Summary
The recent success ofPalworldhas undoubtedly thrust indie developer Pocketpair into the spotlight, but the sudden attention has become a double-edged sword. While some praise the game’s ability to blend genres, others have raised concerns aboutPalworld’s similarities toPokemonandArk: Survival Evolved. Following the recent controversy, concerns have been raised that Pocketpair’s upcoming Metroidvania could be a lightning rod for criticism due to its visual resemblance to the 2017 gameHollow Knight.
WhilePalworldisn’t Pocketpair’s first title, it is the studio’s first game to surpass seven million copies in five days. Interestingly, when Pocketpair’s open-world survival gameCraftopiadebuted in 2020, it was accused of heavily mimickingThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Now, with the publisher’s 2D Metroidvania slated for a Q1 release this year, it’s possible that fans ofHollow Knightwon’t be happy with the similar visuals and mechanics.
Pocket Pair Has a History of Sparking Controversy
Never Grave Is Likely Inspired By Hollow Knight
Given Pocketpair’s penchant for igniting controversy with visually familiar games,Never Gravecould very well be next on the list. In the upcoming roguelite, players set out on a platforming journey with the aid of a cursed hat. On paper,Never Grave’s promise of obstacles and puzzles and guarding ruined villages is intriguing in its own right. However, the trailer throws a curveball, showcasing double jump anddash maneuvers reminiscent ofHollow Knight. This also includes a few eerily familiar enemies and landscapes.
Though there is strong evidence suggesting that thisgame drew inspiration fromHollow Knight, the publisher has not explicitly acknowledged it. Surprisingly,Palworlddidn’t citePokemonas one of its main inspirations, either. Instead, CEO Takura Mizobe referencedArk: Survival Evolved,Rust, and theDragon Questseries as his inspirations.
Pocket Pair’s Plagiarism Controversy May Heighten With Never Grave
Despite the controversy,Palworld’s success appears unaffected, seeing as it just surpassedover 2 million concurrent players on Steam. A key detail may be due toPalworldplayers being unconcerned about a game allegedly targeting Nintendo’s intellectual property.
Accusations have been leveled at Pocketpair for drawing heavily on established ideas in its games, but without concrete evidence, whether this is intentional or not remains debatable. That being said,Hollow Knightwas created by an indie developerakin to Pocketpair. WhilePalworld’s resemblances to Nintendo titles didn’t appear to stop its momentum, drawing inspiration from a fellow small studio might be enough to staggerNever Grave’s chances of success.
At the moment, it’s unclear whetherNever Grave’svisual echoes ofHollow Knightwill generate any significant attention. Since the game is expected to debut before March 2024, this could still be impacted by the buzz aroundPalworld. Even so,Palworldhas proven to be far more than a standardPokemonclone andNever Gravemay exceed whatHollow Knightfans expect from it, too.
Palworld
WHERE TO PLAY
In this game, you may peacefully live alongside mysterious creatures known as Pals or risk your life to drive off a ruthless poaching syndicate. Pals can be used to fight and breed, or they can be made to work on farms or factories. You can even sell them or eat them.Survival: In a harsh environment where food is scarce and vicious poachers roam, danger waits around every corner. To survive, you must tread carefully and make difficult choices…even if that means eating your own Pals when the time comes.Mounts & Exploration: Pals can be mounted to traverse the land, sea and sky—allowing you to traverse all kinds of environment as you explore the world.Collect all kinds of exciting Pals to fight, farm, build, and work for you in this completely new multiplayer, open world survival and crafting game!
