Palworld Xbox PC Gaming

[Tom]

Palworld has taken the internet by storm. Launching into Early Access on Xbox & PC via the Microsoft Store & Steam, this Day One Game Pass launch is crazy as shit. Ark meets Pokémon visuals meets human trafficking, enslaving wild creatures to do your bidding, some of the Pals are sex pests

It is weird...

You'll start by creating a world, one where up to 3 friends can join in on Xbox and the Microsoft Store. The Steam version is a patch or two ahead and has dedicated servers of up to 32 players available. Full crossplay/feature parity is planned for the future, but for now, it's either Xbox/MS Store or Steam only. After finishing your uWu anime character, who can also look like a damned monster if you want, you'll awaken on an island as cute little creatures hover over your head. Quickly you'll learn that nothing is as it appears, because it's all super cutesy and rips off shamelessly from Pokémon and Breath of the Wild.

You are in a land inhabited by the Pals, cute cuddly creatures that you can enslave with your magic ball and force to farm, fight, or abuse as you please. There is a syndicate of evil humans whom you can also capture, though the only options for them are to either force them into work or butcher them with a knife to steal all their belongings. This game is really god damned weird and has no shame in letting you use its base mechanics seemingly however you please.

The Gameplay...

Things start out in Palworld as your typical punching trees and rocks to get resources survival game. Where it succeeds for me is in how quickly you'll feel more powerful and the options you have in the risk/reward style of gameplay. There are a swath of options that allow you to tailor the gameplay loop to your liking.

Early on most of your combat and interactions will be at melee range. Punching trees, then chopping them, pickaxing rock, and using a club or spear on Pals to either weaken them for capture or knocking them out for resources. It feels fine, nothing special but it looks good and controls well enough to be a relatively pleasant experience. Where Palworld is different is when you start leveling your Pals, crafting gear for them to unlock abilities, and getting ranged weaponry for yourself. Building an Assault Rifle for your monkey, or Submachine Gun for a squirrel is weird in a way that you will love.

Each Pal comes with randomized attributes making them suitable for various tasks. Watering your farm, chopping down wood, gathering stone, and helping craft make whom you choose to stay at your base matter. You'll have a 2nd checklist of objectives to empower your base(s) and this system is matched by various random attributes that can make your Pals better suited to accompany you into the open world. You'll be capturing hundreds if not thousands of cuddly creatures, leveling them, butchering them for meat/resources, having them fight with you, and riding them across the open plains. This is a game that is a fantastic sum of a number of good to great parts.

For now, in this first version of early access, the goal is to constantly level up, everything you do gets you experience. As you get stronger and have properly kitted out Pals in your party you'll face other Paltamers in battles inside of Tower Dungeons. There are also various massive cave dungeons that I constantly get lost in full of rare Pals and human thugs to fight for resources. The game seems big, though I'm sure the more ardent survival game players will blast through its content in a few weeks at the most.

 

[Black Sheep]

Just on Palworld, this Eurogamer piece is a beaut. Aside from any of the various allegations flying around about it, the whole enterprise is elegantly captured here.

"Play Palworld and you won't feel like you're playing something made with thought, or craft, or an earnest team's best intentions. You won't feel admiration or wonder. You won't feel any real sense of achievement. You won't feel like any artist has been involved, or that anything meaningful might come to mind. You will instead feel like you're playing a product designed to be sold, rather than to be played. You will feel like a mark. And you'll be right."

Is Palworld actually any good? Of course not

Eurogamer's thoughts on Palworld, which are in brief: it's not great.

www.eurogamer.net

 

[Zidane]

So I'm not someone who has even the faintest interest in Pokemon, I do like games like Ark and Fallout 76 though.

When I saw Palworld had almost 2 million concurrent players on Steam, and then heard it described as Ark meets Pokemon with guns, I said I'd give it a go.

Have to say I'm really enjoying it. I've only played 5 hours and feels like I've done absolutely nothing, can see myself getting my money's worth at the very least. It wasn't until around 3 hours in that I managed to make some clothes for my character.

 

[David76]

Palworld developer Pocketpair has released a significant new patch for the Steam version of the game that makes a number of fixes.

Steam patch v0.1.4.0 fixes crash issues, gameplay issues, and glitches, among other things. Elsewhere, there are fixes for base issues, including one that means Pals who are manually assigned to a breeding farm will not become hungry and their manual assignments will not be removed.

Spoiler: STEAM PATCH v0.1.4.0

Here are the Palworld Steam update v0.1.4.0 patch notes in full:

Major Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the game would crash under certain conditions
• Fixed an issue where if another player's pal/base pal had HP 30% or less, it could be captured by using a sphere.
• Fixed an issue where enemy pals would get stuck in walls due to charge attacks.
• Implemented the first fix for an issue where the game would always crash and save data would be corrupted when the guild's total number of pals captured reached around 7000.

*The game no longer crashes even if the total number of captured objects exceeds 7000.
However, save data that has already been in this state (in the case of a server, the server's world data) before this update will still be unable to load.

We are continuing to work on fixing this issue permanently.

Key Configuration

• Added support for mouse side keys and numeric keypad in keyboard key configuration.

*Further improvements are currently planned, such as support for interact key configuration.

Player Issues

• Fixed an issue where players on dedicated servers and co-op (online) were receiving damage twice.
• Specifications have been changed so that you can move at extremely low speed even when you have exceeded the weight limit.
• Players will no longer pass through walls when dismounting.
• Fixed an issue where capture power strengthened by Lifmunk Effigies was reset when using memory reset drugs.
• Fixed an issue where armor could be equipped in the wrong slot.
• Adjusted camera positions of several Pals to make it easier to see when mounted.

Base Issues

• Specifications have been changed so that Pals who are manually assigned to a breeding farm will not become hungry and their manual assignments will not be removed.
• The key to lift Pals has been changed from F → V (Pad: X → Y) to prevent accidents.
• Reduced the speed and range of fire spreading on wooden buildings.
• Fixed an issue where manual work assignments could not be set at all under certain circumstances.
• Fixed an issue where extremely high-level Relaxaurus would attack the base during raids.
• Added several measures to prevent base Pals from getting stuck.
• Fixed an issue where Pals would get stuck while transporting items and would drop them on the spot.
• Fixed an issue where Pals at the base would continue to cut down trees that were already cut.
• Fixed an issue where Pals at the base were on the verge of death due to unexplained falling damage.
• Fixed an issue where Pals at the base would float under some conditions.
• Fixed an issue where if a farm was built on the second floor or above, work pals would be unable to move on the floors below.

Other

• Corrected incorrect text
• Measures have been added to prevent cheating and stealing other players' Pals.
• Many other minor fixes such as the addition of a UI key guide.

 

[Black Sheep]

OK, I've had a play through of this.

I like the concept of the game, along with how transparent the devs are, but as it is right now, it is quite buggy and grindy (especially if youre playing solo) and I feel like it took me out of the experience a lot, but I will give it the benefit of the doubt because it is in early access and I hope they iron this out. Hopefully it becomes a fuller experience with updates as it would get very boring if played for hours every day right now.

I can see a good game in there, just not yet.

 

[David76]

In a significant leap for the game, the recent update for Palworld introduces exciting new features, notably the collaboration with the beloved sandbox game Terraria. The update, titled "Tides of Terraria" (v0.6.0), adds a plethora of content that could invigorate both veteran players and newcomers alike.

Key Features of the Update:

• A unique Terraria-themed dungeon filled with iconic enemies and materials.
• The introduction of the formidable Moon Lord as a raid boss.
• New gameplay mechanics include fishing and salvaging resources from the ocean.
• Three diverse new islands to explore: Tropical Islands, Iceberg Island, and Shipwreck Island.
• The Pal Trust mechanic enhances player interaction with Pals, boosting their stats over time.
• A mission system that introduces quests and rewards from various NPCs.
• An increase in player level cap from 60 to 65, alongside numerous new weapons and building options.
• Improvements to settlements, making them feel more alive and interactive.

Despite the ongoing legal challenges posed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, which have influenced some of the development choices, Pocketpair continues to innovate and expand Palworld's universe. The update also highlights the studio's resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity.

This recent collaboration with Terraria not only enriches gameplay but also signifies a noteworthy moment in gaming where developers navigate complex legal landscapes while striving to enhance their offerings. As Palworld evolves, it will be interesting to see how these new features are received by the community and what future updates might bring.