Is Palworld A Pokémon Rip-Off?

is undeniably similar to , but whether it's a total rip-off is another question entirely. Like, it's a title that revolves around catching cute and dangerous creatures, and using them to achieve various goals. While this kind of gameplay wasn't necessarily invented by, and isn't even unique to, the iconic series is the first thing that comes to mind on hearing "." That was only worsened by early previews of, which showed off Pal-catching devices and animations that strongly resemble Poké Balls.

Sure, the two have things in common, but the concept of monster catching and battling isn't even unique to. isn't the only -like game that's been released in recent years to a solid player base and a lot of love. These games have put their own spin on the genre and propelled themselves to be unique, enjoyable titles, not just clones. In fact, some even prefer these titles to for the refreshing new ideas they've brought to monster-catching gameplay. But does do enough to set itself apart?

Beyond the gameplay, the major concern with and is the similarities between their respective monster designs. Players like Cecilia Fae on X (formerly Twitter) have pointed out the many ways in which several Pals resemble Pokémon, either in individual design elements or in overall concepts, with many accusing of plagiarizing (or less severely, ripping off) 's in-game assets.

Others on X draw attention to another point of comparison: several Pals have the exact same bodily proportions as similar Pokémon. Tweets by Eric Covington compare assets ripped directly from to those from, including the Pokémon Lycanroc and the Pal Direhowl, in 3D modelling software Blender. An anonymous character artist responding to these accusations is quoted in an article by as saying, "."

For his part, Takuro Mizobe, CEO of Pocket Pair Inc. (which developed ), has responded in a tweet of his own. As translated from the original Japanese in the same article by, Mizobe asked critics to refrain from making slanderous