There is no denying that 2024’s biggest hit so far, Palworld, is inspired by Pokemon. Some would argue it is too inspired by Pokemon. Wherever you come down on this fiery debate, one thing is clear: Pokemon finally has a proper competitor in the gaming space. How long Palworld will maintain relevancy remains to be seen, but not only is there now a game stepping on the toes of Pokemon, but one that does some things better than Pokemon. To this end, some Palworld players over on Reddit think the lack of evolutions is actually a plus for the game compared to Pokemon. And judging by the number of votes up and comments echoing the sentiment, it seems this is not an uncommon take.ย
“Amazing what a lack of evolutions can do to a roster,” reads the Reddit post in question. “Like, you get a new Pokemon game that offers 150 Pokemon and it feels like absolutely nothing. About 75% of them are gonna evolve into something else, and there’s almost never any practical reason to stick with a pre-evolution. So, that roster of 150 ends up feeling more like ~40.”
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The post continues: “So when a creature collecting game comes along with no evolution system whatsoever, it can make its roster feel much larger. This isn’t unique to Palworld, of course; Dragon Quest Monsters and Siralim Ultimate showcase this too. But it’s definitely been the most surprising. It actually feels like theres 100 of these little guys, even if most of them aren’t optimal. They all serve some purpose that’s not just ‘you exist to turn into this other monster’.”
As noted, many agree with this in the comments. Not everyone, of course, but many players agree that while evolutions are interesting in different ways, they do seemingly shrink the roster of monsters.ย
“Hadn’t realized this you’re so right It’s like two generations worth of Pokemon for real,” reads the top comment. “I agree I’m actually loving the design choice to not have them evolve. Like you said it makes them all feel unique and special,” reads a second comment.ย
As always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think. Do you agree with this take or do you prefer the evolutions that Pokemon has?
