Palworld could force the evolution of Monster Taming franchises such as Pokémon and Digimon. Games for both franchises are currently churning with a lot of success, including a new Origins Pokemon game and even rumors of a new Digimon Story title. However, the incredible success of Palworld blooming from between these giants could cause an evaluation of the current formats currently released. With Palworld now standing tall despite its short lifespan so far, here are some of the factors that could cause these powerhouses to take a new step forward.
Both Pokemon and Digimon erupted as video games and anime that first featured in the late 90’s, with different origins. Whereas Pokémon thrived as a Monster Taming genre video game from Japan, Digimon originally launched as a boy-targeted Tamagotchi from South Korea that is most infamous for its anime adaptation.
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Both have featured various adaptations on different platforms, but they have each set a trend that has led to iconic new releases. The latest include Pokémon Horizons: The Series and the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and the Digimon TCG with Digimon Liberator as the upcoming Web comic series.
How Palworld Success Could Evolve Pokémon & Digimon Titles
Palworld has enjoyed success thanks to the mix of gameplay featured in the release, as the Monster Taming title also combines crafting and other unique RPG mixes. While there are still some features yet to be featured, it is hard to dismiss that the game surpassed the 25 million player mark, with 15 million on Steam and 10 million on Xbox.
There are many ways that these iconic gaming franchises could surprise us, especially based on upcoming releases and trends. Fundamentally, there are key concepts the Palworld that both Pokémon and Digimon might recognize as missing components to their, otherwise, strong systematic releases.
Gotta Catch Em All, For A Reason
Pokémon has always featured to ability to catch all the Pokémon you desire, with the golden goal to capture every species for the Pokédex. However, from the return to old regions to the mobile game, Pokémon Go, there has never been a golden reason to capture so many of the same species that illustrates purpose.
Palworld has achieved these using tasks and skills that allow captured monsters to contribute, whether it be farming, activating tools, or even supporting crafting. Having an apparent reason to capture ridiculous amounts of monsters is one feature that Palworld has demonstrated to be a powerful addition to the concept, instead of having creatures sit in storage.
Digimon has always had a personal relationship with a partner Digimon and the Tamer, but the Digimon World series has also had a form of accumulation. This includes unlocking features and even opening new facilities to make a substantial difference in development or growth. Whether there is a way to change the franchise with a new type of Digimon game, has yet to be determined. However, Digimon could find a method one day by including the Digimon TCG as part of the concept.
Dynamic Fighting With Monsters
Playing an active role in combat has been a major feature of Palworld, including a mix of modern weaponry and even riding for direct control. This is a fundamental change in the usual format associated with Monster Taming games, allowing direct interaction.
By having the players in a much more active role, the level of immersion is increased, which has helped Palworld stand out. There have been some Pokémon spin-off games that have been able to add this level of activity, such as Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, but a Card Game for Digimon could also have this effect depending on implementation.
Crafting and Development
Crafting has been a feature of games such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus but Palworld has managed to include both the player and monsters working together. There are not many examples of Digimon needing to create items, but there are examples in these two games that show it can add to the difficulty and experience in a positive way.
Forging Pokéballs in the Legends game series instead of simply buying has been a good example of encouraging exploration and planning, but adding weapon craft and building forts or houses makes a fantastic difference to the experience.
Starting a New Concept With Upcoming Content
The success of Palworld could be a leading reason for Digimon to start working on new content for the future. Digimon Liberator is a significant release that is coming soon for fans, which has been revealed to be a potential game changer. This includes merging a VR World concept with the Digimon Trading Card Game, which has been the featured synopsis of the upcoming Web comic series.
Much like franchises such as Yu-Gi-Oh, there is a lot of potential for a card game to be given a bigger lease of life in a video game format. Especially since the story could open a new type of game and Konami is currently experimenting with the VR format.
Pressure To Increase With DokeV
Palworld has already made a big difference to the Monster Taming Genre but there is still another big release that fans are anticipating. DokeV created a huge shockwave as a new highly anticipated new game coming soon. Combining the genre with some Ghostbuster influence, the game burst with excitement during the Game Awards 2021 as ‘Rockstar’ became the musical earworm ringing in every gamer’s head. However, there has been no news regarding the release date, but could potentially add to the shockwave that Palworld has produced.
Whether the status quo changes is still too early to determine as there are still many challenges that Palworld needs to face. However, the changes to the RPG sub-genre have been noticeable and it will be interesting to see how such huge IPs will respond over time.
The development of Pokémon titles might be the slowest to respond due to the nature of their development, including Pokémon Legends: Z-A coming next year. However, there is a lot of anticipation for the Digimon franchise’s next move and there are still ways they could evolve beyond their new competitors.
Palworld is available now on Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and on PC via Steam. Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the next upcoming game from the Pokemon series releasing in 2025, with more announcements coming soon.
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The Digimon franchise has yet to reveal the next upcoming video game but will be releasing the highly anticipated Web Comic series, Digimon Liberator. The new digital series will be available in English and Japanese, with serialization starting on April 25, 2024.
About Palworld
Release Date: Ja, 2024
Developer: Pocketpair
Publisher: Pocketpair
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC
Genre: Action-Adventure, Survival, Monster-Taming
About: Fight, farm, build, and work alongside mysterious creatures called “Pals” in this completely new multiplayer, open-world survival and crafting game!
What do you think of Palworld’s effect on the Monster Taming genre? Are you excited about the upcoming releases for Pokémon and Digimon? What are you hoping to see for these gaming franchises in the future? Let us know on social media and keep following The Illuminerdi for more gaming content.
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