Summary
Indie developer Pocketpair’s new open-world creature-collector RPGPalworldhas taken the gaming world by storm, having sold over eight million copies in less than a week and continuing to draw new players into its wondrous world. At the center ofPalworld’s gameplay loop, players will encounter and capture charming animal-like creatures called “Pals,” each of which can perform a variety of tasks, including base operations and assistance in combat. Unfortunately, despitePalworld’s significant appeal to the gaming community, a disappointing detail arises in the design and mechanics of the game’s Pals, especially in comparison to the creature companions of a franchisePalworldwas inspired by.
Palworldclearly draws inspiration from Nintendo and Game Freak’sPokemon, but this puts it at a regrettable disadvantage against the nearly thirty-year-old franchise — specifically when it comes to the elemental affinities of its Pals. WhilePokemonhas had almost three decades to perfect its battle mechanics and Pokemon design, the lack of elemental diversity inPalworld’s Pals remains a letdown for its monster-collecting gameplay nonetheless.Pokemonestablished undeniable potential for the depth and complexity thatPalworldhas thus far missed in its Pal mechanics.
Palworld’s Elemental Mechanics Fall Miles Short of Pokemon’s
In a game that seems to shamelessly derive its nature from such a beloved franchise asPokemon, comparisons are not only natural but also encouraged. As such, it’s worth examininghowPalworld’s Pal elements compare toPokemontypesand identifying their discrepancies from a critical standpoint to determine what they might have been and how they can be improved. These discrepancies are not only clear in the number of elements that exist inPalworldbut also in the remarkable simplicity of its elemental mechanics.
Currently, there are nine elements inPalworldtoPokemon’s eighteen types (nineteen, including Stellar). OfPalworld’s nine elements, eight of them match eight ofPokemon’s by name, while Neutral-element Pals are a clear parallel to Normal-type Pokemon. It’s unclear whether Pocketpair plans to add more elemental affinities in the future, but the chances are high, considering the positive feedback the game has so rapidly received.
It makes sense forPalworld’s elements to match the names of many ofPokemon’s types, especially considering there are only so many elements before original elements need to be created. However, based on this and the very close resemblance ofPalworldtoPokemonin other respects, perhapsPalworldcould take a cue fromPokemonand more thoroughly develop the mechanics of each element, while simultaneously adding to their numbers.
As of now, every elemental affinity inPalworldexcept Fire has strengths and weaknesses against only one other element, whereas almost all ofPokemon’s types have strengths and weaknesses against multiple elements. For example, Grass Pals inPalworldare strong against Ground Pals and weak against Fire Pals, butPokemon’s Grass typeis strong against the Ground, Rock, and Water types and weak against the Fire, Flying, Ice, Poison, Bug types.
…perhapsPalworldcould take a cue fromPokemonand more thoroughly develop the mechanics of each element, while simultaneously adding to their numbers.
This inevitably allowsPokemonplayers to diversify their parties and form unique strategies for every battle, whilePalworldplayers are very limited in their approach to combat.Pokemonplayers can mix and match according to their situations, butPalworldplayers are left with no choice but to use very specific Pals to do very specific jobs. IfPalworldwere to expand its elemental mechanics to encourage players to form a more motley crew of Pals, it would undoubtedly add to the game’s depth of strategy.
Fortunately, asPalworldis currently in early access and its developer remains committed to regularly updating it, it’s entirely probable its elemental mechanics will evolve in the future. After all,Pocketpair has already disclosed its plans to add more Pals to thePalworldroster in future updates, and in doing so, it may decide to add new elements and mechanics as well.
