Palworld VS Ark: Survival Evolved: Is it the Same Gameplay?

In the last few days, a game called "Palworld" has skyrocketed on Steam! It started its early access on January 19, with sales exceeding a million within 8 hours and reaching 4 million in just three days after release! According to SteamDB data, Palworld's peak concurrent players have reached 1001821—an objective figure, surpassing even PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and Dota 2, ranking first!

What is Palworld?

Palworld positions itself as a "multiplayer, open-world survival crafting game" where players can make friends and collect mysterious creatures called "Pals." These Pals are quite similar to Pokémon in many aspects. What makes it more interesting is that these fantasy creatures can do things that Pokémon cannot or dare not do, such as engaging in firearm combat or participating in production activities under human coercion. Therefore, Palworld's gameplay is more akin to Ark: Survival Evolved, encompassing elements like construction, survival, exploration, taming (capturing), creature-assisted production and combat.

Palworld

Mikey Wotton

Embark on your journey to Palworld!

Productivity

Productivity

Download (72.2 MB)

This article will compare the gameplay of Palworld and Ark: Survival Evolved in various aspects to see if Palworld's gameplay is indeed similar to Ark: Survival Evolved.

ARK: Survival Evolved

Global

Studio Wildcard

Fight, survive, and tame 80+ dinosaurs in this massive genre-defining game world!

AdventureOffline

AdventureOffline

Download (2.3 GB)

Building

In Palworld, the player's main perspective is third-person. Upon entering the game with no equipment, you can gather basic materials by picking up branches, breaking stones, and then building a workbench to craft better weapons like stone axes. With suitable tools, you can obtain more materials. Utilizing the in-game creatures (Pals) to aid in processing materials and constructing buildings, players can eventually create their shelters and factories.

On the other hand, in Ark: Survival Evolved, the player's main perspective is first -person. Similar to Palworld, players start with no equipment and need to gather basic materials by chopping trees and collecting stones. Unlike Palworld, there is no workbench; players can craft new tools once they collect enough materials. Building is a core aspect of the game, and players can construct structures ranging from simple thatch huts to complex electrified fortresses. ARK's building system is intricate, offering various building materials and structures.

Survival

In "Palworld," while survival isn't the sole focus of the game, players are still required to engage in a range of survival skills to sustain themselves. They must collect fruits and prepare meals to stave off hunger, which means not just gathering raw ingredients, but also starting fires to cook food for digestion and absorption. Survival tactics go beyond mere collection.

Another critical aspect is the interaction with Pal. Indeed, players may hunt to obtain meat resources. At the same time, players must be vigilant, as hostile creatures or other players could pose threats. Constructing shelters, crafting weapons, and equipping oneself are key to protecting against these adversities.

Survival is a key component in "ARK Survival Evolved." Players are required to constantly search for food and water to maintain their energy and hydration levels. Players can hunt a variety of animals on the island, from docile herbivorous dinosaurs to ferocious predators. In addition to hunting, foraging for wild berries and plants provides nutrition, though care must be taken as some flora can be poisonous. Of course, don’t forget to look for water sources. Anyway, you need to manage hunger, thirst, temperature, and other life-sustaining variables. And you must also deal with extreme weather, natural disasters, dinosaur attacks, and harm from other hostile players in multiplayer mode.

Exploration

Palworld is set on an expansive openworld map and encourages players to explore. You can navigate through a variety of terrains encompassing forests, mountains, rivers, and more. During your voyages, you can uncover resources such as ore, Pal eggs, treasure chests, valuable loot, and secretive areas, revealing different types and subspecies of Pals available for discovery and companionship. To facilitate the exploration of this vast world for players, Fast Travel to those in "Genshin Impact" is incorporated within the game. These points can be activated by players, enabling rapid travel to various corners of the explored regions, significantly increasing the efficiency of travel.

ARK Survival Evolved consists of multiple islands, each with its own ecosystem and terrain. Players can explore various environments such as forests, deserts, snowfields, mountains, and volcanoes, as different areas contain different resources and creatures. In the early stages of the game, many areas of the map are hidden and must be physically reached by the players to unlock. During exploration, players can also find various resource points, including metals, oil, and crystals, among others. Exploration will also lead to the discovery of ARK's distinctive structures, such as ruins and caves. Caves typically contain rare resources and unique creatures but are also filled with dangers, including traps and formidable enemies. Additionally, players can find artifacts that are used to summon bosses, and so on.

Certainly, for the convenience of exploration, there are also teleportation points in "ARK Survival Evolved," which are known as Obelisks and Transmitters.

Taming (Capturing)

In Palworld, players can craft Pal Spheres or find them in treasure chests to capture Pals. The method is straightforward, especially if you’ve played Pokémon weaken them by attacking and then toss a Pal Sphere when their health is low but not depleted. You'll see a capture probability window pop up. Stay alert, as Pals can still break free from the Pal Sphere. Once a Pal stops struggling, it’s caught, and a notification pops up confirming your successful capture. Tame these Pals for battles, exploration, resource gathering, and construction assistance.

In ARK Survival Evolved, taming dinosaurs is a crucial game aspect. Various mechanics are employed to tame creatures, such as rendering them unconscious before feeding. Each creature has its unique taming process and utility, whether herbivore or carnivore, and once tamed, they serve purposes from mounts to combat allies.

Creature-Assisted Production and Combat

In "Palworld," Pals are versatile assistants in resource gathering, farming, and production. Some specialize in tasks like mining or agriculture, enhancing efficiency in base building and item crafting with their unique abilities. In combat, these Pals become invaluable allies, utilizing distinct abilities for melee or ranged combat, and tactical support to match different combat scenarios.

Similarly, in "ARK Survival Evolved," dinosaurs with special abilities aid in collecting resources — Triceratops gather berries, Ankylosaurus mine effectively, and Mammoths excel in wood collection. Larger dinosaurs transport resources and act as mounts or combat allies. Predators likeT- Rex and Spinosaurus dominate in combat, while flying and aquatic dinosaurs offer air assaults and naval support. Understanding which dinosaurs suit particular tasks or combat styles is crucial for survival and advancement. Once tamed, they become powerful partners in battles for survival and competition with other players.

In summary, Palworld leans more towards a fantasy style, with seemingly easier game objectives and versatile companion creatures. On the other hand, ARK: Survival Evolved focuses more on a realistic survival experience and precise rendering of prehistoric dinosaurs. The game environment is more challenging, and the survival mechanics are more robust. However, their gameplay is indeed very similar. What do you think? Stay tuned to APKPure for more information about Palworld.

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