Horizon Zero Dawn meets Pokémon in new game you can play free this month

Imagine, for a moment, that when you throw out a Pokeball, Pikachu appears and is wielding an AK47. That’s the vibe you’ll get from Palworld. The whole aesthetic is Eevee with a hand grenade in their mouth.

You’ll be able to play Palworld for free later this month on Xbox Game Pass. 19 January to be exact, and you’ll find a beautiful, colourful world just waiting to be explored with cutesy creatures who could definitely utilise chaotic violence.

Palworld is like Pokemon, but written with satire in mind

Palworld is a survival game mixed with Pokemon charm. It’s up to you to live peacefully alongside Pals, the game’s creatures, and drive off a poaching syndicate. According to the developer, you can use Pals to fight or put them to work on farms or in factories - “Don't worry; there are no labor laws for Pals.” Not that much better than poaching, if I’m honest.

You’ll find all the usual survival game mechanics - farming, crafting, building - while there are also ways to breed Pals or take them on adventures into dungeons, yoking them into constant battles. You can capture Pals much like Pokemon. It’s encouraged to catch rare Pals as noted from the game’s blurb, “Sneak in and capture rare Pals to get rich quick! It's not a crime if you don't get caught, after all.”

Hopefully, this humour plays through Palworld and delivers a great mix of satire and genuine enjoyment. It’s a gorgeous game that knows it's riffing off a popular template, and Pokemon fans are sure to find something here, whether that’s a bunch of new creatures to love, or living in the legal grey area of stealing and selling Pals.

You’ll be able to see for yourself as the game launches on Xbox Game Pass on its release day, while you can also find it on Steam in early access.