Palworld: Feybreakis a majorPalworldupdate coming on December 23, and it’s just revealed a hardcore mode that significantly dials up the consequences. As an early access title,Palworld’s post-launch support has been one of the game’s biggest selling points, andFeybreakis essentially a major expansion that’s releasing for free. It’s set to significantly expand the map and fill out a new, huge island with plenty of new Pals along with some revisions and additions to gameplay mechanics.
The officialPalworld_ENTwitter account announced the addition of a hardcore mode inFeybreak, but details surrounding the mode were actually provided by community manager Bucky in the Pocketpair Discord server. According to Bucky,hardcore mode will have two options, one for “Perma Player Death” and one for “Perma Pal Death.”
These settings can be toggled separately or activated togetherfor an even more difficult experience. Perma Pal Death presumably means that combat losses will spell the end for combatants, while Perma Player Death should be a complete game over if the player character perishes in the course of an adventure.
Hardcore Mode Adds Punishment To Palworld
Survival Might Finally Be The Focus
As a largely standard-issuesurvival crafting gamethat simply tosses creature collection into the mix,Palworld’s typical gameplay loop centers around iterative progress. It’s possible to encounter setbacks, but the survival aspect tends to quickly fade away in favor of building advanced gear and capturing more powerful Pals.
“What Is Depresso Doing?” Palworld Devs Plan To Tease New Content Every Day Until Feybreak Release
Palworld’s development team has announced that it’ll be posting daily Feybreak teasers on its social media channels. Here’s how to follow them.
Although the exact nature ofPalworld’s hardcore mode might not be revealed untilFeybreakreleases, Bucky’s explanation of the basic settings puts a much bigger emphasis on survival.The game already features Casual, Normal, and Hard options along with a Custom Difficultythat allows more individual toggles, but Hardcore should be a step beyond the intensity offered by anything to date.
Our Take: Permadeath Is A Perfect Palworld Fit
It’s Been A Long Time Coming
Much ofPalworld’s identity is defined by its edginess compared toPokémon, sohardcore mode feels like a natural evolutionthat delivers on that difference in a more meaningful way. The ability tobuy Pals on the black marketor chop them up for food might be more appropriate in a game where the player character is also at a heightened risk.
Palworldisn’t one of the defining games of the year for me, but I can appreciate PocketPair’s dedication to improving and adding content for free in the midst of thegame’s legal troubles. Hopefully,Feybreakis just the first step in a road to defining a more unique identity that can carryPalworldinto the future.
