Palworld review round-up: What do the critics say?
Will Pal rock your world or will you find it to be a pal-try affair?
Ahead of its early access launch, Palworld has been in the hands of critics and YouTubers who have been poring over the game for a week or so, and we’ve got their thoughts for you to chew on in our review round-up.
'Pokémon with guns' certainly got the people talking, and the game currently sits at the number six spot on the Steam Wishlist rankings.
Hopefully, all those excited about the game are in for a good time.
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Without giving anything away, fret not, for the game is not another The Day Before saga - Palworld is a proper title.
Even if you’re not sure about the game, it will be released on Xbox Game Pass, so if you’re already subscribed, you can always check it out for no extra fee. But let’s get to it!
Palworld review round-up: What do the critics say?
After the debacle surrounding the aforementioned The Day Before, players have been more wary than ever of early access titles that promise much and never deliver - but, refreshingly, Palworld seems to be the real deal, and is a solid first outing.
Eurogamer’s Zoe Delahunty-Light took a look at the game and said, "Palworld is a fantastic base-builder, base defence and collection game, and as long as you're not expecting more than that, you're bound to have a great time with it," in her early access review video.
She put some serious hours in, too, and explored many of Palworld’s mechanics and gameplay loops, coming away with a positive outlook towards the future when the game receives patches and additional content.
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YouTuber Vulkan also got their hands on Palworld ahead of its launch, and put 30 hours in before coming to some conclusions in their review.
"I do think this is a game that has a very good core. It does need some polish on the outside edges, but what they have so far is going to be very easy for them to build on and continue expanding."
Pure Xbox’s Craig Reid also had a grand time of it, saying, "I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what Palworld offers. Having the gacha element added to an open-world survival experience keeps things entertaining," in his YouTube video review.
Reid continues with: "The Joy you get from adventuring further away from camp with every expedition to spot new Pals just captures the excitement of Pokémon but in a fresh new way."
They did claim some fault in Palworld, however, saying, "I personally found the crafting to be somewhat awkward in areas, like housebuilding was a bit naff," but overall it’s minor in the grand scheme of things, as, "Palworld is very much in early access and I’m sure with time it’ll just get better."
Legacy Gaming on YouTube was less enthusiastic about Palworld, saying, "After going hands-on with Palworld for well over a dozen hours, it’s clear this early access game doesn’t live up to the hype," and that, "Exploring the world of Palworld is boring," but does go on to say that "Palworld has a lot of potential".
So, it seems like a promising start for Palworld. Perhaps, indeed, deep down all we have ever yearned for is Pokémon with guns, after all…
Read more on Palworld: Full list of Palworld Pals | Do Pals evolve? | Palworld vs Pokémon | Palworld on Xbox Game Pass vs Steam | Palworld bosses | Palworld mods | Palworld Anubis | Palworld base guide | Palworld map | Palworld Ore farm | Palworld patch notes | Is Palworld free? | Palworld sales numbers | Palworld Depresso | Palworld starters | Palworld breeding combos | Palworld PC requirements | Will Palworld come to PS4, Mac and Switch? | Palworld server status | Palworld multiplayer | Palworld achievements | Palworld reviews | Palworld release date
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Authors
Cole Luke is a freelance journalist and video producer who contributes to RadioTimes.com's Gaming section. He also has bylines for Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, Network N and more.