Highlights

  • The factions in Palworld have unique attitudes towards Pals, adding depth to the game's narrative and world-building.
  • Towers in Palworld serve as challenging obstacles but even bosses inside are unsure of their purpose, hinting at a deeper mystery.
  • Despite rough edges and underdeveloped elements, Palworld's popularity indicates potential for growth and improvement in future updates.

Pocket Pair's new survival crafting game Palworld has enjoyed immense popularity, boasting over two million concurrent players at the height of its hype. Furthermore, Palworld's whopping 200,000 reviews on Steam and "Very Positive" rating are a testament to the game's merit. It is safe to say that Palworld is a hit. All that said, the game is still just in early access. Palworld has rough edges at the moment, and some of the elements of the game are half-baked. Anything to do with the narrative, especially the disparate factions of the Palpagos Islands, is especially underdeveloped.

Even after hours of gameplay, players might be hard-pressed to describe what is going on in the world of Pals. Players don't have to be told why they are building bases and catching Pals, but they may wonder why they are encouraged by the game's tutorial to find Palworld's towers and defeat the bosses guarding them.

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Related
Palworld's Rough Edges Might Not Matter in the End

Despite its massive popularity, Palworld still contains some technical issues it needs to fix, but those might not matter as much as some might think.

Palworld's Factions Need More Lore

Faction

Boss

Partner Pal

Rayne Syndicate

Zoe Rayne

Grizzbolt

Free Pal Alliance

Lily Everheart

Lyleen

Brothers of the Eternal Pyre

Axel Travers

Orserk

Palpagos Island Defense Force

Marcus Dryden

Faleris

Pal Genetic Research Unit

Victor Ashford

Shadowbeak

The five factions of Palworld each have their own attitudes toward Pals and ideas about how these creatures should be treated. The Rayne Syndicate, for example, are Pal poachers that catch, imprison, and sell Pals on the black market. The Free Pal Alliance, on the other hand, advocates for the preservation of Pals by any means necessary. This is why they will attack player bases: putting Pals to work is against their beliefs.

Village NPCs are often protected by members of the Palpagos Islands Defense Force (PIDF). If a player commits a crime, officers in helmets and flak jackets might spawn to attack them. The Brothers of the Eternal Pyre are a cult-like group led by Alex Travers, who had once been part of the Pal Genetic Research Unit. The most formidable tower boss is the leader of the Pal Genetic Research Unit, Victor Ashford, who created his Shadowbeak partner through genetic experimentation.

There is a lot of potential in these interesting characters. It takes work to find the backstories of these leaders, but reading their diaries is well worth the effort. Zoe and her Grizzbolt are the first bosses that players challenge in the game, and her diaries tell the story of her struggle for survival inside the cruel Rayne Syndicate.

Lily Everheart, leader of the Free Pal Alliance, writes about how she will do anything to protect Pals, even if that means paying the PIDF a "hefty sum." It is easy to imagine how this could be a mission or quest in Palworld, with the player brokering a deal between Lily and PIDF leader Marcus Dryden.

How The Factions Could Carry the Palworld Story

Pocket Pair should consider the backstory of their faction leaders when fleshing out the story of Palworld. There is a lot of potential hidden away in their diaries, and in their locations spread throughout the map. Before storming the tower that she guards, players could get to know Zoe Rayne, for example, when she raids the player's base. Without tutorial tips, players would not know that the gameplay of Palworld involves battling the tower bosses. Zoe and her Grizzbolt could challenge the player to a battle and, as long as they don't capture her in a Pal Sphere after the fight, explain that the other factions are also in the business of guarding towers. This would guide the player to their next challenge and a new area of the map.

The freedom players have to explore the open world at their leisure is great, but having faction characters to speak with, battle against, and run missions for would encourage players to linger in and appreciate a specific area. This would also open up opportunities for the players to learn more about the factions and their leaders, and if they sympathize with one cause or another. Furthermore, what little players have so far about the story of Palworld suggests relationships ripe for exploring: the Free Pal Alliance has worked with the PIDF and Alex Travers of the Brothers of the Eternal Pyre defected from the Pal Genetic Research Unit. Quests or missions that unveil how this happened would be fascinating to play through.

As it is now, players cannot speak with the faction leaders, only fight them inside the towers scattered throughout the Palpagos Islands.

The Mystery of the Towers in Palworld

The first mission that Pocket Pair should address in the story of Palworld is the connection between the faction leaders and the towers. In terms of gameplay, the towers serve as a challenge to conquer and are the Palworld version of Pokemon's gyms. In terms of story, even the bosses inside aren't sure why they are there. In Zoe's diary entries, she writes, "I've started to wonder... Why am I guarding this big tower again?" Zoe goes on to say that the towers are related to a legendary power, but that she's not sure what that really means. Her father guarded the tower before her, showing that this is a long but inexplicable tradition.

As the game is now, these faction bosses are just challenges to overcome rather than fleshed-out characters. As time goes on and Palworld becomes a polished, fully released game, players will have higher expectations when it comes to the game's narrative. Future updates to Palworld should bring more Pals and more clarity as to why the player fights tower bosses.