Nathan S, head of human resources at Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive, posted a critique of Palu the Phantom Beast on LinkedIn. While he acknowledges that the game has exciting gameplay and is financially successful, he makes sharp comments about the technical issues, lack of emotional depth, and potential.
Nathan's main criticism focused on the technical flaws of Palu the Phantom Beast. He called the game "full of bugs", noting that random bugs on the map are the biggest threat to players. He criticized the combat system as "boring and repetitive" and pointed to the game's balance issues, especially in the mid-to-late game. In his opinion, the huge open world seems "hollow", full of uninteresting points of interest.
Still, Nathan acknowledges that Palu's core gameplay has its strengths, praising the game's ability to tame Palu for creating a desire to "catch it again" and the production system for creating a desire to "build it again". He admits that he spent "a lot of time" in the game, even beating all the tower owners, which is a testament to the game's ability to keep players engrossed.
Although initially appealing to him, Nathan says he eventually found the game lacking emotional resonance. He compared the game to Pokémon, criticizing the lack of meaningful connections between players and their companions. He sees these creatures as "dispensable resources and labor," and Nathan argues that this inconsistency undermines the potential for "narrative harmony," in which game mechanics reinforce thematic elements.
Nathan concludes by saying that the success of Palu is a wake-up call for Pokémon developer Game Freak and urging them to learn from the strengths and weaknesses of Paru. He also praised developer Pocketpair's deal with Game Pass, calling it a "win" for the studio. (Source: Playground)