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Some were calling Palworld a Pokemon ripoff before the game even launched. Though that accusation was overblown, there were grains of truth to it. Those grains just got a whole silo of support. Less than a week into its early access release, Palworld has already received its first Pokemon mod, replacing the main character with Ash, adding Brock and Misty, and of course, swapping Pals for Pokemon. Watching a team of Pikachu mine ore to make guns is pretty bizarre, but for Pokemon fans who want to see their favorite pocket monsters in an open-world game with good mechanics for once, it’s kind of a dream come true.
How Ash Ketchum Came To Palworld
If any game was going to receive a Pokemon conversion mod, it was destined to be Palworld. Admittedly, the similarities between the two franchises are striking. Certain character designs leave zero doubt about the source of Pocketpair’s inspiration. That said, Palworld is far from the first creature-collecting game to pay borderline plagiaristic homage to the godfather of the genre. It’s just more blatant than others with a few of its designs. Still, implying the game is a 1-for-1 ripoff of the source material would be misleading. After all, Palworld isn’t just popular becuase it looks like Pokemon; it’s popular because in some ways it’s better.
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Palworld Starter GuidePokemon fans have dreamed of a proper open-world experience since the days of Red and Blue. Unfortunately, Game Freak never delivered anything that scratched that itch. Enter Palworld: a game that takes similarly adorable companions and adds meaningful exploration, gunplay, base-building, supply chains, forced labor, butchery, poaching, and (as if that weren’t enough) co-op. There’s a reason players like myself have already put dozens of hours into the game. As much as I adore Eevee and Snorlax, I will jump ship for a different cuddly cast if the rest of the game is good enough. Palworld‘s explosive success and obvious appeal to Pokemon fans made a mod featuring Ash and the gang inevitable.
Waters Too Troubled for Lapras
Palworld doesn’t feature full modding support currently, but that hasn’t stopped a Pokemon mod from appearing already. How Nintendo and Game Freak feel about this mod is another story. Though we can’t say for sure, it’s fair to assume that neither corporate entity is delighted to see their very much copyrighted characters popping up in a rival bestseller. Of course, Pocketpair, doesn’t control modders, and the Pokemon mod is far from the first instance of one popular IP getting added to another. Though Pocketpair may not appreciate the blowback, it could realistically see a boost to its already terrific sales as a result of mods like this.
Given the overwhelming success and elevated profile of Palworld, will the owners of the Pokemon franchise try to crack down on the mod and its makers? It’s too early to say for sure. Regardless, trying to scrub a mod from the internet is close to impossible once the Meowth is out of the bag. That’s good news for fans eager to see their favorite monsters go from fighting gym battles to working assembly lines. Whether or not you think Pokemon belong in a game with themes as dark as those in Palworld, it’s undeniable that the game’s satisfying mechanics and addictive gameplay loop make it a true Pokemon rival, with or without Pikachu.
Palworld is available for PC in early access.
