Palworld may still be in early access, but it's certainly made a strong impression already. Granted, strong doesn't necessarily mean unproblematic—Nintendo's controversial lawsuit against Palworld is proof enough of that. It's hard to say what the future has in store for Pocketpair's action-packed spin on the creature-collecting genre, but it's clear that it has flung the door open for further experimentation in the space.
One such experimental creature-collector, Voidling Bound, might be the next big left-field hit for the genre. Slated for a release in the first quarter of 2026, Voidling Bound still has a good bit to prove, but with a clever blend of No Man's Sky's simple-neon visuals, Palworld's action-RPG combat and progression, Spore's creature-evolving formula, and Ratchet & Clank's chaotic encounter design, it has every chance to be something powerful or, at the very least, memorable. The future seems bright for Voidling Bound, and if you're a fan of creature collectors or off-the-wall sci-fi experiences, then it might be right up your alley.
Voidling Bound has a demo available on Steam, which currently sits at a comfortable 98% Overwhelmingly Positive rating.
Creature Feature: Voidling Bound Promises Deep Creature-Collecting and Evolution Systems
Much of Nintendo's case against Palworld developer Pocketpair pertains to specific mechanics. Indeed, the general concept of gathering fictional creatures for use in gameplay is a bit too broad for Nintendo to really "own," but the company has issued patents for mechanics like summoning via throwing a spherical object—something the Japanese gaming giant was quick to point out in court. This led to Pocketpair updating Palworld to remove the summon-by-throwing feature, and similar changes could be on the way.
While Nintendo's aggressive litigation here is controversial to say the least, it does highlight an interesting point about the creature-collecting genre: how the player interfaces with their in-game creatures massively informs the overall experience. This is where Voidling Bound aims to excel, as it takes a decidedly original approach to the catch, fight, and evolve formula. Players discover and hatch Voidling eggs to grow their collection, which isn't all that innovative on its own, but the subsequent evolution-based progression system adds some secret sauce.
Each Voidling can be evolved extensively, granting them new physical features, abilities, and boosts to stats like strength or defense. Unlike Pokemon, however, Voidling Bound's evolution system is not strictly linear: there are different branches of evolution to explore, which allows for not only more customization and variety but also incentivizes collecting duplicate creatures, as this is how players will unlock new evolutions from different trees. The amount of variance and customization possible within each in-game species is how Voidling Bound makes up for not having as many different base creatures as a game like Pokemon.
Splicing Might Just Be Voidling Bound's Most Interesting Mechanic
As previously mentioned, Voidlings come from eggs, but Voidlings can also be created in the Splicing Station. This game mechanic allows players to mix and match different "genes" from Voidling species to create an all-new creation. Voidling Bound's gene system is split into four categories:
- Morphology
- Modules
- Abilities
- Perks
Morphology and Modules are tied to a Voidling's appearance and base stats. For instance, you can customize the color and size of a Voidling through the Morphology category, and add defensive body parts like a hard outer shell via the Modules tab. Abilities are exactly what they sound like: different powers for use in battle, each of which can be linked to its own elemental affinity. Perks are special, passive abilities like an increase in movement speed or an automatic secondary attack after using a main ability. All these categories expand by continuously evolving existing Voidlings, further incentivizing progression.
Action-Adventure Gameplay Is Voidling Bound's Greatest Question Mark
These systems are promising, but they all hinge on Voidling Bound's moment-to-moment gameplay. Like Palworld, Voidling Bound adopts a fast-paced, real-time combat sandbox rather than a turn-based one, meaning that elements like ability synergies, animations, hitboxes, combat arenas, and enemy variety all need to be fine-tuned. So far, Voidling Bound seems to be handling its combat well—it's responsive, varied, and its abilities feel purposeful—but in a game designed around constant evolution and progression, longevity will be the true test of its gameplay. This is to say nothing of the game's exploration, of which we've seen relatively little.
But at the end of the day, these are minor, almost insignificant concerns. Voidling Bound has all the ingredients for success, but success itself is a matter of how well these ingredients come together in the final dish. Mechanics like splicing have a great deal of promise, and the fact that progression is tied so closely to moment-to-moment gameplay and customization is highly promising as well, so I'm certainly excited for Voidling Bound. I just hope that it can continue to surprise over the course of so many hours.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 58%
- Released
- January 19, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Violence
- Developer(s)
- Pocket Pair, Inc.
- Publisher(s)
- Pocket Pair, Inc.
WHERE TO PLAY
In this game, you can 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!
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Xbox Series X|S, pc
- Cross Save
- yes
- Number of Players
- 1-4 (Co-Op); 32 Players Server Limit
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Shooter, Survival
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- How Long To Beat
- 36 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 6 GB (February 2024)
