Palworld still looks like an uncanny mashup of Pokémon and assault rifles

Palworld has a new trailer. If you’ve seen Palworld’s previous two trailers, those words alone should send you rushing below to see what new absurdity is on show. For the uninitiated: Palworld is a game in which you can catch off-brand Pokémon, put them to work in a sweatshop producing guns, and then do battle with these Nopémon by your side and and an assault rifle in your hands.

Watch the trailer, you’ll see.

As daft as that opening paragraph probably made Palworld sound, it doesn’t even entirely capture everything that it’s got going on. Palworld has monster collecting and machineguns, sure, but also crafting and cooking and an open world and multiplayer. And by “crafting” I mean you can build a garden or a spaceship or a pyramid.

Palworld is being developed by Pocketpair, who previously worked on the similarly expansive Craftopia and similarly maximalist tower defense game Overdungeon. Craftopia, it should be said, remains in Steam Early Access, with ‘mixed’ recent reviews from plenty of players who feel frustrated that the game remains unfinished while Pocketpair plow ahead with Palworld. These games might aim to have everything and then some, but that doesn’t mean they’ll accomplish it – or that what they do include will be polished.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but there was a time when I could enjoy mashups of children’s media with grownup themes with a degree of ironic detachment, as intended. Now those pieces of children’s media are inextricably linked to the sincere and pure joy they bring my actual child, and suddenly all these edgelord parodies of Peppa Pig and Pixar movies and Pokémon make me feel – just a little bit! – sorry Because while PalWorld looks ridiculous and I can appreciate that, actual Pokémon has a bit of magic to it for kids which is mostly or entirely inaccessible to adults.

Anyway. That’s my only dadtake for tonight, I promise.

Palworld is apparently still aiming to release this year onSteam.

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