Often described as Pokémon with guns, Palworld combines creature collection, survival mechanics, and expansive base-building into one of the most surprising hits of the decade so far. However, despite its impressive scale, the game’s character customization remains surprisingly limited. Palworld's customization is not just a cosmetic concern—it’s central to identity and immersion. In a title that encourages hundreds of hours of playtime, giving players the means to craft avatars that reflect themselves (or their imagined personas) increases emotional investment and narrative ownership. It’s also a key element of social gameplay: in multiplayer lobbies, character individuality enhances memorability, fosters camaraderie, and contributes to a vibrant in-game community.
The recently introduced Antique Dresser may have been a welcome addition in this regard, but it only scratches the surface of what could be a transformative player experience. As Palworld continues to mature, overhauling its character creation tools could help align its personalization systems with the creativity it already fosters in other gameplay areas.
Palworld Has a Lot of Possible Monster-Collecting Crossovers to Consider
Even though an official Pokemon crossover is unlikely, there are a lot of indie monster-catching games that Palworld could collaborate with.
Palworld's Current Limitations in Character Creation Are Unbecoming
Palworld has already proven its potential through creature design, exploration, and base-building depth. Now, it has the chance to do the same for its human characters. By investing in a comprehensive customization overhaul—complete with facial sliders, body variety, accessory layering, and expressive animations—developer Pocketpair can bring its player identity systems in line with the rest of the game’s standout features. In a world where players can tame electric dragons and build factories in the sky, it stands to reason that players should be able to equip them with the tools to look the part.
Palworld’s avatar customization currently offers only the most basic options. Players begin their adventure by choosing from a small set of preset faces and hairstyles, with virtually no ability to fine-tune individual features such as jawlines or cheekbones. All body types appear identical, and color selection for skin, hair, and eyes is constrained to a narrow palette that limits representation. These shortcomings create an odd dissonance in a game that otherwise celebrates player freedom. Wardrobe options remain largely tied to gear stats, and without a complete separation between aesthetics and functionality, players often have to sacrifice style for performance.
Pocketpair Has a List of Missed Opportunities to Make Up For
The lack of meaningful character personalization feels particularly out of place compared to the game’s robust Pal designs. With more than 100 creatures—each featuring unique animations, traits, and elemental affinities—the care given to Pals starkly contrasts the relative blandness of the human avatars. This imbalance makes it easier for players to feel attached to their companions than to their own characters.
Peer titles offer a compelling contrast. Games like Monster Hunter: World and ARK: Survival Evolved feature deep customization suites that allow for wildly diverse player appearances, from sliders for facial proportions to cultural outfit themes. Pocketpair could take a leaf out of these competitors' notebooks to bring Palworld's character creator up to speed, especially since the feature is one of the more embattled dynamics in the game.
Potential Improvements Palworld Can Make to Customization
A customization overhaul wouldn’t require reinventing the wheel, but it would demand the developer apply a range of tools. A full-featured character editor could include granular facial sliders, options for body diversity, and expanded hair customization with culturally varied styles and fantasy-inspired colors. Cosmetic improvements could also take cues from the game’s survival themes. Accessories like utility belts, goggles, or even weathered cloaks would deepen immersion while providing visual storytelling opportunities. The recently added transmog functionality could be expanded beyond armor, allowing players to equip fashionable outfits independent of requisite stat bonuses.
Even small additions could go a long way; emotes, idle animations, and other personality-defining details would help avatars feel more like characters and less like placeholders. Outfit designs inspired by Palworld’s diverse biomes—desert nomads, forest scouts, industrial survivalists—would further reflect the world’s narrative texture and give players more ways to connect with their roles. Failing to address these limitations risks alienating a portion of the player base that seeks deeper self-expression. As competitors continue raising the bar for avatar design, Palworld could evolve in tandem with its peers by refining a system that currently feels like an afterthought.
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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.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Xbox Series X|S, pc
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Shooter, Survival
