New Survival Game on Steam Takes Palworld's Formula and Applies it to a "True-to-Scale Earth"

Palworld may not be the viral sensation it was during its first few months of life, but there’s no denying it was a tremendous success. Sure, there were controversies around the game seemingly outright copying Nintendo’s Pokemon designs, not to mention the usage of AI to create them. But Palworld also proved that Pokemon clones can thrive by giving players the kinds of experience that Gamefreak is unwilling to create itself. To be clear, people weren’t desperate for “Pokemon with guns,” even if it did make for an odd visual that was perfect for internet meme culture. Instead, players flocked to an open-world game where they could craft, build bases, and collect Pokemon-like critters with their friends. And given how it went viral, it’s no surprise that Palworld clones — like Layer Land — are starting to appear on Steam.

Upcoming Steam game Layer Land may essentially be a copy of a copy, but that doesn’t mean it has no tricks up its sleeve. Developed by Pudding Co. Ltd., Layer Land strives to outdo Palworld (and by extension, the Pokemon franchise) in two key areas; its world and the bonds with the critters that inhabit it. Whether it manages to accomplish these goals remains to be seen, but the concepts of a true-to-scale world and a conversation-focused companion app for this Palworld-like are undoubtedly interesting. Layer Land is singleplayer-only, though, so Palworld fans who enjoy the game primarily for its co-op may want to look elsewhere. As for solo players, it’s certainly worth a look to see if it’s up their alley.

Layer Land Features at a Glance

• EXPLORE a one-to-one recreation of Earth inhabited with unique creatures.
• MEET 100 different pets as you explore the world.
• DISCOVER unique pet personalities and talents which let them help in different ways, like cooking, foraging, and drawing.
• BUILD cozy homes using a grid system and fill them with furniture.
• BREED any pets you wish to create entirely new critters.
• FIGHT interdimensional invaders who will come through portals and attempt to destroy your base.

Layer Land’s World and Critters Are Its Biggest Draws

Layer Land isn’t the first game to embrace using the real world as a game map; Ubisoft’s racing series The Crew featured a version of the United States for players to drive through, for example. However, that game’s real-world map was significantly scaled down, whereas Layer Land aims to be a true-to-scale replica of our planet. Accomplished via satellite imagery, this bold idea has its pros and cons. On one hand, it’s hard to imagine players will be able to explore every inch of the world, which theoretically guarantees there’s always something new to see. On the other hand, the world may feel empty and repetitive in certain areas while also lacking the level of polish seen in a game like Pokemon or Palworld. Even based on the imagery from the official Steam page, some areas are low-res because of the scans used, which is an unavoidable cost of this ambitious concept.

Within Layer Land’s ridiculously big world are 100 different critters for players to interact with. In each version of the game world, these critters will have unique personalities, traits, and ecosystems despite the world itself having the same layout. Whenever players get bored of their existing world, they can use a portal to enter a new one where the vibes of the critters are completely changed. Some pets may be inherently friendly in one world but hostile in another, a pet may go from a skilled forager to a talented artist, and their manner of speaking may be altered. Large critters can be utilized for faster traversal, too. Players will have to battle pets before taming them (a bow is one of the Palworld weapons borrowed for this game), and once they do, the game will strive to make players care for their critters.

While appearances go a long way to determining one’s favorite Pokemon or Pal, Layer Land is aiming to have a deep dialogue system for each pet. Essentially, pets will be AI chatbots that players can talk to within the game or outside of it via a companion app, treating it as an actual friend. This could make Layer Land particularly appealing to younger audiences, as they can forge a deeper bond with their digital pets. The pets will also speak to one another in the world, adding to the sense of immersion and AI-created ecosystems. If the dialogue turns out to be varied and interesting, this extra touch of creature personality could prove to be one of Layer Land’s best features.

The Three B’s of Layer Land: Building, Battling, and Breeding

Once players have bonded with their pets of choice, they can engage with the rest of the game. One of the best things about Palworld is being able to create epic bases with different themes, and there have been plenty of neat Palworld builds shared online over the last two years. The full selection of building materials and furniture hasn’t been revealed for Layer Land, but it does utilize a grid system that creative players will surely be happy to see. Once players have crafted their home, they won’t be safe to sit and admire it, as portals of invaders will occasionally appear. Once they do, players will have to fight the invading creatures off, with their pets battling alongside them. If they succeed at building fortifications and winning these battles, they’ll get “valuable loot,” potentially coming in the form of better weapons and building items.

The final key part of Layer Land’s gameplay loop is breeding. It seems like players will be free to combine any two pets they wish, resulting in a pet that's drastically different visually. And with 100 distinct pets, there will be tons of wacky design combos for players to uncover. Not only will gamers see an egg appear when combining two pets that they can then watch hatch, but once the new pet has appeared, the player’s name will be featured in an illustrated guide for the new pet, giving them credit for the discovery. Whereas Pokemon is about catching them all, it seems like breeding them all will be the main goal for Layer Land players to chase, as seeing what the creature combos look like should be plenty of fun.

PSA: AI is At The Heart of Layer Land

Image via Pudding Co

The use of AI in video games is a hot button topic, and it’s clear that Layer Land’s developer is in favor of using the tools to assist development. If a gamer took issue with Clair Obscur’s use of AI, something that saw it disqualified from the indie game awards, they’ll definitely want to steer clear of Layer Land. Pet breeding uses AI to amalgamate Pudding Co.’s custom pets into new ones, but beyond that, OpenAI is utilized for the pet conversation system. This is in addition to a very clearly AI-made cinematic trailer attached to the Steam page for Layer Land, and there’s certainly a chance that more aspects of the game turn out to be AI-made or AI-enhanced. It’s up to players to decide whether this is a dealbreaker for them, but if it isn’t, perhaps Layer Land will prove to be a viable Palworld alternative.