Catch Pokémon can be stressful these days. At the time of publication, there are more than 1,000 different types of fictional monsters. Pokémon Scarlet And Violet do not contain the full national Pokédex, but the base game contains 400 Pokémon and hundreds more if you count the additional monsters added in the DLC. Even when trying to complete the reduced Pokédex, collecting creatures can be a hassle. Currently running Palworld, I can breathe a sigh of relief. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I can finally “catch them all” with less than 150 friends in the game.
Palworld is a hit game from Japanese indie studio Pocketpair. Before it came out, many described it as a “Pokémon with weapons.” Now that the developer has released it in Early Access, it’s clear that the game goes far beyond pure Pokémon influences. It reminds you of climbing and exploring The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and mechanics common in survival games. However, one way it is similar to Pokémon is the inclusion of creatures called Pals. As you explore the world, you can catch the cartoon monsters and register them in a digital encyclopedia called Paldeck, similar to the Pokédex.
My Paldeck contains 111 Pals (although there are alternative forms and possibly more). In purely numerical terms, that’s a lot less than Pokémon. There is no need to automatically complete hundreds of battles to fill up the Pokédex like in a modern Pokémon game. Furthermore, there are no “exclusive versions”. Palworld. Every copy of the game includes every sidekick, making it actually possible to find and capture every single monster without needing another player or making deals outside of the game.
If you have friends playing along, that will also help with the collecting process. While Pokémon has multiplayer functionality, online co-op mode is in Palworld Better supports playing the entire game with friends from start to finish. Features like Guilds allow you to team up with friends and easily share friends across your settlement. These friends will not be registered as “captured” in your Paldeck, but you will be able to see more friends and get an idea of which friends you need to capture.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25246935/Palworld_Paldeck_04.png)
Image: Pocket Pair
Catch all Pokémon is obviously not impossible – lots of people do it – and I understand why it appeals to certain players. The repetitive nature of catching Pokémon for Pokémon can be almost relaxing, but is a huge time commitment. You have to fight and catch every single one of them, and some require unique rituals to evolve. For others, you may need to trade to get exclusive versions and train Pokémon to prepare for challenging battles to capture stronger monsters. In the most recent one Scarlet fever And Violet DLC even requires you to collect in-game points to unlock the appearance of certain Pokémon in the wild.
Do not get me wrong – Palworld still contains its fair share of monster-catching grind. Depending on how common each creature appears, you can catch up to 10 examples of each creature to gain the experience points needed to unlock items. You probably won’t be able to collect the Paldeck in one or two sittings. Obstacles to exploration, like your level or the type of Pal Orbs you use, determine your entire journey. But so far I’ve enjoyed the slow, meandering process of gradually exploring and discovering the Pals, one at a time, to completely fill my Pal deck. At this rate I could catch them all.
