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Although Palworld is one of the best and most successful games of the year so far, it is also one of the most controversial. Not only because of the Pokémon clone rhetoric but because of its supposed animal cruelty. With this alleged animal cruelty a hot negative for critics, it’s no wonder the biggest fans of Palworld and its biggest naysayers are at odds over this amazing new Pokémon alternative, Creatures of Ava.
Palworld is massively loved, but the game is far from perfect as it is early access only meaning it’s inevitable there are bugs and glitches. In addition, some fans are not happy over the stealthily added censorship with some pointing the finger of blame at Xbox despite the lack of definitive proof.
While Pocketpair’s own fans are not happy with certain names and words being censored by asterisks, the game’s naysayers have had a problem since day one with its treatment of animals. These Palworld critics now have an eco-friendly Pokémon alternative to anticipate, but, unfortunately, the existence of both games has resulted in needless squabbling from both sides of the fence.
Palworld vs Creatures of Ava
Creatures of Ava is an upcoming game that was showcased at the Xbox Partner Preview showcase on March 6th. It is coming to Game Pass day one sometime in 2024, and Microsoft’s recap bills it as a game ‘where you’ll learn to understand and tame the creatures of the planet Ava and let them lead you through a variety of ecosystems – all in the hopes of saving the planet from a life-consuming infection’.
IGN said it is a ‘much cozier looking Palworld,’ with the description that it is a ‘creature saver’ experience in ‘which the hero, Vic, uses a flute to tame wild creatures suffering from an infection that causes them to become aggressive… It emphasizes “healing rather than defeating” monsters as Vic explores its various environments’.
Polygon said it ‘looks like a sweet alternative to Palworld, with hugs instead of guns’. Their perspective says Pokemon fans can become cynical of the game’s ‘trapping, breeding, and battling adorable creatures, and in the case of the Pokémon-inspired Palworld, even conscripting them into forced labor’. Creatures of Ava instead takes the approach where you are ‘nice to the animals’.
Lastly, Inverse reports ‘Palworld had its 15 minutes of fame, but it’s already time to make room for a new Pokémon-like’. They say ‘If you can sum up Palworld as “Pokémon with guns,” the best summary of the upcoming Creatures of Ava might be “Pokémon with a conscience”‘. They also dub Palworld a ‘shallow parody’ of Pokémon with the ‘creepy and sinister’ insistence that ‘Pokémon are happy to be trapped in their tiny spherical cages’.
While all of the above are perspectives from outlets, a Dead By Daylight dev also criticized Palworld over the way you can treat pals, meanwhile, everyone’s totally favorite group, PETA, called for a Vegan guide to Palworld.
The alleged animal cruelty in Palworld has always been a divisive topic. Sure, you can treat pals with utter contempt, but you can also fiercely love them and treat them of injuries and depression. Yeah, you put them to work, you breed them, and you have to capture pals to unlock them, but it’s no different than any other creature-collection experience.
On the other side of the fence, some Palworld fans have needlessly thrown dirt at Creatures of Ava. In the comments underneath the game’s trailer on the Xbox YouTube channel, some have dubbed it ‘Palworld ordered from Temu’ and that it ‘looks like Palworld from shein’. There are also claims that it’s a ‘soyboy Palworld’ and that it’s ‘woke Palworld’.
Whether you love Palworld or have the point of view that it’s cruel to animals, the comparisons between it and Creatures of Ava are needless as one is purely about fun while the other is trying to tell a story with a message. Palworld is great, Creatures of Ava looks good, and both of them can coexist without one needing to put down the other.
For more Palworld, check out our guide for how to farm large, medium, and unlimited pal souls, and also check out our guide to the seven best breeding combos in the game. We also have a guide for how to access and use cheats along with the best mods to download.
