Summary
Palworldhas undoubtedly captured the attention and time of gamers everywhere since it entered early access in mid-January, and now that its developer Pocketpair has committed to keeping the game updated, it will likely continue to do so.Palworld’s Palpagos Islands are certainly full of mysteries and secrets to discover, including a vast collection ofPokemon-like creatures waiting to be captured and powerful foes to battle, so there is plenty to do in this whimsical open world that Pocketpair has created.
At the heart ofPalworld’s progression is its namesake: Pals. These adorable, animal-like creatures are useful for a variety of tasks, including defeating the game’s bosses, battling other Pals, and keeping the player’s base up and running. However, despite Pals being such a central part ofPalworld’s progression, the game seems to move its players to be fairly cavalier with their creature companions while simultaneously encouraging them to enhance their Pals' stats. This makes for a rather significant contradiction inPalworld’s progression system, as it attempts to go in opposite directions in both its themes and gameplay.
Palworld’s Progression System Seems Divided
Pals Are Essentially Treated as Dispensable Objects in Palworld
Palworldhas become, to some extent, a meme among the gaming community, primarily due to its treatment of the animal-like creatures it is characterized by. Pals are certainly adorable and could probably become a rather emotional experience for players if there were a bonding mechanic of some sort in the game, but they are essentially nothing more than workhorses meant to do the player’s bidding.
Pals are useful objects inPalworld, and that happens to be about it. They help keep the player’s base up and running, and they assist in weakening or defeating other Pals to help the player progress. As a result, they are largely dispensable creatures, especially because they can be easily discarded and even sold to various Black Market vendors throughout the Palpagos Islands. The moment a Pal becomes irrelevant or useless, players are all but encouraged to replace it or get rid of it altogether. This putsthe Pal enhancement system found in Statues of Powerin question.
Statues of Power Seem to Discourage Players From Being Cavalier With Their Pals
Statues of Power can be found scattered throughout the Palpagos Islands, but players can also craft them once they reach level 6 and unlock the ability to craft them in the Technology tree. When using a Statue of Power, players are then allowed to enhance their own stats or those of their Pals for a price. Enhancing the player’s stats is a bit misleading, however, asplayers can only offer Lifmunk Effigies to increase their Capture Power. Enhancing Pals, on the other hand, requires a rather rare resource called a Pal Soul. Using an increasing amount of Pal Souls, players can permanently increase the Max Health, Attack, Defense, and Work Speed of their Pals.
Pals are useful objects inPalworld, and that happens to be about it.
The issue with this system is thatenhancing Pals' stats inPalworldonly applies to them individually. As such, should the time come when that Pal becomes irrelevant, due to players catching a better Pal or simply not needing one any longer, every Pal Soul spent on that specific Pal is then wasted. If Pals were less dispensable, perhaps there would be more reason to spend valuable resources upgrading their stats. To counter this conundrum, Pocketpair could update Statues of Power to enhance the stats of an entire species of Pal, rather than merely enhancing each one individually.
AsPocketpair has expressed its devotion to continue makingPalworlda better experiencefor its players, it’s likely the game’s progression system will receive a makeover moving forward. In what ways it might change remains to be seen, butPalworldis nonetheless continuing to prove itself as one of the most entertaining and successful games of 2024 thus far.
Palworld
WHERE TO PLAY
In this game, you can peacefully live alongside mysterious creatures known as Pals or risk your life to drive off a ruthless poaching syndicate. Pals can be used to fight and breed, or they can be made to work on farms or factories. You can even sell them or eat them.Survival: In a harsh environment where food is scarce and vicious poachers roam, danger waits around every corner. To survive, you must tread carefully and make difficult choices…even if that means eating your own Pals when the time comes.Mounts & Exploration: Pals can be mounted to traverse the land, sea and sky—allowing you to traverse all kinds of environment as you explore the world.Collect all kinds of exciting Pals to fight, farm, build, and work for you in this completely new multiplayer, open world survival and crafting game!
