Palworld developer Pocketpair just announced Palfarm, a spin-off game that now has a trailer and a Steam page. I have mixed feelings about this but I’m definitely interested, I love cozy farming sims and creature collectors and this seems like a perfect mix of both, though its announcement does seem timed conveniently with Nintendo’s announcement of Pokopia.
Palfarm takes place on an island where it looks like you live alongside Pals and have them help with farming, cooking, and gathering materials to expand your farm. It looks very different from their current main game that focuses on survival mechanics and it describes itself as cozy and relaxing.
There isn’t much information about a release date or in-depth coverage of gameplay mechanics, but it is confirmed that the game will be fully multiplayer. It also says there is an opportunity for the player to form a “special relationship” with a Pal or other island resident if you strengthen their bonds enough. Whether that hints at a dating mechanic or not remains to be seen, but there does seem to be a gift-giving mechanic.
The game is definitely drawing inspiration from classics like Animal Crossing, as the trailer starts out with a Pal talking to the player in a very Animal Crossing-esque way, and as previously mentioned, this announcement is coming very soon after Pokemon announced Pokopia, trailer below:
As someone who has very strong opinions about Nintendo, I like to see some healthy competition in this space, but after numerous lawsuits and new patents that are emerging, I do worry for Pocketpair (and other developers), because Nintendo might consider them to be stepping on their toes (again).
For those following Palfarm’s development, the official Steam page is the best place to wishlist the game and stay updated on release information.