Palworldis an addition to the popular genre of exploring, fighting, and capturing monsters to be a part of your party. While these mechanics are similar to Pokemon, there have been other games that have explored the idea of having your own monster team to command, grow, and face other beasts with.
These other monster trainer experiences range in how they explore the gameplay, level-up systems, and the amount of exploration you can have. One key thing that matters is that you can create, find, and raise your monster buddies from all shapes and sizes to be the best fighters against any adversary.
10Temtem
Launched in September 2022, Temtem is a monster-collecting multiplayer game that gains inspiration from Pokemon. iT was successfully funded through Kickstarter in 2018 and has since gained a following. Five seasons add tons of interesting content for many hours of gameplay.
Since much of the gameplay is similar to the Pokemon series, Temtem is often considered to be a more affordable version of the popular series.
Many similarities to Palword include the action of capturing bizarre monsters through special items. Upon capturing the creature, you can utilize its elements, beast type, or specialized abilities for a dual with other players or NPCs that populate the world. The online options let you play in team-ups and create your own rivalries against other masters.
9Paleo Pines
Paleo Pines puts you in a charming world as a dinosaur handler and farmer on an island full of different species. You start out with Lucky, a young Parasaurolophus, and the whole motivation for you getting to the island of Paleo Pines is your desire to find a new home for your crested friend. Also, you want toinvestigate what happenedto Lucky’s kind on the island.
A Loving World For Farming And Prehistoric Friends
The charm of Paleo Pines is a mixture of a well-made farming system and collecting the many friendly creatures in the environment that can be helpful either at your farm or during exploration. The dinosaurs are all mostly based on what their real-life counterparts were supposed to look like, but displayed in a fantastic art style.
8Onmyoji
Onmyoji is an RPG that follows the adventures of Abe no Seimei, the mystical hero of Heian-era Japan. The creatures featured here are called Shikigami, and they are all based on Japanese folklore. The game was launched in 2016 and is still active with new content coming out every so often.
Virtually the entire roster of ancient Japanese myths appears in Onmyoji, either for summoning or raid bosses. There are events and story modes that delve deeper into the enthralling tales of these ancient spirits and demons of the feudal era. While exploration is limited, the sheer number of unique creatures is a keen comparison to Palworld.
7Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch
In this adventurous RPG that takes the aesthetic visuals of Studio Ghibli animated films, Ni No Kuni follows the journey of Oliver in another world of spirits. While it was originally launched for PS3 in 2013, a remaster was launched for current consoles in 2022.
A New World Full Of Helpful Spirits
Like in Palworld, there is a diverse group of creatures to collect on your journey. Called familiars, these guys generally range from cute to scary-looking beings and can be captured for taming and raising. There are fun and massive environments to explore, from open plains to deep dungeons where different creatures cohabit.
6World Of Final Fantasy Maxima
The classic monsters of the Final Fantasy series all show up here as stylized little critters that can be caught by our heroes Lann and Reynn. In the story, these two siblings get caught in the mysterious world of Grymoire. While traversing this world, they encounter different versions of the heroes and villains of the mainline Final Fantasy series that help them out as summons.
The creatures you can catch for your party are called Mirages, and they can stack together in different formations to improve battle tactics and abilities. Some examples of formidable mirages include the Behemoth and Tonberry.
The exploration and unique array of monster allies make this Final Fantasy spin-off stand out from other games like Palworld. While Palworld is more focused on survival elements and exploration, World of Final Fantasy focuses on style, bizarre combat mechanics, and is treated as a love letter to all the magic, fun, and characters of the Final Fantasy series.
5Digimon World Next Order
In the ridiculous world of Digimon where this game is set, you are brought in with your Digimon buddies. You help them grow and develop, and you explore the lands as they get stronger. You will play as either Shiki or Takuto, two Japanese high school students who are brought into the digital world to face off against the machinedramon invading it. This game definitely has a different atmosphere from Palworld, yet there’s exploration and dozens of unique creatures to discover and befriend.
The Digimon that you save during your adventures can be either party members to nurture for battle or residents in your town, who can be involved in the development of it. On the other hand, the Digimon that become party members have lifespans that expire over time. They then reincarnate into eggs and return as stronger monsters.
4Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX
Monster Rancher DXis a combined remaster of two classic PlayStation One games and was launched in 2021. In this new package, you simulate taking care of a farm for monsters, being a rancher for beasts of all shapes and sizes. While Palworld is very exploration-based and survival-focused, Monster Rancher is a very chill farm simulator full of monsters.
Monsters can be trained for competitions, adventures, and battles. When their levels and abilities are high enough, they can be selected for breeding to develop unique combinations of creatures for the future.
Forming bonds and relationships with your monsters are equally similar and important parts of the simulation gameplay present in all these monster-tamer titles. Monster Rancher makes you care for and be emotionally invested in your creature’s growth and, at the same time, tears your heart to shreds as your beasts come close to the end of their lifespans, just like some aspects of Palworld.
3Dragon Quest Monsters: Dark Prince
Dragon Quest Monsters: Dark Prince takes the world of the popular JRPG series and makes it a monster collecting and raising game in the vein of Pokemon and Palworld. Many of the classic and famous monsters from the earlier entries in the franchise can be found or created through synthesis.
Synthesizing The Most Formidable Party Of Monsters
Monster party members that can be synthesized include bosses like the Lord of the Dragovians and the infamous demonlords of earlier games before Dragon Quest IV. The synthesis system, once it’s unlocked, gives access to expand and diversify your party of monsters. With over 500 different creatures to find and synthesize, the possibilities are endless.
2Monster Hunter Stories 2
Monster Hunter Stories 2 takes the setting of the mainline Monster Hunter games and adds monsters as your allies. You gather them bycollecting eggsin the environment. These rideable monsters are called monsties, and they are all based on the creatures you can find in the world of the series.
All monsties let you explore the scenarios in different ways. For example, Tigrex can climb up wall vines, and Lagiacrus can swim through large portions of the water on the maps. Once you unlock Razewing Ratha’s ability to fly, you may navigate the entire map from the skies.
1Pokemon Scarlet And Violet
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet were launched in 2022. They are both set in the Paldea region and follow our young trainer befriending a mysterious Pokemon that fell from the sky, either Koraidon or Miraidon, depending on which game. Each version includes a different flow of the story, with Koraidon’s regions being based on prehistoric and Miraidon being futuristic.
Palworld takes the style of the creature design, exploration, and multiplayer freedom from Pokemon’s set-up. However, it has done so much more, exploring concepts like survival, hunting the creatures for materials, and being a bit darker compared to the presentation we know in the popular series.
