Palworld 1.0 Review
Platform: PC, Mac, Playstation, Xbox | Genre: Open World Survival/Crafting & Monster Tamer | Developer: Pocketpair | Release Date: July 10, 2026 | Price: $29.99 usd
Rating: 6/10
First Impressions
Palworld initially grabbed my attention because of all the controversy around it, and let’s be real – some of it is warranted. Also, the absurdity of cute mons with machine guns. That said, the concept of a monster tamer survival game is quite gripping. It takes a lot of what we love about the games that inspired it, like Pokémon and Minecraft, and lumps it up into an appealing package.
My first few hours in-game were a mixed bag. Players are given direction to learn the ins and outs via quests covering the basic mechanics and core gameplay. Once you create a base, upgrading requires you to complete tasks or build certain items that push you to continue to learn the game and what there is to do. But I definitely found it a bit overwhelming at first. There’s a lot going on and it took me quite a while to get acclimated to the game and controls.
Gameplay
I would say Palworld has a bit of a learning curve during the early part of the game. There is so much to understand between technology, builds, gathering and crafting, and of course, collecting and utilizing pals. Certain aspects of movement and the camera feel a little restricted / tight, which I’m not the biggest fan of. Building, gathering and crafting are fairly straightforward, thankfully, once you get a grip on where things are categorized.
After a few hours of playing the only aspect of the game I’m still struggling with is actually the pals themselves. Battling and catching I was able to get a handle on, but figuring out how to put these little guys to work was a little less clear. In a nutshell, when you hover over a pal in your palbox, you’ll see a list of icons which indicate what sort of tasks in a base they can participate in. Unfortunately there’s no way to hover over these icons to read what they are, so that takes a little bit of guessing / trial & error. Keeping these guys happy is another mystery to me – at times they get stressed, tired, complain about “working conditions” and I haven’t quite gotten the hang of how to fix all that. But once you get them on base, it’s definitely nice having the extra help.
Battling with Pals is also a bit of a challenge. The mechanics of managing your partners, recalling, sending them out, and commanding them is messy. I found that after a few levels they would knock out the opponent before I could catch so it was actually easier to just fist-fight my way into snagging new pals than having my party battle.
Overall, with so many different things to do and manage, gameplay can at times feel clunky.
Visuals
Palworld is a visual treat. The world is gorgeous and I find myself really enjoying some of the small details. One of my favorite animations, for instance, is while catching a pal and the palball suspends midair with a really techie overlay outlining your catch chance. The high-tech UI and otherwise primitive beginnings can sometimes clash but you quickly get established in game and it starts to feel more cohesive (especially once you start building your base). But it’s definitely an interesting juxtaposition running around in a loin cloth while having these high-tech gadgets at your disposal at the same time.
For those who enjoy exploration, the world is truly beautiful with lots to discover and see. The developers took care to make everything – from ruins, to water, to the flora – look lovely and immersive. The pals also span a great deal of visual classes, from cute and cuddly, to mystic and mysterious, to downright spooky. Stunning landscapes dress the horizon as you hop around looking for your next pal to catch.
The Good
- Visuals are stunning
- Building is straightforward
- Lots to do and sandboxy while also having some direction
The Bad
- High early learning curve
- Pal mechanics are clunky
Final Verdict
Overall, I think I have to put in a little more time and hopefully get some multi-player experience in to really finalize my feelings on the game. But after putting in a solid couple of days of play, I’m concluding that it’s not my favorite game I’ve tried recently. I see the potential and will post an update once I get a little more experience.
Would I recommend it? Wait for a sale
