Despite the many comparisons to Pokemon, perhaps the biggest surprise about Palworld is just how different it is. Despite its similar selection of cute critters to catch, employ, and take into battle, the open-world survival game isn’t actually anything like the Nintendo RPG series. Nevertheless, developer Pocketpair’s new Palworld animation leaves me wondering if a full show could be in the works.
If you’ve seen the previous PalAnime offerings from Pocketpair, you might be bracing yourself. The developer has never shied away from the inherently dark undertones of a survival game where you capture and enslave adorable creatures that you put to work on your base, send to fight in your name, or turn into delicious meals. Past such entries have ranged from cartoon violence to downright body horror. Yet the newest Palworld animation is its most genuinely wholesome so far.
It features two of the best Palworld Pals – Lamball, the tiny sheep that has become one of the game’s foremost mascots, and Depresso, the downbeat, grouchy Pal with a fondness for energy drinks. As a big fan of the latter, a creature which has a kind heart but struggles to make friends due to its quiet demeanor, I’m glad to see it get some love here.
All of which begs the question: when will we see a more substantial Palworld animated show? The big Sakurajima update, which adds a new island to explore along with extra pals and plenty more besides, has seen Palworld back in the Steam top ten most-played games as players flood back, showing there’s still interest out there.
For the time being, it seems we’ll have to content ourselves with the game. If you’re making a return, catch up on our updated list of the best Palworld mods along with a reminder of all Palworld bosses and how to beat them.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.