Writer’s Note: My column this week will not cover the current legal proceedings between Palworld developers and Nintendo. To read that article, you can find it at the bottom of the chief editor’s paper shredder.
Recently I did a column about Manor Lords after its large series of updates. Now, I am going to take a moment to cycle back to Palworld to look at its updates. Save State columnist Vincent Mahoney and I each bought Palworld on day one. It later went on to earn a great review score from Vincent, which it deserves.
It was the first title where I played alongside Vincent that we actually learned the ropes together. In games we had played before this like 7 Days to Die, he had already put in so many hours that he knew what to do while I fumbled around.
During the initial playthrough of Palworld, we learned its general premise. The advertising line of “Pokemon with guns” made us think in a Pokemon frame of mind. That needed to change as the Pals in this don’t evolve, and you have to eat to survive. What may start as a stray Rushboar wandering into your camp may end up being a fulfilling dinner shortly after.
The versatility of the Pals was also a learning curve. Some of them are weapons like Foxparks, which can be held and used like a flamethrower. Others can be ridden or flown across the map. Not to mention that the Pals also work at your base, so you have to manage their skill sets to ensure work gets done. This is one of the updates since I last played that I wanted to mention, the fact that so many new camp items have been added.
New stations have been added that make Palworld more efficient and less of a grind. When Vince and I started playing it last year, there was no way to mine ore consistently until we set up a base in the mountains with the sole purpose of mining ore. Now, they made an ore farm that allows Pals to mine at any base location. They have also made an item that allows Pals at your base to go on dungeon runs to get special items. All of that really changes Palworld, but there is even more.
One really interesting addition are the roaming mini bosses that, when defeated, give you an item that you can turn in for a bounty. Since I have been gone from Palworld, they have made a lot of awesome additions to its story and environment. Because of all that, I restarted my solo run and am amazed at all the new things I am discovering.
I only wish I had more time to play Palworld. One thing they don’t tell you about getting into game reviewing is that sometimes your plate fills up with too many titles to play at once. Michael Blaker wrote about this in one of his recent columns as it relates to live service games, but gamers (and especially reviewers) can have too many single player, static titles to play as well.
That is no slight against Palworld. In fact, developers who constantly work on developing their titles to try and make them better, even after they are released, are amazing and appreciated. And in terms of Palworld specifically, the changes that came with its second major update really make an already fun experience even better.
Will I also cover Palworld again when the inevitable third major update comes out? Probably at some point. Regardless, now is a great time to cycle back into it if you haven’t been playing Palworld for a while. There are new Pals and raids I have not been able to experience yet, which shows just how much content has been added. The most recent update even has an entirely new island to go explore!
While Palworld’s initial marketing gimmick was how it was supposed to be like Pokemon, it has taken on a life and a fanbase of its own. And I really enjoy it. Give it a try if you are looking for something a bit unique while also being a heck of a lot of fun.