We’re not going to lie to each other: the new Palworld trailer is envy. Very like. Between its sumptuous decorations and its new critters, the independent game from Pocketpair sells us out-of-this-world gameplay : creature capturing, shooting, farm management, open world exploration and more. A mix of genres that attracts a lot and which, a few days before the release of Legends Pokémon Arceus, marks the spirits much more easily. But beware, behind this ambitious project hides perhaps a simple desire for “buzz” and a slight copy/paste of another title from Pocketpair…
Palworld: a copy of a game other than Pokémon?
The new Palworld trailer is almost designed the same way as Craftopia’s, another game developed by PocketPair. We are being sold dreams with unique gameplay and total freedom, but it is difficult for us to know if the result will be the same as the one presented. It is undeniable, seeing the images of Palworld, Internet users immediately thought of Pokémon. Let’s admit that some creatures actually resemble some pocket monsters designed by Game Freak, and that, of course, the capture system is the same.
But, in reality, the comparison with Pokémon could end here as the gameplay of Palworld offers different features with farm management, FPS, crafting, mounts, breeding, dungeon exploration, factory management or construction. A mixture of survival, adventure and simulation games, Palworld brings together almost all the features already present in Craftopia. And, at the time, this first PocketPair title was itself compared to Zelda Breath of The Wild while its gameplay was very different. The resemblance is especially striking in terms of design: where Craftopia borrows Botw’s skin, Palworld takes on Pokémon’s. A technique to catch the eye probably. And it works since the two games are talked about with each new trailer.
Perhaps Craftopia will have served as a test for the design of Palworld, which will then become an improved version with a much more attractive aspect: that of the monsters to be captured. By comparing the two trailers, we find similarities almost every five seconds. After all, the same small team of developers works on both games and in such a short period of time (three or four years) it is difficult to create a new game without basing it on the model already acquired. But one question remains unanswered: if the two games are so similar, can we rely on what Craftopia is to know what Palworld will really be?
Should the Craftopia case be of concern?
PocketPair is therefore also the developers of Craftopia. With a score of more than 80% positive opinion on Steam, the game does not seem bad but the presentation trailer is misleading and several users have blamed the developers for it. Admittedly, Craftopia is still only in Early Access and the developers are working hard to add features and fix the many bugs, but the fact remains that the in-game content is vastly different from the content presented in the title’s trailers. Sold as a game where you can literally do anything, the reality is quite different: the map is divided into small areas to explore while the trailer presents a gigantic open world, most of the features are limited and frustrating, and the fun obviously only lasts a short time.
We base ourselves here on the gaming experience of a hundred Internet users who have published their opinions on Steam. Attention, the goal here is not to show if Craftopia is a good game or not but to make it clear that behind a sublime trailer sometimes hides a great disappointment. Positive point however: the Craftopia team listens to its community and the various criticisms it may have made. So, a recent update seems to finally deliver the open world that was promised when the game was announced. Perhaps with a little more development time and more player feedback, the indie title will match up. finally to the promises of the trailer.
Regarding Palworld, it will then be hoped that PocketPair will have learned from its mistakes with Craftopia and that the title will be just as promising as its trailer. See you in 2022 to find out more.
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