"Palworld" played: "Pokémon" with guns and a pinch of sadism

Together with my fox-like companion Foxparks, I wander through a cosy little wood. After a while, I spot a group of penguins ahead of me. The penguin-like creatures are still missing from my collection. I quietly stalk towards them. Shortly before they discover me, I clamp Foxparks under my arm and use it as a flamethrower. I use it to fry the blue creatures thoroughly. As soon as they are weak enough, I throw a Pokéball, er, I mean a Pal Sphere at their heads to catch them.

"Palworld" looks like a cheeky "Pokémon" clone at first glance. But it plays more like an adult fan mod with survival elements. It's been a long time since I've come across such a strange game that's also fun to play. And yet I don't like "Pokémon" at all. Maybe that's the reason for my enthusiasm. The core of the Early Access title is the same: catch all the Pals. But "Palworld" takes "Pokémon's" schizophrenic side ad absurdum. The game seems to have struck a nerve. «Palworld» hat sich in wenigen Tagen über fünf Millionen mal verkauft. With more than one million concurrent players on Steam, it can count itself among a particularly illustrious group.

Smash and drive

In the game from Japanese studio Pocketpair, the world is inhabited by cuddly fantasy creatures. Their names consist of bad puns that could have come straight from an AI generator. An owl creature called Hoocrates hops past. Next to it grazes a woolly creature called Lamball. Some have such obvious parallels to Pokémon that it seems only a matter of time before the Pokémon Company's lawyers come knocking. This also applies to certain sound effects that sound one-to-one like those in "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". And if you take a look at Pocketpair's next game "Never Grave", you can't help but think of "Hollow Knight". Being generously inspired seems to be part of the concept at Pocketpair.

The catching process is basically the same as in Pokémon, just a little more explicit. Instead of standing passively by in turn-based duels and watching as attacks are carried out, in "Palworld" I simply unpack my baseball bat and throw myself into the fray. Heavier guns come into play later, but I have to unlock them first. For the time being, I'm travelling with medieval means. That's more than enough for the cuddly little creatures at the start. I hit the fleeing Lamball over the head two or three times with the bat until it's so weak that it can't resist the Pal Sphere. It feels a bit like I'm beating up my children's soft toys. But it's basically no different in "Pokémon", it's just packaged more beautifully there. It's like eating: If you eat meat, you should be there when it's slaughtered - speaking of which. I can unlock a butcher's knife in the game and yes, it's exactly what it sounds like.

The Pals are not only captured so that they can fight for me, but also so that they can work in my base. For example, they cultivate my berry and wheat fields. I use them to feed my growing workforce. If that's not enough, a grumpy Depresso sometimes ends up in the cooking pot. It laments and lazes around all day anyway. Every Pal masters certain tasks. Some can chop down trees, others irrigate fields and still others like to haul stones around. In the evening, they are allowed to rest on straw beds that they have made themselves. At dawn, they continue to work on a piecework basis. Despite their childlike appearance, I can't help but get the impression that they have set up a labour camp.

The last doubts that I am slowly turning into a second Stalin disappear as I build a pulpit. From there, I can push my Pals to work faster. You can choose between "hard working" and "super hard working". The descriptions are as follows: Demand cruel or brutal work from your Pals. The consequences are that the Pals get hungry more quickly and their mental health declines faster. It's slightly disturbing. But hey, I can give them the right medicine for any mental or physical damage. I'm really starting to wonder whether "Palworld" is secretly a social criticism of the capitalist system.

Ethical concerns aside, the concept of "Palworld" is refreshingly different. The Pals are versatile and tireless workers. At the same time, they help me explore the open game world. To help me progress faster, I can construct a glider - "Zelda" sends its regards - or I can develop Pal-specific upgrades. In the case of the aforementioned Foxparks, this is a mount so that I can carry it as a flamethrower. For the Eikthyrdeer, a deer creature, it's a saddle so I can ride it. My fleet now consists of a wide range of different racing, swimming and flying animals.

Content still in need of improvement

"Palworld" can be played on dedicated servers with up to 32 people. While I can manage the expansion of my base on my own, support is welcome during boss battles. The counterpart to the trainers from "Pokémon" are towers with syndicate bosses in "Palworld". In addition to Pals, human factions also inhabit the expansive landscape. The first boss is Zoe and her minigun-armed Grizzbolt. I only emerge victorious from the battle after I have upgraded my party of six Pals and myself accordingly. The reward is rare resources for new construction projects. These boss battles can also be fought by four players.

In addition to the tower bosses, there are particularly strong, free-roaming Pals to defeat. There are also dungeons, which usually also have a boss. And that's about it. There is currently still a lack of content. That's not surprising for an early access title. By the time I've caught the total of over 100 Pals, I could easily spend even more time. But I'd rather wait until "Palworld" also offers more variety in terms of gameplay.

The colourful game world is already inviting in the Early Access version - but still a little empty and generic. Nevertheless, I was gripped by the urge to collect all the curious Pals. There are also countless things to unlock for the base, the Pals and your own character.

The game's slightly sadistic streak, from catching the Pals to the labour camp mentality, might offend some. As a big fan of "The Cult of the Lamb", I'm already jaded about this. However, I already know what to expect from the title. In any case, the foundations have been laid and the hypetrain is in full swing. I'm excited to see where the journey with Pocketpair will take us.

"Palworld" is available in Early Access on Steam and in the Game Pass for PC and Xbox. The age recommendation is USK 12, or Pegi 7. The game was provided to me by Pocketpair for testing purposes.