Palworld Early Access Review - Steam Version

Palworld's Early Access launch reviewed by Travis Northup on PC through Steam, also available on Xbox.
Even in its Early Access state, Palworld is amusingly irreverent, has a surprising amount of content and deep survival mechanics, and is absurdly difficult to put down. It’s impossible to overlook just how shamelessly it takes ideas and designs from Pokémon, it’s got some unsurprising bugs and performance issues, and the work of keeping your base’s supplies topped off needs a little retuning - but when you’re riding on the back of a flying dragon while shooting a blue duck with an assault rifle, most of those blemishes wash away entirely.
Note that this review is specifically of the PC version of Palworld available through Steam. Because the Xbox version and the PC version available via the Microsoft Store (both on Game Pass) has significantly more issues and different features, which the developer says is due to the certification process, we will post a separate review of that version later this week.

[@IGN]

A quick note: This review is specifically of the PC version of Palworld available through Steam. Because the Xbox version and the PC version available via the Microsoft Store (both on Game Pass) have significantly more issues and different features, which the developer says is due to the certification process, we will post a separate review of that version later this week.

[@Karlach_]

Will be expecting a review on the PS5 version once the game gets out of early access next year and is put onto the PS store.

[@Capt.Thrust]

@@Karlach_naw its NEVER coming to PS5. Microsoft will either flat out buy the indie studio due to how well the game is doing or just moneyhat the company to keep it off Playstation. They literally have the money to do that lol. Sorry to burst your bubble 😉😂

[@p00pie]

the finals is better

[@jonissues1914]

@@Capt.Thrust calm down, fanboy

[@hooky17]

@@Capt.Thrust Ugh, hate fanboy madness. And I'm someone who has historically always had an xbox. You give xbox gamers and console players in a general a bad rep. Xbox won't be buying them. Why would they? And even if they did, that wouldn't stop them putting it on other console like they're doing with a lot of their IP's. Grow up. The world's far bigger than fanboying about a console brand. Also, Palworld, as great as it is, will be dead in 2 years

[@Mister_Nice]

Don't forget you can capture any other humans in the game as well. Even the vendors. Vendors still sell you items after you capture them....

[@Karlach_]

You can butcher and eat the humans as well. W cannibalism

[@_pizzaboy9631]

The vendors should give items to me for free since they're my slave for eternity now...

[@Mr.Dad1234]

​@@_pizzaboy9631😂

[@SystemBD]

Its not slavery, you see... it's serfdom!

[@BlankFireMorph]

​you can do what to who now?

[@shira2151]

All they have to do is make more pals, more dungeons and quality of life changes. This game is the perfect base builder

[@plutoniumzeppelin8164]

Nintendo should be taking notes

[@FirionDude]

pvp should be top priority, that's whats going to keep people in the game once everyone clears the map.

[@ManlyGaga]

​@@FirionDudeor adding those new features the op said will keep people in the game

[@Playerz714]

And make an actual improvement in animations some of these are so basic engine ones

[@tyrelllovewine2038]

@@ManlyGagaPVP will help the game. That’s what majority of people want. More pals and dungeons would be nice but it’s not as big a deal as PvP. They already said they’re adding it so we just have to wait. But PvP gives the game a longer shelf life than adding pals could ever do.

[@HamadaKindnesss]

Palworld is the best example to show, just how lazy gamefreak has been with the Pokemon franchise.

[@jerm7741]

Just want to clarify, gamefreak is not lazy, They are overworked okay, the studio itself don't have enough manpower to make the games that they want to make and the pokémon company refuses to let them outsource or bring in help and that's also Nintendo's fault to blame too. If you want to blame anyone, blame Nintendo for letting the quality get that low and blame the pokémon company for not giving them any extra support

[@rewpertcone8243]

​@jerm7741 the execs have been lazy, obviously the individual devs are overworked and a lot of them aren't even qualified

[@faintfives]

@@jerm7741no they are definitely lazy as well. I’ve seen college projects that have better quality than the last 3 Pokémon games.

[@gunnymaru2900]

​@@jerm7741Yes Game Freak is a small indie studio totally not backed by a multi-billion dollar technological powerhouse. Pocket Pair was literally a handful of amateur devs that just wanted to make a game that people would like. Game Freak has ZERO excuse.

[@jenisia3600]

Facts

[@JosePlays_]

"TONY STARK WAS ABLE TO BUILD THIS IN A CAVE! WITH A BOX SCRAPS!!!" -nintendo @pokemon company

[@CeeWorld69]

"With all due respect sir.............."

[@Gavinbelson]

LMFAO

[@kanzakikoijiro7466]

・Planned Future Updates 　・PvP 　・Raid Bosses (End-Game Content) 　・Pal Arena (PvP for Pals) 　・Steam-Xbox Crossplay 　・Various Xbox Feature Improvements 　・Server Transfers and Migrations 　・Improvements to the Building System 　・New islands, Pals, Bosses, Pals Evolution and Technologies.

[@sladestryder5264]

Man all that is making me sooooo Excited 😊

[@TheJanissary90]

Pals evolutions?Oh boi.I think Pal distillary should evolve them ...by force😊

[@bornGmE]

Sod pvp

[@rayan222osu8]

its need a story a better ai a hard diff and a goal to beat the game cause why iam gonna play a game without a goal

[@symphonixblades]

​@@rayan222osu8it's not mentioned in this list but their roadmap did said "improvements to the Pals tracking and AI system" so they will improve on that part. Nothing about story mode or adding a story yet tho.

[@blakehansen5434]

This is like a fever dream. It makes so much sense too. Leaning into the questionable parts of creature collection + base building & survival. I’m both shocked at the creativity and that it’s never been done before. I’m impressed

[@brianj436]

Eating them when times get tough💀

[@SpilcedJeans]

Sometimes you just get a craving for penguin 🤷‍♀️

[@CommDante]

Cult of the lamb style 😂

[@NationalistsRuinAmerica]

It's not the game that shocks/disgusts me, it's the player base it will attract.

[@pododododoehoh3550]

​@@SpilcedJeansfor piplup

[@smachdos1593]

ARK + Zelda + Pokémon + National Rifle Association = PALWORLD

[@arnabkr7302]

Plus PETA and Nintendo Lawsuits 😂😂

[@gamecheese6766]

+ Elden Ring, I’ve learned as well.

[@smachdos1593]

@arnabkr7302 😂😂😂

[@timmygilbert4102]

Just America 😂

[@jensenraylight8011]

America before civil war simulator

[@Penrose517]

Finally a game that understands the modern audience

[@79Bobola]

Modern audience = 11 year olds. You’re not wrong.

[@hugoboss917]

Future of gaming 😅

[@BigBossIvan]

Dayum.

[@vivekkparashar6369]

​@@79Bobolanope most of the adults are playing it as well

[@Commander_Shepard.]

@@79Bobola Almost all major games of each generation are targeted for kids. Do you think Halo was made for 30-year-olds? LOL

[@dsfGuest]

Nintendo: You're just a cheap f-ing knockoff Palworld: Oh no no no. I'm the upgrade

[@smittyvanjagermanjenson182]

Nice "the boys" reference lol

[@CainX10A]

"Ooooh, someone is going get sued ... " XD Purchasing the game so they can afford a decent lawyer and a fighting chance.

[@allancolorado2080]

That's the spirit!

[@GTSE2005]

The fact that you can capture humans makes this even better

[@theroldan8675]

mmmmm

[@rampagephoenix1735]

A rather sus thing to say.

[@necroticzxx]

An early access > Scarlet and Violet

[@throughtfulbrawelergaming6669]

Agree

[@retrogamer64007]

Yes

[@Boss_Fight_Wiki_muki_twitch]

[PalWorld really shows the power of 'economies of scale'. That you don't have to price games at $70; you can still make a truckload of money by getting a game into as many consoles/pc as possible with a consumer friendly price]

[@Anthony-hz9oc]

This is a Budget title. Most games of triple a quality cost over 200 million dollars to make. 30 dollars is way too low for most games.

[@horineesgaming7354]

This games is 0.90 cents on Xbox with Argentina vpn , bought it for 6 friend's

[@DFlaminberry]

​@@Anthony-hz9oc Damn they should probably make better games with all that money lmao

[@dannysha6458]

@@DFlaminberryright lmao

[@SapphireAegis]

Game only cost $7 million to make. One wonders what those triple a devs are wasting all that money on.@@Anthony-hz9oc

[@FastTquick]

Finally, a legal, in-game way to beat and enslave adorable seals. 😄

[@blaster915]

EXACTLY😂

[@ayaya173]

And humans

[@NationalistsRuinAmerica]

Honest question though, isn't the drive to *protect* cute things natural, normal and healthy? And isn't it mentally deranged to want to do the opposite? This goes for video games as well as for irl poaching and seal clubbing, because the brain recognizes cute things the same way in both cases.

[@FastTquick]

@@NationalistsRuinAmerica That wasn’t meant to be serious, dude. Lighten up.

[@kvasir8931]

@@NationalistsRuinAmerica Yes to your first question and no to your second. That might be how YOUR brain works but most of us can differentiate between reality and a game. This is just another version of the thoroughly debunked claim that games causes violence.

[@pepsico64]

What Pokemon will look like on the Switch 10 in 2075.

[@BigBossIvan]

This reminds me of a much more adorable and deranged line from Spec Ops: The Line. Hey trainer, "Do you feel like a hero yet?"

[@Unrealy574]

Shooting Pokémon with an AK 47 ?! COUNT ME IN!!

[@Bwekfest]

IGN scored it an 8/10.

[@howtoeataham]

Thank you

[@DrJams]

9:42

[@eschatos03]

Not a bad score given its (honestly not terribly game ruining) bugs and issues that still need some ironing but the game is early access so I'd imagine once they fix everything the game will be a solid 9+

[@randerins]

Looking forward to actually try this out! Seems like a dream come true kinda of game

[@lintxlicker]

It's a lot of fun

[@Marlo_Branco]

grind fest

[@kennethflaming8606]

​@@Marlo_Brancoso? Better then a 3 hour long pokemon handholding tutorial 😂

[@MrHestolemyname]

Its gonna be tough for me to return to normal survival games after this. Having pals gather resources and do tasks at base was incredibly helpful, and let me have more time to explore and progress.

[@EpsilonsMedia]

Gamefreak had it coming. This game only fills the hole of what pokemon quality should have been

[@bradmace7897]

this felt more like a walkthrough then a review

[@alf3052]

It sure does beat "tail whip"😅

[@kappie3938]

Tail whip swoosh : ❌ Ak47 goes BrrRRR : ✔️

[@NationalistsRuinAmerica]

this game is like bringing CP to a baby shower

[@guillermocolotti7202]

Do a player need to start the server in the steam version? Because for the xbox version if the host is not available, basically nobody can play lol

[@matthewsommerville88]

The Pokémon company knows they have 2 audiences at this point: Kids and the prior generations who are now adults. They won’t appease the adult audience because it could compromise the cash they bring in from the primary audience of younger players. It is interesting though, a franchise that could appease both but they wont take the risk despite it having the potential to gain even more revenue. I’m glad the market is open for stuff like this as a result though!

[@MrDman509]

One of the best reviews in years.

[@retrogamer64007]

If only gamefreak made Pokemon this cool.

[@jenisia3600]

This

[@thefishpuncher8389]

Hella missed opportunities for real. The demand was there all along and we all know it, it was only a matter of time before someone did this, they missed their shot to be the ones taking advantage of it ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[@sonicdoesfrontflips]

Yeah if only they made an Ark clone

[@jk_lol9266]

"Palworld is a roaring comet of pure, ecstatic fun, a wild ride on a rocket-powered dragon through a fireworks display of adventure and camaraderie. It's like juggling lightning bolts while surfing on a tsunami of joy - an electrifying, heart-thumping symphony of thrill that leaves you breathless with wonder!" 8/10

[@SmokinandTrippin]

If PETA was so mad at Pokémon, wait til they get a load of this

[@jensenraylight8011]

they will get Epileptic seizure when they learn that you're running an unpaid Animal Labour Sweatshop, and let Chikipi eat their own Egg and Chikipi Meat

[@seriousx3021]

Crazy I've never had any game crash issues on Xbox Series X

[@HEADBANGA34]

Does it give you problems with connecting with other random players on co-op for the Xbox?

[@cloudboysmusic5223]

Seems most of the game crashes are related to multiplayer. Single player is pretty stable

[@p00pie]

thats so crazy man, have you tried going outside

[@user-xq7to1ht2m]

you should try to use a rope too@@p00pie

[@austini.5262]

@@cloudboysmusic5223 yeah when me and my friend play we get a lot of kicks/crashes.

[@almed23]

Insane you can catch a human trainer and eat them

[@christiancolasito8266]

You can catch and butcher them, but you can't eat them. They only drop loot. You can't make them breed either, because the game specifically states that they're not pals.

[@ilbroducciore]

I N S A N E

[@purrfessorr]

This game looks amazing! Can't wait for it to get optimized for a steam deck!

[@JeremyLouisGaming]

So glad this is on gamepass. I’m hooked! So much fun

[@TheRiz1205]

Not a fan of Pokemon, but this game gives me the feeling back in DIGIMON WOLRD on the PS1.

[@kappie3938]

What a way to kick start 2024

[@lionablaze8747]

this game is better than every pokemon game on the switch combined.

[@PulseOfMe]

Legend arceus was pretty dope ngl but everything else is doodoo

[@kennethflaming8606]

​@@PulseOfMeit was barren and empty.. also pokemon pop in once u get close? Nah thnx

[@NationalistsRuinAmerica]

so you were playing Pokemon and thought to yourself "you know what this game needs? POACHING" humanity deserves worse

[@kvasir8931]

@@NationalistsRuinAmerica Still, its a game. Go touch grass, you need to figure out what reality is again

[@313CW313]

The next Pokémon game needs to take note of this!

[@MaoDopamineDong]

WE MIGHT FINALLY GET THE BATTLE FRONTIER FROM EMERALD

[@eldenboi7632]

So true. Very addicted with the gameplay 😂

[@Aceinine]

This is actually much closer to the Pokemon manga version.. well minus the wilderness survival bit

[@NeoBear2]

When you look at the guns next to the player models its like they are from different games the art doesn't match up hopefully its all placeholder or something?

[@Meonium]

Based on the article written by the CEO, the gun artist is a hobbyist of making gun reload animation, he's no professional graphic artist. So the CEO let him do what he likes as long it works in the game. They have no budget to hire professional artist.

[@kaanarmutcu6740]

They made around 400mil Im sure they can hire someone now@@Meonium

[@Minecraftgnom]

Correction, "They HAD no budget [...]". They definitely do now. xD @@Meonium

[@MrFangFPV]

it is already so much fun ! cant wait for v1.0 release !

[@peytonvinc3489]

So Sword/Shield gets a 9 but this gets a 8? This game is head and shoulders above anything Pokémon has made in a decade.

[@muhdfarid7246]

No this is a cheap ripoff

[@AndrewTheMexican]

If anyone played Invasion RPG servers in UT2k4, this feels basically a full game version of that

[@yaosio]

This truly is the dark souls of pokemon games.

[@emmanuelfletcher5289]

Palworld reminds me a lot of this mobile game called Chimeraland.

[@R3848]

Crazy what a group of 22 developers and a few million in funding can do. While a multi-billion dollar company barely seems to try. CORRECTION: It was about 50 thousand dollars. This should put things in perspective of how much effort bigger companies actually put into their games.

[@nikolaihilz5789]

It cost about $6.7 million to make according to their CEO

[@penfold1992]

Pokémon probably make that in a day.

[@R3848]

@penfold1992 but they don't. I enjoy their games, but we all know they're lacking. Feels like we're being sold an unfinished game. Come on, Zelda is on the same system, and it looks/plays 100% better. Why can't they do that?

[@NationalistsRuinAmerica]

2:20 "Your goal is to survive psychotic pal trainers" sooo.... basically what every player of this game will turn into

[@kvasir8931]

Its more psychotic to wish violence on people in real life because they like violence in a game.

[@Solid_Enemy]

As a wise old man from Jersey once said... "Oh no, the poor the children." - Karl

[@paoloibayan7055]

That Pal Labor camp is hilarious!

[@sir1junior]

7:37 Damn, look at that map 😮

[@illuminated_crown]

We been begging Pokémon company for almost 20 years to drop a solid open world Pokémon experience. Im glad someone stepped up.

[@HEADBANGA34]

Does anybody have problems connecting with random players on co-op with the Xbox?

[@dantevega2115]

What software did you use to record gameplay?

[@danielnixon8367]

My boy Damud!

[@SimilakChild]

Fortnite + Ark twist. of course the fanbase is gonna be hooked to this game. wouldn't be surprised if Hi-Rez Studios makes a clone of this.

[@BuckeyeBlood]

might be my game of the year for sure

[@maxk880]

You can't say 'might' and 'for sure' in one sentence. Might implies a high amount of doubt, and for sure implies a high amount of certainty

[@purpleey]

bro the year just started 😂

[@purpleey]

​@@maxk880 imagine doing a 🤓 moment and still being wrong. "might" implies a high probability, the "for sure" part is reinforcing the initial statement.

[@kaanarmutcu6740]

try enshrouded

[@noelmirando]

This game is so addicting!

[@tle90]

*addictive

[@toxic8242]

@@tle90 Both are correct in this scenario, don't be a snob.

[@tle90]

​@@toxic8242 1. Remember that 'addicting' is not an adjective and is not used in English. 2. 'Addictive' is the correct spelling of the adjective, and it is used in both American and British English.

[@ashokathegreat4534]

Its not

[@gameman876]

Is steam still over saturated with early access survival games or has the landscape changed.

[@XtraBees]

Nope! This game is great evidence of that

[@daizonfyre6463]

They gotta fix the keybind settings bug. Not being able to change the keybinds because the game thinks that key is already bound to something else when it is not is infuriating. Especially when it won't let you save your graphic settings because it still thinks the keys are conflicting and therefore won't let you exit the settings menu.

[@ronalddaugherty]

Facts

[@darkmoon0219]

Awesome game...been waiting for something like this since Pokemon first came out...

[@stalkingyouisfun]

0:39 is the exact reason why it works. And if Genshin Impact could survive its debut, this should too.

[@sean7332]

Its an 8/10

[@altairtheeagle]

Thank you

[@FadeHook23]

Should be higher, idk how they can give CoD games 9.0+ when they don’t even play for longer than 4 hours, lol. The reviewer put hundreds of hours into PalWorld and only gave it an 8?

[@ReductioadVeritas]

@@FadeHook23 different reviewers, they have correspondents specialized for different game genres

[@AEsir2023]

Pokémon hasn’t evolved in years this was inevitable.

[@bornGmE]

Just got it on gamepass looks dope

[@roccoramos9549]

Would you recommend getting it free on game pass or buying it ? Is there a difference

[@rishisoundane8893]

will price go down after final launch ?

[@SillySkull]

Keep in mind this early version was given an 8, while Pokemon Scarlet/Violet was given a 6 😂

[@peterGchaves]

It's a 10 just for making Nintendo and the Pokémon fans going mad over the success of this. 🙂

[@marco_rigoni_]

Playing Pokémon as a child immersed me in a world of kindness and inspired me to be a nicer person. What if new generations had the same impact while playing this game instead?

[@josephparrotta1159]

....With guns and capturing people? And owning slaves?

[@MrBobonmynuts]

Brain dead take

[@marco_rigoni_]

@@MrBobonmynuts can't expect a fan of this game to be able to discuss

[@shaneprince6572]

@@marco_rigoni_ Is he wrong? The game literally has slavery and guns. How is his response avoiding discussion?

[@MrBobonmynuts]

@marco_rigoni_ just extremely goofy to think that the average person is gonna play any game be it gran turismo, gta, or rust and go and try and replicate that in real life 🤣 especially pal world or Pokémon

[@MalicetheOmega]

Clodsire cameo at 4:30

[@ta4life27]

This game is ark+pokemon+zelda+dragon quest builder 1&2+ minecraft all into one

[@jedi0216]

このゲームマジで楽しい ポケモンも大好きだからゲームフリークスに頑張ってほしい　 でも次のステージに上がる必要がある

[@asdf9694]

どうしてこれを素直に楽しめるの？ ゲームはARKにポケモンの皮を被せただけ、グラフィックアセットはマーケットプレイスで調達、 こんなのが君の求める次のステージな訳？ ”ポケモンに銃持たせて労働させたら面白いんじゃねｗｗ”って 保護されるべき他者の知的財産を利用して一儲けしようなんて考えるクズの にやけた顔が浮かんでこないのか？そのクズの金儲けに協力する自分が許せるのか？ いくら最近のゲームフリークが情けないからって、 こんなまがいものにどうして何のためらいもなく飛びつける？

[@94todd]

Wait, was this actually a video game journalist that made it past the tutorial? Impossible.

[@spits61494]

Now that this game exists, Pokémon will have to step up and do more. Finally

[@04Mancini]

All they’re gonna step up and do is sue

[@heoar12]

and then slapped with a handful slap of karma@@04Mancini

[@Potat0VR12]

Bro it looks like ark with pokemon. (Ark is basically this game with dinosaurs)

[@RolandC89]

Wife asked what’s Palworld and one min into your review she thinks I’m a monster. Thanks IGN

[@wire4117]

this game makes my PC overheat sometimes and the FPS problems are crazy nonetheless i’m addicted

[@Purpless_ON]

Sounds like its time for an upgrade

[@gotopiz]

Cap your FPS. That took a huge load off my GPU

[@gamesmaster1060]

@@Purpless_ON lmao always one of you

[@mrwoodcat]

if people having fun with this thing, imagine if hytale ever released.. yea we need more decent interactive game to spend time to

[@Eric-dh5pf]

the Kingpaca is sooo cute !

[@MorpheusGI]

"You might not have much use for Foxsparks in battle" - Clearly someone didn't max level it with a Flamethrower

[@viceverse11]

"Gotta Cap Em All" would have been more on the nose.

[@break1114]

Funny how the Pokemon scarlet/violet has a rating of 6 with ign 💀

[@jenisia3600]

Should had been less

[@TheRealAnthony0]

This is what the Xbox version needs to be not half baked

[@magnifico793]

If you can't beat them, Sue them -Nintendo

[@wowjomzulam35]

If u can't beat them join them😂

[@J040PL7]

This game would be so much better if it had a nice story with cut scenes and the monsters evolved, it would also be nice if they made the combat a bit more interactive, because it feels like just smack untill they die. Maybe even a skill that you use with your pets.

[@VaughnRenner]

this game is so enjoyable, I'm blinded from all the performance issues and glitches. can't wait to see where it goes from here!

[@istradecel2431]

when the ripoff is better than the original.

[@carlosnazariopr]

Original? This is not pokemon gameplay just the models and some other stuff

[@natedawg8778]

Finally, a proper Pokemon game!! 👏

[@theroldan8675]

lol

[@JS-rg5je]

YES im not into pokeymon or monster hunter but this one looks almost more adult and fun enough for me to play it. now just replace the repetitive fighting and building with more quests of an equally mature (not sexy quests just fun mature quests and story) and i'd prob be down to play

[@mrFuzzyBunz]

It really makes you feel like a Pokémon trainer 10000/10

[@blaster915]

THIS is the living breathing world with your Pokémon we dreamed of as a kid! He summed it up perfectly, the useless in battle fox is a perfect at home cooking aid. So your early mons have their place for the long run with your team, just not battle. And thats sweet 🥹❤️

[@KyloZach]

Makes me concerned that the Nintendo Ninjas will secretly take down the game on Steam. I've played it yesterday and it was pretty interesting! Love it so far! Got Lethal Company also but haven't tried it yet.

[@jkudasai104]

They can’t take it down lol

[@Four-sc6gj]

Damn IGN been stepping up the reviews in the last year.

[@sircartier2723]

They're reviews have always been fine but as soon as it doesn't align with other peoples "oh ign bad"

[@anynameavailablewtf]

Is this game always online?

[@SpilcedJeans]

No there's single player offline play. It's nice when most games require to be connected to a server or something.

[@anynameavailablewtf]

Thanks! That's great news. Looking forward to the full build.@@SpilcedJeans

[@RuTube981]

Why does the cartoon violence in this game trigger me more than grand theft auto

[@IwinMahWay]

It's like someone butchering your childhood. The cute part.

[@dajuiceman8870]

Pokemon fans really doxxed and sent death threats to the developer all for this to become the #1 game on Steam hahaha

[@SkyneT800X]

Need a Glockachu, Tortank Abrams, Mewto.G42

[@kondwanimahaka-phiri6398]

This might just be the game of all time.

[@NationalistsRuinAmerica]

it sure is one of the games