Palworld is another monster-taming adventure game that has been described as ‘Pokémon but with guns,’ which essentially gives Pokémon’s wholesome exterior a disturbing undertone. Well, locking critters into little balls and having them fight was always a little disturbing, but the latest trailer now shows off some of the other ways you can use (or abuse) your Pals, which includes capturing, shooting, and overworking them.
There’s a fine line between catch ‘em all and capture them all - and Palworld definitely leans into the latter. The newest trailer (below) literally begins with a coop of Pals that have been stuffed to the brim in a large container, crying out for help like a pained choir. The clip then evolves into an industrial montage, as your colourful pals hammer away and build various contraptions for you. “Catch a pal, make them work,” is the recurring line. The thought of Pals constructing cages for themselves is even more sinister.
The rest of the trailer looks just as wild and weird as the others since all the monster battling and ball throwing from Pokémon is intact. Best of all, it all takes place in a vibrant open world that you can traverse while riding some of your larger Pals. The limited peeks at combat also look reminiscent of Pokémon Legends Arceus, as the Pals throw explosive abilities at each other while you’re left to dodge and run in real-time - only this time, you’ve also got an automatic rifle to defend yourself with.
Palworld’s early access release was recently delayed into January 2024, and after that point, the developers will focus on adding more Pals, areas, and craftable items to the game. You can find out more on Steam.
Prefer creature-collectathons without guns? Check out the 10 best games that are like Pokémon, but not actually Pokémon.
