Summary
Palworldstormed onto the scene with record-breaking numbers. The open-world survival game took a community of fans by pleasant surprise as many had never even heard of the title before its early-access debut on January 19th, 2024. Even since its explosive arrival,Palworldhas broke its consecutive player recordagain and again, gaining millions more players and turning many more heads. But a new and massive player base isn’t the only reason the game is turning heads. Despite its soaring popularity, the game has faced numerous allegations due to its striking similarities to legendary titles likePokemonand modernLegend of Zeldagames. Now, the newest game from developer Pocket Pal is back in the limelight for a pal that never saw the light of day—until now.
There have been many comparisons drawn between pals andPokemonalready, with several enthusiasts drawing side-by-side comparisons with often scathing reviews on platforms like X, Reddit, and more. But none have approached the level of similarity shown by a particular pal hidden within the depths ofPalworld’s game files. Data miners recently uncovered a secret pal known as ‘Dark Mutant’ in the game’s codebase, bearing a striking resemblance toPokemon’s own Mega Mewtwo Y. These two creatures appear almost identical, withPalworld’svariant only differing in color and a few minor changes to shape, as shown below.
Palworld’s Data Mined Pal Is Nearly A Mega Mewtwo Y Pokemon Clone
With draping headtails, pointy facial features, a casually floating demeanor, and the same number of appendages,Palworld’sso-called Dark Mutant looks an awful lot likePokemon’s Mega Mewtwo Y variant. Many have taken to the internet already to express their concern about the newly data-mined pal, saying that the company is brazenly ripping off the artistic properties ofPokemon. Claims of fraudulence are nothing new forPalworld, but the growing number of such claims raises concerns about the game’s future - especially considering that thePokemonCompany has already said it’s investigatingPalworldto determine if there are any infringements of its properties.
Similarities Between Dark Mutant and Mega Mewtwo Y
The Dark Mutant’s Similarities to Mewtwo May Have Been a Step Too Far
As reported byWindows Central, the unreleased pal was discovered by Brian Cozzens while compiling an interactivePalworldmap for users toeasily find Lifmunk Effigys, Syndicate Towers, dungeons, minibosses, and more. The Dark Mutant pal is listed as a Dark-type pal and has a handful of very useful worker skills, like level 3 Medicine Production, level 3 Handiwork, and level 2 Transporting. Along with all this information, Cozzens also found a Paldex entry for the pal saying “Some say a beam from a {characterName id=|DarkMutant|/} that has perfected its technique can tear holes into other dimensions.” Much like Mega Mewtwo Y, it seems that Dark Mutant holds a sort of legendary presence withinPalworld, making it even more like itsPokemoncounterpart.
No one knows why Dark Mutant only exists in the game’s codebase. It could be that the pal was unfinished and wasn’t ready for the game’s release. It could also be that Pocket Pair developers knew that maybe this pal was flying too close to the Nintendo sun, and the developer didn’t want to get scorched. Regardless, considering all the other controversies the game is currently facing, it’s probably safe for the Mega Mewtwo Y look-alike to stay hidden in the game’s files. With thePokemonCompany already investigatingPalworldand the recentNintendo shut down of aPalworldPokemon mod, there is plenty of reason for Pocket Pair to tap the brakes and steer away from any further controversies surrounding its new game.
Palworld
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!
