[STEAM] Palworld 1.0 is as much Elden Ring and Zelda inspired as it is Pokemon, and while it can feel messy, there's still a lot for me to enjoy

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Sometimes, playing

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is like listening to Stars on 45. Every few minutes, you'll spot another influence from another game and as soon as you recognise it, you notice something else. The most obvious influence is Pokemon, which is so obvious that Pocketpair are still locked into

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, but play it for more than a few minutes and you'll be amazed at what else you see.

When I booted up Palworld 1.0 for its first foray out of early access, I was struck by so many of these little bolts of recognition. The starting area, with a ruined church and giant monster that bears a more than passing resemblance to the Tree Sentinel's steed, for instance. If it weren't for the cute little monsters wandering around, you'd be forgiven for assuming you'd booted up

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(not to mention the game's World Tree that looms over the sizeable map). The menus, the gliding and climbing are all pure

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.

Ton-Pal inconsistency

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(Image credit: Pocketpair) One of the game's big draws during its early access ******* was its

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. This could have easily just been done for shock factor, fading into meaninglessness, but

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, ranging from stone axes all the way up to plasma cannons.

I've got a fox chambered in God's own calibre.

They're fun to use, too, with even the early bows and arrows feeling tactile and impactful. This cannot really be said for using your Pals in battle in the traditional sense: the real-time combat system makes it feel too chaotic to savor, the screen filling with flashy animations that obscure your view.

Grab the appropriate gear, and your Pals can even become your weapons. The first one of these that you'll encounter will be Foxsparks, a fiery fox who can be picked up and used as a biological flamethrower. You never saw Charmander do that. I had a great time going full Bill Kilgore on a base full of bandits called the Rayne Syndicate. They might have assault rifles, but I've got a fox chambered in God's own calibre.

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(Image credit: Pocketpair) In its 1.0 release, Palworld now has a proper story, but if you're not about that life, there's no shortage of other paths to follow. Want to sneak into a wildlife preserve to poach some rare Pals? Want to go dungeoneering? Just want to start breeding Pals for their best traits? You can do all of these, or none of these.

This reflects the one real issue I have with the game, which is that it still feels profoundly unfocused. It's like a hot dog: made of offcuts, probably not as good as something else you could be doing, but ultimately satisfying. It's a game that feels cobbled together, but switch your brain off and play, and you'll likely find yourself sinking many hours into it.

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recommendations can help you find more like this, and our

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ranking can take you even further!

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