You wake up on a strange island and start your journey following a survival log you’re left with. A place filled with magical creatures captures your eye as you gaze across the lush landscape of “Palworld.” Your only goal: explore, conquer, and survive this new world you’re left in.

In “Palworld,” you can customize your character and adventure settings to begin your journey. As you explore the vast islands, the main objective is to collect resources and tame exotic creatures called “Pals.” You’ll focus on advancing your technology to capture more critters, while uncovering secrets about pal-selling gangs and the ancient history of Pals. Prepare to battle giant bosses that pose new threats, requiring only the best equipment and beasts to tackle the game’s toughest challenges.

Thanks to “Palworld’s” heavy inspiration from games such as “Ark: Survival Evolved” and “Pokémon,” “original” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Although the game has achieved immense popularity, it feels like a mockery of the question:  “What if Pokémon had guns?” With vibrantly cartoonish creatures wielding machine guns, it’s hard to tell if the game aspires to be its own entity or if it’s just poking fun at Pokémon’s innocence.

The more I explored the game, the less linear it felt. As you dive deep into caves and valleys, climbing mountains and cliff edges, you’ll discover Pal eggs, merchants, and technology points to help further your advancement. While progressing in my playthrough, I found an underground trader that you can sell captured humans to. Though I never captured any of the gang member enemies scattered throughout the land, it creates a darker twist and adds to the idea: “Can Pokéballs capture people?” This makes this game very interesting while still adding to the gimmick ideas.

The game’s performance is surprisingly smooth despite being in its early access phase. I encountered no bugs in my 30+ hours of playing on multiple worlds, all while maintaining consistent frames. The largest and only issue I found was the physics and graphics in some parts of the landscape. While attempting to climb mountains or traverse large valleys, you’d be disappointed to find the low textures and instability of the terrain, which breaks some immersion.

Additionally, the beauty of “Palworld” caught my eye. Without even altering the graphics settings, the game looks stunning. From bright green forests and barren deserts, to giant volcanoes and snowy mountains, every aspect of the world is loud, yet subtle. The world constantly feels alive and something always attracting the players attention, giving gamers a long and interesting adventure.

This action-adventure survival game combines Pokémon with survival, giving you an experience that many gamers have wanted for nearly a decade. You’re able to capture Pals to fight for you like Pokémon, but also build giant utopias and use your companions in every aspect of gameplay. Though Palworld is hard to describe without comparing it to other games, it is quite fun to play and does feel original enough in its world-building and character design.

As a great game that’s only in early access and has many updates to come, “Palworld” is a highly re-visitable and unique game to try out.