Dead by Daylight Chief of Staff Criticizes Palworld in LinkedIn Post

Nathan S., Chief of Staff at Behaviour Interactive, the developers behind Dead by Daylight, posted a lengthy critique of Palworld on LinkedIn. Despite acknowledging its addictive core gameplay loops and financial success, Nathan offered a scathing assessment of the game’s technical issues, lack of emotional depth, and missed potential.

Nathan’s main criticisms focused on Palworld’s technical shortcomings. He described the game as “insanely buggy,” citing random map holes as posing the greatest threat to players. He criticized the combat system as “boring and repetitive,” and highlighted balance issues, particularly in the mid and endgame. He found the vast open world to be “empty,” littered with uninteresting points of interest.

Nathan did acknowledge the strength of Palworld’s core gameplay loops, praising the “just one more catch” nature of monster taming and the “just one more build” appeal of the crafting system. He admitted to sinking “a great many hours” into the game and even completing all the towers, a testament to the game’s ability to draw players in.

Despite his initial engagement, Nathan ultimately found Palworld lacking in emotional resonance. He contrasted the game with Pokémon, criticizing the absence of a meaningful bond between players and their Pal companions. He described the creatures as “disposable resources and labor,” lacking the endearing qualities that foster a connection between the player and Pokémon. This disconnect, Nathan argued, undermines the potential for “ludonarrative harmony,” where gameplay mechanics reinforce thematic elements.

This is obviously just Nathan’s opinion, and if I had to critique Nathan’s game, Dead by Daylight, repetitive gameplay would be at the top of the list. I’m not here to burn Dead by Daylight, but it’s hard to pretend it is anything innovative or new, or that it survives on anything other than its collabs. Palworld does a lot of things well, and as it’s only Early Access with a small team of developers, it did a good job. Don’t cast stones in a glass house.

The Reddit Post was filled with comments against Nathan, and since the game has done so well, it’s easier to find people who like Palworld than those who don’t. I would like to hear more opinions from game developers like Nathan; it’s rare when those who make games for a living critique smaller studios that don’t have the same resources. Maybe there’s a reason for that.

Drawing a broader conclusion, Nathan viewed Palworld’s success as a wake-up call for Game Freak, the developers behind Pokemon. He felt the franchise had become complacent and urged them to learn from Palworld’s strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, he praised Pocket Pair, Palworld’s developer, for securing a Game Pass deal, calling it a “win” for the studio.