Palfarm Proves the Palworld Franchise Was Never Just "Pokemon with Guns"

Palworld has long attracted criticism for its Pokemon similarities, with many gamers, both in jest and in seriousness, dubbing it “Pokemon with guns.” The ever-litigious Nintendo even unleashed a lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair in Fall 2024, which is still ongoing. This hasn’t exactly helped Palworld escape the Pokemon clone allegations, especially from those unfamiliar with it.

But many of those who have actually played Palworld will vouch for its originality: it’s not just “Pokemon with guns” but rather a vast survival game with multifaceted base-building and resource management systems. I’m not saying that it’s some miracle of game design or even that it’s totally original, but it really has very little to do with Pokemon when you actually break down its gameplay loop. As the Palworld brand expands through projects like Palworld: Palfarm, it’s becoming even clearer that Pocketpair isn’t trying to jack Nintendo’s style. Love it or hate it, Palworld is doing its own thing, and Pocketpair is far more risk-tolerant than many others give it credit for.

Palworld: Palfarm Is Indicative of Palworld’s Rapid Growth and Expansion

Palworld: Palfarm is effectively a “cozy game” spin-off of the original Palworld experience, wherein human avatars work alongside various Pals to cultivate a thriving farm and community. It certainly has shades of Animal Crossing, which is a potential extra strike against Pocketpair, but it’s also clearly inspired by the likes of Disney Dreamlight Valley and Stardew Valley. If Palfarm is unoriginal, then just about every upcoming farming or life-sim game can be deemed unoriginal as well.

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This category happens to include Pokemon: Pokopia, Nintendo’s very own upcoming cozy, Animal Crossing-inspired game featuring Pokemon. If Palfarm is ripping off Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and Stardew Valley, then so is Pokopia. The difference is that Palfarm is releasing less than three years after Palworld entered early access (the game still hasn’t dropped its 1.0 patch), whereas Pokopia comes after decades of Pokemon games, the overwhelming majority of which have been incredibly similar spins on the same formula from the 90s.

This isn’t to say that Palfarm will be better than Pokopia, but it does indicate that Pocketpair is being much more aggressive and experimental with the Palworld concept than Nintendo is with Pokemon. It almost seems like Pocketpair is trying to tackle as many spin-offs and franchise-building endeavors as possible, rather than resting on its laurels and simply giving audiences more of the same. If the developer really wanted to copy Nintendo’s homework, it would have launched Palworld already and gotten to work on Palworld 2, without branching out and testing new ideas.

It’s important to point out the high degree of experimentation within the original Palworld game. As a game still in early access, it has received a bevy of new and unexpected content, including crossovers with franchises like Terraria and ULTRAKILL.

The Palworld Trading Card Game and Palworld: More Than Just Pals Further Demonstrate Pocketpair’s Evolution

In yet another ostensible parallel to The Pokemon Company, Pocketpair announced in January 2026 that it would be developing a Palworld trading card game. We don’t know much about what this TCG will actually look like or how it will function, but it’s certainly a big swing nonetheless. And again, just because Pokemon has done something doesn’t mean that it can lay claim to it. The Pokemon Company certainly didn’t create the concept of a trading card game.

Pivoting far, far away from TCGs, survival games, and cozy life sims is Palworld: More Than Just Pals, a tongue-in-cheek dating sim that seems heavily inspired by Doki Doki Literature Club. Originally considered an April Fool’s Day prank (More Than Just Pals was announced on April 1, 2025), Pocketpair eventually confirmed that it was a real project in development. I have no clue what to make of this bizarre blend of dating sim, psychological horror, and monster-collecting, but it’s not something Pokemon would do, that’s for sure.

Palworld’s Fire Has Been Glowing Bright; Here’s Hoping It Doesn’t Burn Out

It’s hard to believe that Palworld only launched a little over two years ago in January 2024. The disproportionate number of spin-offs from this original title demonstrates Pocketpair’s commitment to the Palworld IP, but it’s also a little disconcerting. Palworld is popular, but it doesn’t quite have its footing yet. It could still turn out to be a fad. If even one of these upcoming spin-offs is a big enough failure, it could halt further development of the IP for years to come.

Pocketpair clearly landed on a satisfying gameplay loop with the original Palworld, though I hope that it continues to develop this flagship title with the appropriate zeal and effort. Spin-offs might help the brand grow and attract new demographics, but this will matter little if the progenitor of the brand is neglected. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that Palworld’s fervent chasing of spin-offs isn’t necessarily good or bad, but emblematic of a certain ambition and, dare I say, boldness, on the part of Pocketpair. These traits, unfortunately, set Palworld apart from Pokemon.