Developer Pocketpair has revealed a new gameplay trailer for Palworld, a mind-boggling multiplayer open-world survival crafting game that combines cute Pokémon-like creatures with tons of guns and explosions. The trailer is nothing but odd juxtapositions: One moment is the cute creatures (“Pals”) walking along, and the next is a hail of gunfire and exploding towers. Some moments look like Pokémon Legends: Arceus, tossing Poké Ball-like items and evading attacks. Other moments, a Pal has become basically a tank, decked out in machine guns to obliterate whatever is in your way.
Also, some of the Pals appear to be outright enslaved, working in mines or assembling guns. Criminality is an aspect of the game that Pocketpair bafflingly embraces: “Endangered species Pals live in the hunting prohibited area. If you sneak in and catch them, you’ll get tons of money! It’s only illegal if you get caught.”
Everything about Palworld feels like something somebody created as a joke, but it’s a real game with serious gameplay and unusually gorgeous visuals. There is even farming, building construction, and, if there’s a food shortage, the ability to eat the Pals. Whether the game will be any fun to actually play is another matter entirely, but there’s no denying that Palworld is an eye-catching experience in its latest gameplay trailer.
Palworld will launch on PC via Steam sometime in early 2022, if society can survive it.
