“Pokemon” and “ARK Survival” have a child and its name is “Palworld”. The game is an open-world survival and monster catcher. Released on Jan. 18 by Pocketpair, “Palworld” has hit records in its first two weeks with thousands of players flocking to the game.

Running at $30.00 on the online video marketplace Steam, “Palworld” can be run comfortably on most computers, although I would play around with graphics settings as the game can be intensive on lower-end devices.

For my play-through, I had my graphics set to “medium.” If you are unsure if your computer can load the game, make sure to check the system requirements on the game’s Steam page. The game also runs exclusively on Xbox, Windows PC and Valve’s SteamOS, so unfortunately for my friends on the Playstation, Nintendo Switch or Mac: you won’t be able to run the game.

“Palworld” begins with a tutorial that acts like a to-do list guiding players. Slowly work your way from gathering resources off the ground to crafting items and harvesting materials.

With fresh resources, you can build your first base. By constructing a palbox, you mark a boundary that serves as the border for your camp. You can construct a multitude of structures within the border, foundations and walls for protection and shelter, fireplaces for food, workbenches for equipment, and decor to liven up your camp.

As you progress through the game, you’ll acquire technology points that can be used to unlock various things throughout the game. Better equipment for you to use while you explore, decorations that can be constructed and liven up your base, and production facilities that automate resource collecting and put your pals to work.

Even though forcing your pals to work is an unavoidable part of the game, I never felt like I was enslaving my pals, at least not in the way that the advertising suggested. The cartoony nature of the game always made me feel like I was working alongside my pals for our betterment.

Although the game centers around the base building, it did not discourage me from exploring the map. I often found myself bouncing between managing my bases and catching pals as I explored the world of Palpagos.

On your adventures, you’ll find new pals to capture, discover boss towers and alpha pals to defeat for great rewards, and members of various factions that roam and inhabit Palpagos.

Unlike my experiences in “Pokemon: Scarlet and Violet”, “Palworld” creates a world that feels alive. Everywhere you travel, you are surrounded by pals. It never feels like one area has less than another. Wandering factions such as the Rayne Syndicate or the Free Pal Alliance will keep you engaged as you save the pals they’re holding hostage.

The graphics for the game are visually stunning. Every rock, tree and structure seems as if it could exist in the real world. Every field of grass is lush and vibrant, capturing the feel of existing in another world.

It isn’t just textures that make it visually impressive, but also the use of lighting and shading. Small details like how a torch illuminates parts of the character that are facing the source while leaving the rest in darkness or how a shadow is cast while the player is running, all add to the realistic feel of the game.

“Palworld” is incredible in how it delivers a stunning and engaging experience to its players, however, it is also important to address some of the game’s flaws. Bugs are fairly frequent, and the range of how they affect gameplay varies.

Small bugs, such as being able to catch tower bosses or super-launch yourself to the moon by jumping on top of a pal sphere mid-capture, add to the whimsical nature of the game. But there are detrimental bugs like falling through the world upon reopening a save or the infamous catch-rate bug making it near impossible to capture pals.

It is important to note that the game is in early access, meaning that the game is still undergoing development.

Pocketpair has made it clear through their roadmap that it intends to continue developing “Palworld” and I believe they have a bright future ahead of them. One thing that attracted my interest was not the immediate success or the playstyle of the game, but the way it redefines the genre it is in. If we can get an expansive and engaging monster catcher like this now, what will it mean for the games preceding it in the future?

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars