Palmon Survival Needs Less Building, More Story

I started playing Palmon Survival as part of a Swagbucks challenge. I eventually dropped off the challenge, realizing that earning Swagbucks points required a level of hyper-fixation that I lack. There are more feasible ones that I'm tentatively tackling. If I fail, it will validate my opinion that it demands too much.

Palmon Survival wants you to know it's clearly not an open-world version of Pokémon with quests and beasts to fight. After all, you don't have to level up camps, hospitals, lumber yards, and furnaces in a typical Pokémon game. Usually, you roam around a universe finding new Pokémon and battling gym leaders. In this mobile app, however, you roam around either in an airship or on foot, and you can join guilds to increase the value of prizes that you can receive from completing certain challenges. 

Trying to find out information about the developer may prove difficult; the logo shows it as Ursa Games. Apparently, that's not the actual name. Reddit alleges that the developer is actually Lilith Games, aka Lilith Technology Hong Kong Limited. Players debate whether Palmon Survival is a rip-off of the game Palworld. Another Reddit user alleges that Lilith Games did not provide items from micro-transactions, let alone refunds, and blocked their account on the mobile game Dislyte. I would advise, in general, not to make such purchases, since gacha and micro-transactions have a reputation for enabling player addictions, and not offering refunds sounds very sus. 

What Drew Me into the Game

I mainly like playing Palmon because of the homages to Pokémon and the initial story. You play as a shipwreck victim who washes up on an island, who then gets a crash course in how the world works by using special capsules to catch different Palmon either on the island or in the free-roam world. The capsules look more like the ghost thermoses from Danny Phantom than a Pokéball.

The story is fascinating because the player character came from a shipwreck and knows nothing about the Palmon world. That mystery contains a potentially compelling backstory. Our mentor shows us the ropes before a rogue trainer kidnaps her and holds her hostage. We then have to fend him off and rescue her from the building that will become our "camp". I was enthralled and invested in the narrative, expanding the island to get the necessary tools and stamina for battle. 

Roaming Not-So-Freely

Unfortunately, once you complete the tutorial story, that narrative vanishes. We go from trying to save our mentor from a death trap to simply minding our own business and expanding the island. I am still playing to complete the Swagbucks challenge, but it feels like the empathetic element is missing. You can join guilds to get some human connection, but that's about it.

The game has problems, including constant crashes that require frequent reloading. You can't actually train your Palmon or engage them in battle to enhance them; you can only use resources so they can level up for the next challenge. But more than anything, much of the fun is drained away because you have to build so much to reach the next level, and it can take hours at a time. 

I know this is part of the mobile genre, and that there are time limits or other sanctions when completing tasks or quests. The idea is that a player may give in to temptation and purchase an item to make the quest easier. You have to decide if and how you're going to make that judgment call; as shown above in the case of blocked accounts, the end result may not be pleasing. 

Final Verdict

I feel like Palmon Survival had a lot of potential with its tutorial story. If the developers focus on providing a regular plot thread and keeping the 'battle' part of the game consistent, rather than demanding resource grinding, it could be a keeper.

Palmon Survival isn't a bad game, and I am still having fun. I do remain skeptical, however, as it plays ad after ad, trying to convince me to make a purchase. That's not happening; I'd rather keep my account and end it on my terms. No one is blocking me from going after fiery birds and curious bears.