyond mounts, which thePokemonseries has attempted before. A weirder example is Foxparks, a Pal which can be wielded like a flamethrower. Tocotoco can be handled like a grenade launcher, but instead of grenades, it shoots explosive eggs. It is quite difficult to imagine Ash doing that to any of the Pokemon in the anime.
1You Can Catch…People?
Tell That To Professor Oak
Of all the differences between the two series, this has to be the zaniest of them all: Pal Spheres can catch humans too. This can lead to raising a Wanted level like inGrand Theft Autotoo. It’s not a glitch either, as NPCs and enemy soldiers have stats once caught. What kind of existence is it like to live in a Pal Sphere?
Is it comfortable for a Pal, let alone a human? Is it like a deep sleep? Fans have been wondering about this dilemma in thePokemonseries forever too. All in all, it just goes to show that the developer behindPalworldwanted to do one thing: make an engaging andfun action RPGfor all to enjoy without restrictions. Based on the human catching aspect, that goal seems clear.
