On January 14th, Japanese indie game company Pocket Pair released their new survival crafting game, “Palworld.”

“Palworld” sold 6,000,000 copies in just six days.

On the game streaming service application Steam, simultaneous players of “Palworld” set a record with over twenty thousand accessing the game at the same time.

“Palworld” is a survival crafting game where players can catch imaginative animals called ‘Pals.’

Players can train their Pals for battle, use them for transportation, build and upgrade their basecamp, gather food supplies from the wild, engage in agricultural activities, and even cook together.

However, “Palworld” has become a controversial topic in the gaming industry, both positvely and negatively.

The controversy arises from allegations of plagiarism, as many Pals in “Palworld” bear a resemblance to creatures from the well-known game franchise, Pokemon.

The concept of the “Palworld” looks inspired from various games such as Pokemon, Minecraft, and The Legend of Zelda.

The debate intensifies as players and Pokemon fans clash over whether “Palworld” is plagiarism or not.

The controversy gained momentum when the Pokemon company issued an official statement, stating:

"We are receiving a number of inquiries about third-party games that were released in January. We have not authorized the use of Pokemon's intellectual property rights or assets in those games. We will investigate any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to Pokemon and take appropriate action.”

In response, the company behind “Palworld” released their official statement.

According to an interview with the CEO of Pocket Pair conducted by Automaton that oversees game media: “We have completed a legal review of Palwold, and we have never taken legal action from any other game company. We are making the game very serious, and we have no intention of infringing on any other company's intellectual property rights."

Despite the controversy, “Palworld” stands out from previous fake Pokemon games due to its high quality.

While earlier imitations merely copied Pokemon’s gaming system, “Palworld” combines elements from several popular games, resulting in a superior product.

Even some Pokemon fans admit that “Palworld” surpasses Pokemon in terms of gameplay and quality.

In “Palworld,”players can freely travel a vast open world with their Pals, deviating from the fixed storyline seen in Pokemon games.

Unlike Pokemon, where the end of the storyline leaves little to do, “Palworld” lacks a strict narrative, and allows players to create their own stories freely and infinitely.

One advantageof the Pokemon game is the ability to catch and bring Pokemons.

However, “Palworld” enhances this concept by allowing Pals left behind in the inventory to contribute to tasks in the basecamp, such as upgrading the house, agriculture, and gathering fruits.

This unique feature adds joy and efficiency to the game and provides players with a resaonable incentive to catch as many Pals as possible.

While acknowledging the similarities between “Palworld” and original Pokemon characters, it is crucial to address these resemblances to enhance the game’s originality and make it an even more compelling experience for players.

Despite the ongoing debate, “Palworld” remains one of the top fake Pokemon games, thanks to its good quality, freedom of play, and innovative gameplay mechanics.

Allen Kim
Grade 9
St. Johnsbury Academy