Summary
Entering Early Access on Steam and Xbox Game Pass in January 2024,Palworld’sopen-world survival-crafting with creature-collecting genre mashup swiftly became a gaming sensation, setting sales and player count records in its opening weeks, and currently still boasting impressive numbers of players and attention. Pocketpair’s smash hit has also seen its share of controversial aspects, butPalworldand its community still thrive at the moment.
AsPalworldis still in its early access period, there is naturally a laundry list of features, fixes, and improvements that the studio has laid out plans for further improving and iterating on many of its foundational mechanics and designs. And while the conversation aboutPalworld’s comparison toPokemonand other adjacent titles in its genre(s) is lively and ongoing,Palworlditself remains on a general popular trajectory, with the studio diligently working on increasing support. Among the various potential updates in the works forPalworld,one that might integrate particularly well in regard to both the base building and monster capturing gameplay loops would be to incorporate terraforming mechanics/options.
Palworldhas been steadily receiving updatesand will continue to see them throughout the course of the year.
Palworld Could Greatly Improve Base Building and Pals With Terraforming Mechanics
Palworld is Already Primed for Terraforming Functionality
As crafting and designing elaborate bases is an integral ingredient in the genres thatPalworldpulls from, handing players the ability to sculpt the land at will via a terraforming component would smoothly integrate with the existing robust base options. With the menagerie of Pals also all being adept at certain tasks in conjunction with their related elemental affinities and abilities, it would be an excellent evolution to introduce terraforming-capable ones into the mix. This could also lend itself to expanding the Pal’s overall utility and creating more synergies between types and breeding choices for optimal trait combinations, while opening up a much greater degree ofcreative expressions for players inPalworld’s base buildingvia manipulating its various region’s topography.
How Terraforming in Palworld Could Work
To start with,Palworldcould expand its initial base options and features, giving fans the freedom to alter their starting setup’s landscape or its immediate surrounding territory, at least to a degree, as a sort of teaser for what could be achieved with more elaborate later-game possibilities. A tech tree dedicated to unlocking more complex workstations at milestone levels that, of course, require rarer materials and prerequisite structures would probably go along with this. It could then work in tandem with Pals' expertise to allow for greater swathes of land to be altered in increasingly drastic ways. For example, earth-based pals might shape large sections of rocky terrain, whereas water/ice elemental pals could create or alter bodies of water.
Adding more unique higher-level/boss Pals that possess the terraforming trait, (or possibly a set chance for certain kinds to manifest it) would serve to widen the range of Pal personalities and functionalities, while adding to the total roster, which is one of thebigger focuses ofPalworld’s updates. This subsequently provides greater incentive for players to seek them out and recruit them into their existing repertoire.
Othermethods to improvePalworld’s base and related systemswill likely emerge from the experimentation and fantastic layouts that fans will surely display if given the tools to run wild via being able to terraform parts ofPalworld’s map. By implementing the feature, the sky would almost literally be the limit for extending the range ofPalword’s environmental versatility. It could thus serve as a seamless transition to the next phase ofPalworld’s progress toward full release state, and set it apart again through innovative use of a creative and fun toolset.
Palworld
WHERE TO PLAY
In this game, you can peacefully live alongside mysterious creatures known as Pals or risk your life to drive off a ruthless poaching syndicate. Pals can be used to fight and breed, or they can be made to work on farms or factories. You can even sell them or eat them.Survival: In a harsh environment where food is scarce and vicious poachers roam, danger waits around every corner. To survive, you must tread carefully and make difficult choices…even if that means eating your own Pals when the time comes.Mounts & Exploration: Pals can be mounted to traverse the land, sea and sky—allowing you to traverse all kinds of environment as you explore the world.Collect all kinds of exciting Pals to fight, farm, build, and work for you in this completely new multiplayer, open world survival and crafting game!
