I first played Palworld shortly after it launched into early access, and I didn’t like it at all. The movement was janky, so was catching pals, and just about everything about it felt like it belonged in an alpha period rather than early access.
But obviously it was a roaring success, crushing records and appealing to a deep-seated need to finally experience a true open-world creature-collecting and battling game. And that’s what made me stick around for a bit—it was quite the experience.
Sadly, I just couldn’t get used to the jank, and I didn’t last long. When the Sakurajima update rolled around, I thought I’d give it another bash. Much of the early stuff that put me off had been ironed out pretty well. But it still felt… rough. I just couldn’t get used to the progression cycle, always being short of materials, and it just felt like too much of a grind for me.
Now 1.0 has launched, and I just had to dive in one last time. And boy, am I glad I did. This is not the same game anymore.
Early access done right
Sometimes, early access is treated as a means of selling a poor-quality game. When the game gets flak, the response is that it’s in early access and needs time to grow. Some never go on to even reach full release, which makes them a bit of a gamble.
Palworld did not disappoint. Even though it started out rough, people really seemed to love the game, and it drew a significant amount of investment in those early days. And instead of taking the money, giving the game a few tweaks, and heading for the hills, Pocketpair stuck it out and finished the game.
And when I say finished, I mean it’s hardly recognizable. It’s hard to say exactly what’s changed, but movement feels so good now. There’s hardly any jank left, and after putting in over 10 hours (at least) since 1.0, I haven’t seen a single bug.
Instead of so many games that see little to no significant change during early access, doomed to largely maintain their initial states of development, Palworld now feels like a truly finished game, and one that puts most AAA titles to shame.
The developers actually listened
I’ll admit, I haven’t followed the game as closely since it smashed records soon after early access launch, but it doesn’t feel like a stretch to imagine that most of what changed has come directly from the community.
I found a Pal recently that reduces ore weight in your inventory by 80 percent—a new ability on an old Pal. And my word, is this immensely helpful! One of the things I really disliked about Palworld when I tried it again after the Sakurajima update was the sheer amount of ore grinding. Everything needs ore, and the endless trips to the desolate church just didn’t seem worth it anymore.
And while I perhaps should have set up a passive mining base, the developers had a better solution. With this Pal, I can now carry all of the ore from the church to my base in one go, and quickly and easily smelt 250+ ingots.
The grind feels a ton less punishing this time around, which means I might actually stick around long enough this time to set up those passive mining and gathering bases.
The fights have changed, too. They feel a lot more fluid than I remember, and they’re a lot less frustrating to navigate. But again, it’s hard to put a finger on exactly what changed. It just feels better in almost every way.
If any future games plan an early-access period, this is, without a doubt, how you do it. Congratulations, Pocketpair!
Palworld might be the best release of the year
Many figured that Palworld not outright winning Game of the Year 2024 was a travesty, at least according to social media. I did not. Maybe if there was a category for Concept of the Year, it could have won that, but it had a long way to go to truly be GotY material.
Now that it’s done, I think it could well be one of the games of the year. Of course, we have the big bad GTA VI launching later this year, but I really can’t think of any other game that’s impressed me as much as Palworld this year.
So, if you have been on the fence about Palworld, or you played it early and thought it was bad, it’s time to give it another try. I didn’t like it at all, but I’m a full convert now. Who knows, it might just be your next favorite game.
It’s currently 30-percent off on Steam, as of writing, so now is as good a time as any to make it yours.
And if you have been playing and agree or disagree with my take, let me know in the comments. Always nice to hear from you!
