Palworld is a strange, yet interesting game. I have some gripes with it, but I am about 10 hours in and I do continue to play because there is something there that captivates me and keeps me going. Which, to be honest, is the main thing a game should strive to do.

My main concern with Palworld is a lack of accessibility features, (click the link to learn more about these issues) especially lack of features for the visually impaired, color blind, or those with sensitivity to blinking/flashing UI elements.

Some players have been upset over the violence in the game such as killing/capturing humans and the pals. Personally, I think this complaint is a little silly considering most video games have some degree of violence. There is also the fact that most of these can be caught, and become part of your base. I personally don’t have issues with this.

A second issue that several people have with the game is how much it looks like the Pokémon series. I do see the point here, as it does look a lot like Pokémon. Whether or not this is enough to be copyright infringement is debatable, but so long as their assets are original, it is likely that this remains perfectly copyright free. That, of course, would be something a court would have to decide once and for all, but whether that would happen is up to Nintendo but ultimately the assets being original means that the game is likely completely legal.

All of that aside, Palworld is a strangely fun and captivating game to play. Considering it released in Early Access, it’s actually surprising how polished the game is. In 10 hours of play I’ve only had a couple of bugs. I was once stuck in a rock but the game allows respawn at any time. Another time I had the “sleep” mechanic get stuck and not work, but simply exiting (which saves) and re-entering solved this.

All in all, I’ve enjoyed the experience with Palworld even with the accessibility concerns. It does make it a little hard for me to play at times, but I am still finding the game engaging and fun. The mechanics are clean and working properly, and considering how many EA games that have been complete disasters, Palworld is refreshing.