Jumping into the Pokemon-dominated genre of RPGs that revolve around catching monsters is a bold move. Doing so with creatures that look remarkably like a number of monsters you might already find in Pokemon games is even bolder. That's where Palworld's latest trailer comes in.
In keeping with previous footage Pocket Pair has🥃✤ shown from Palworld, the below begins with mostly serene shots of animals traversing the island they call home. That setting then descends into chaos when a small Pal is trampled by a much bigger one, and Palworld's many guns make more appearances. Not only can you shoot the Pals, but it seems some of them can shoot you back.
As has been highlighted on social media a lot since the trailer dropped, some of the new designs seem to be inspired by Pokemon. Lyleen, a bipedal Pal with flowers on its head, looks remarkably like Lilligant with a little Tsareena and Gardevoir sprinkled in. There's also Boltmane which looks a lot like it might have been the evolved form of Luxray in a parallel Pokemon universe.
The comparisons don't stop there. Broncherry looks like Meganium, Jetragon seems to have been inspired by Latios, and you show any Pokemon fan a little round sheep, they're going to think Wooloo, not Lamball. has compiled a thread of just about every single one. It would be fascinating to be a fly on the wall in The Pokemon Company this morning. Whether this is something that bothers its heads, or if Palworld isn't even a blip on its radar.
While inspired by Pokemon, Palworld is clearly trying to be different. With the inclusion of weapons and forced labor, the island Pals call home is a far darker place than any of Pokemon's regions. Perhaps the idea here is to make Pals look enough like Pokemon that it will remind players of their famous counterparts, but not enough that The Pokemon Company can take legal action over it. Some people might like the idea of shooting something that looks vaguely like a Jigglypuff.