Palworld Isn't Just A Pokémon Clone

Believe it or not, "Pokémon" is not the only popular video game that irate fans have accused "Palworld" of cloning in some form or another. In some cases, the similarities that gamers have found between "Palworld" and other popular games can feel like a bit of a reach. On the other hand, "Palworld" developer Pocketpair has also been pretty open about its influences, wearing many of them like a badge of honor. Taking notes from the best in the biz isn't always a bad thing, as the massive success of "Palworld" seems to prove. Sometimes it pays off to be known as "Pokémon with guns."

The following examples illustrate just how vast of a ripple effect "Palworld" has created within the gaming community. Fans of vastly different titles have seen something they recognize in the new monster-catching game. From Soulslike Easter eggs to fellow monsters with guns, here are some of the ways in which other popular titles may have influenced "Palworld."

Lest we forget, the "Digimon" franchise has been accused of copying Pokémon on more than one occasion. Ever since its debut, the franchise has been widely seen as an attempt to ride the wave of popularity enjoyed by the "Pokémon" series (even if that's not entirely true). However, the two media franchises have definitely managed to stand on their own thanks to differing aesthetics and gameplay, and modern gamers have mostly come around to accepting "Digimon" as its own unique thing. Now, some fans argue that "Palworld" has more in common with "Digimon" than with "Pokémon." 

As many have noted, "Digimon" was also the original franchise to be seen as "Pokémon with guns," a moniker which "Palworld" now proudly bears. To that end, some gamers have compared some of the tougher-looking, heat-packing Pal designs to preexisting "Digimon." The "Digimon" franchise also tends to have higher stakes for its titular creatures, which can die if they don't evolve in time. Even the initial set-up of "Palworld," in which the main character awakes with seemingly no idea how they arrived in this new world, may feel a bit familiar to "Digimon" fans, as the series has returned to that storytelling device a few times over the years.

"Palworld" may not directly lift from "Digimon" (much like "Digimon" wasn't really a "Pokémon" ripoff), but the ironic parallels are certain getting the attention of fans. In fact, some enterprising "Digimon" diehards are already seizing the moment by modding their fave Digital Monsters into the PC version of "Palworld."

#Palworld time to go Digimon Omegamon, thanks to @sv_b0y download the mod at https://t.co/8Ue9j6He79 pic.twitter.com/DbMkx4eGzy

— Zeak6464 (@Zeak6464) January 30, 2024

"The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" and its direct sequel, "Tears of the Kingdom," are two of the most celebrated open world video games of all time, so why not crib from the very best?  That's what some "Zelda" fans think "Palworld" is up to, with one of the similarities arriving at the very beginning of the game. One of the first things the player character does upon awakening on the beach is to pick up a nearby tablet. This is the Paldeck, the game's answer to a Pokédex. Its design and functions are also reminiscent of the Sheikah Slate and Purah Pad devices from the aforementioned "Zelda" games. Much like those two items, the Paldeck updates every time players find a new location in "Palworld." Accompanying these updates are chyrons that appear on the screen to inform the player of this new place's name. Some fans have noted that these titles also look quite like the ones that appear when a new area is discovered in newer "Zelda" entries. 

Speaking of getting to new areas: Some gamers on social media feel like some of the traversal mechanics, biomes, and menu screens in "Palworld" feel like something out of "Breath of the Wild" or "Tears of the Kingdom." If you've ever spent several minutes searching through Link's inventory and pounding mushrooms or berries while climbing up a hot cliff face, this clip might feel familiar:

The game's gliding mechanics have also been compared to both the "Zelda" series and "Fortnite," depending on which franchise you've played more. Of course, gliding has become a pretty widespread mechanic in modern gaming, but the character animations and physics really seem to remind gamers of the two aforementioned series.

As one Redditor quipped, "Palworld" is less like "Pokémon with guns" and "more like 'Elden Ring' with Pals." There's still a lot we don't know about the realm in which "Palworld" takes place, but it looks like its ancient architects might have had similar taste to those in the world of "Elden Ring." Players have discovered ruins of what appear to be old churches, which look quite similar to the fallen temples from "Elden Ring" (especially the ruins in the Church of Marika), as well as dimensional portals similar to that game's Evergaols. In both "Palworld" and "Elden Ring," these glowing circles transport players to another area to face a tremendously powerful enemy. In fact, a few sections of the map in "Palworld" look so much like "Elden Ring" that some have taken to viewing Pocketpair's game as a loving tribute to FromSoftware's action RPG.

Tired: Palworld stole from Pokémon. #Palworld

Wired: Palword is a love letter to Elden Ring. #ELDENRING pic.twitter.com/91r5sph9am

— Secret Moves (@thesecretmoves) January 27, 2024

As many gamers have pointed out, "Elden Ring" and other FromSoftware games have also drawn heavy inspiration from Kentaro Miura's "Berserk" manga, so it's not like everything in those games was totally brand new. "Palworld" just carries on the tradition of paying tribute to the fantastic stories that came before it.