The recently launched Palworld game is under fire for allegedly replicating designs from Pokémon, sparking debate among enthusiasts over the likenesses between the two games. As the Pokémon franchise nears its 28th anniversary, fans eagerly anticipate new teasers and announcements on Pokémon Day. Known for its quintessential monster-collecting gameplay, Pokémon has long been in need of a rival, which seems to have emerged in the form of Palworld, a new release from Pocket Pair featuring charming creatures reminiscent of Pokémon aiding players in construction and survival in the wilderness.

While Palworld and Pokémon vary significantly in gameplay, with the former earning the moniker “Pokémon with guns,” Pocket Pair’s early access release nonetheless shares substantial elements with Nintendo’s series, stirring up considerable controversy. Palworld’s creatures, known as “Pals,” can be captured in the wild similar to Pokémon, employing items akin to the iconic Poké Ball, though lacking the turn-based strategy or other typical elements of the Pokémon series. The major point of contention arises in the design of the creatures, with Pocket Pair currently facing numerous plagiarism accusations regarding Palworld. Several instances reveal striking similarities between Pokémon and Palworld’s Pals, too numerous to be mere coincidences.

Every Palworld Creature and Its Pokémon Counterpart Explained

Since Palworld began revealing more promotional content leading up to its early access release, sharp-eyed Pokémon fans have noticed alarming resemblances between existing Pokémon and the newly introduced Pals. Now that the game is available and most of its Paldeck has been revealed, these resemblances have become more pronounced, prompting calls from some Pokémon players to boycott Palworld. Pocket Pair has recently issued a statement acknowledging the “Pokémon with guns” nickname for Palworld, asserting that it had no intention of sharing anything with the Pokémon games.

However, several Pals bear a striking resemblance to Pokémon. In some cases, these resemblances are direct, one-to-one matches between a Pal and a Pokémon, while in others, Pals appear to be amalgamations of two Pokémon. Determining whether Pocket Pair drew inspiration from existing Pokémon for its Pal designs is challenging, but several Pals do seem to share more than just appearances. An example frequently cited by fans is how Verdash incorporates multiple elements of Cinderace’s model, aligning both creatures side by side to underscore their similarities. This pattern repeats with other Palworld Pals, whether in design and appearance or in broader thematic aspects. For instance, Jetragon, a jet-like dragon Pal, closely resembles Latios and Latias from Gen 3 Pokémon games, even appearing as a fusion of the two, with shared design elements. Similarly, Depresso’s ears and body structure strikingly resemble Espurr, while Dinossom seems to follow the same design philosophy as Pokémon like Meganium and Ivysaur. Ultimately, Pokémon fans are vocal about these likenesses, but it remains to be seen how this will impact Palworld, if at all.

Source: GameRant