If you haven’t heard about Palworld by now, then you’ve probably been living under a rock. And no, Palworld isn’t like the newest version of Facebook or a kind of metaverse area where all your friends can come around for tea at the same time.
The game took the world by storm, going viral as a version of ‘Pokemon with guns’, a comparison that Nintendo certainly isn’t fond of.
The similarities between the two games are incredibly close, which is probably why the game hasn’t dropped onto the Nintendo Switch. I’m not sure Ninty would allow the two games to exist on the same console… and to be fair I think they would prefer it if they didn’t exist in the same Earth or universe at all.
Still, thanks to a video of a Palworld demake for the Nintendo DS via the 64 Bits YouTube channel, we finally have an idea as to what it would look like on a Nintendo console!
With a history of demaking popular games for old platforms under their belt, 64 Bits has taken the viral phenomenon and given it the dual-screen, stylus-tapping treatment in a short video online.
And yes, it looks remarkably like Pokemon Black & White!
Harnessing The Spirt Of The DS
64 Bits have been very clever with this demake, and after watching the video, it’s clear to see that they haven’t just ‘made Palworld look old’.
They’ve taken some of the key elements from the DS Pokemon games in making this demake video, but am I the only one that spots some Zelda elements in here too?
It has a strong feel of The Phantom Hourglass for sure, something that the team has explained in their official statement on the game. Admittedly there aren’t any guns in Zelda, but the camera angles to some of the attacks definitely make me feel that Link is about to jump out and help out at any moment.
The team has also cited Chibi Robo Park Patrol as an influence too – these guys know their Nintendo!
Palword fans can explore, build, and battle just like in the original game, albeit with retro sounds and music that fit the DS vibe perfectly. It’s a brilliant concept and a well-put-together video, though I don’t think it would ever be allowed to see the light of day, especially with Nintendo’s current crackdown on emulation and anything that goes against its brand values.
Demake Masters
64 Bits has also worked on some other demakes of current games for Nintendo consoles, including Elden Ring for the SNES and Kirby and the Forgotten Land on the NES. Their YouTube channel is a great place for retro gamers to sit and think of thousands of untold possibilities, including ‘Paper Zelda’ which I would love to see come to light!
