Palworld instantly became one of the most popular games of all time on Steam when it released, and longtime fans of the Pokemon series claim that its meteoric rise is due to the game being what Pokemon fans have wanted for decades.
Despite Palworld being widely accused of copying Pokemon designs (accusations people who have played the game are vehemently against), those who love the Pokemon series have flocked to the game in droves looking for something new.
And, while Legends: Arceus and Pokemon: Scarlet and Violet are still popular, both games had a lukewarm reception at launch. Fans of the series have been looking for a knockout hit to cling to for years, with many longtime players choosing to modify older Pokemon entries rather than spending time with new ones.
However, Palworld has re-ignited the fire many Pokemon players felt when they originally hopped into their favorite franchise for the first time, with many claiming that the devs behind this breakout hit have done what Nintendo has never and possibly will never be willing to do with the Pokemon franchise.
Palworld captures the hearts of Pokemon fans
Other than the morbid practice of enslaving and selling human beings, Palworld is a generally fun and bright game that’s proven to be a ton of fun for the millions of players who have already bought it.
People are really enjoying the game already, even those who were skeptical or determined that Palworld’s concept was too good to be true.
“Palworld scratches and itch I’ve had for the past 10 years. With the game still in early access and it blowing up so much, I’m hoping they will at least add evolutions for the full release; would be a huge missed opportunity to not include evolutions of some kind,” one Redditor claimed.
They continued, “Either way, it’s a pretty fun game. Good on them for finally doing what Nintendo couldn’t.”
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It was pointed out to this person that while Evolutions aren’t possible, Pals can be fused. With players still figuring out how the game works, there are mechanics players haven’t even touched yet, and many early gripes from players are fixed by discoveries later in the game. And, considering people have put in several hours already, there are some who are beginning to see the game’s massive scope.
The original poster claimed that this is “Pokemon for adults” in another thread, explaining that this is the game grown Pokemon fans who grew up with the game are naturally into.
“I liked Arceus too but it didn’t hit a certain area for me, Palworld feels like Pokémon for adults and whatever Nintendo is doing is tailoring to the younger audiences.”
Meanwhile, others used Palworld’s monumental achievement as an opportunity to call out GameFreak for being unable to pull off a truly open world, detailed animations, and other features Pokemon fans have been asking for.
“Pokemon took ages to make anything other than a reskin of the same game over and over, and it was still disappointing when they came out with something different,” one commenter claimed.
“I hope this small dev team blindsiding them with a game that does what they should’ve had years ago and being this successful eats into their profits and forces them to start putting effort into their next games.”
Whether they’re hoping Palworld inspires GameFreak to do better, or if they’re satisfied with enjoying the game they’ve got in front of them, those playing Palworld have been convinced that Nintendo can do better with the world’s most profitable franchise.