When I saw the trailer for Palworld! ~More Than Just Pals~, my heart sank. Not with excitement, but with a profound sense of déjà vu and weariness. Here we go again—another beloved game studio using the visual novel genre as the punchline for their April Fools' gag. Pocketpair announced it last year as a joke, and now, in 2025, they’ve doubled down with a Steam page and a new trailer. But honestly? It feels less like innovation and more like kicking a genre that’s already misunderstood while it’s down. I’m exhausted by the constant reduction of visual novels to nothing but "horny dating sims." It’s lazy, it’s disrespectful, and it ignores decades of storytelling brilliance that this medium has delivered.

Visual Novels Aren’t Always Like That

Let’s get this straight: Yes, some visual novels lean heavily into romance or fanservice tropes. But reducing the entire genre to that is like dismissing all films because Adam Sandler comedies exist. 🎭 The irony is palpable—Pocketpair’s joke reinforces the very stigma that obscures masterpieces like:

• The House in Fata Morgana: A gothic epic rivaling Dracula in emotional depth, sitting among Steam’s highest-rated games EVER.

• 1000xResist: 2024’s sci-fi gem exploring diaspora trauma through haunting dialogue and minimalist visuals.

• Steins;Gate & Danganronpa: Genre-defining works where romance or fan service (if present) serves layered narratives about time travel, ethics, and despair.

These aren’t "low-effort trash." They’re proof visual novels can deliver stories no other medium can replicate. Yet studios keep treating them as a laughingstock—why?

The "Subversive" Joke That Isn’t Subversive

Pocketpair claims More Than Just Pals is a playful twist, but the trailer shows Pals blushing while trainers awkwardly flirt. Sound familiar? It should. When Blizzard released Loverwatch (an Overwatch dating sim), it wasn’t witty satire—it WAS the shallow, trope-heavy experience it mocked. History repeats itself here. If Pocketpair truly wanted to subvert expectations, they’d:

✅ Deconstruct why studios use VNs as jokes (meta-commentary, anyone?).

✅ Deliver a Doki Doki Literature Club-style gut-punch that redefines player agency.

✅ Respect the genre’s potential instead of winking at players like, "Isn’t this ridiculous?"

Instead? We get Chillet (an ice dragon Pal) swooning over a trainer. It’s the same tired fanservice the joke claims to rise above. Where’s the ambition?

Hypocrisy in Plain Sight

And let’s talk about Zoe Rayne. She’s Palworld’s human companion, sporting a design suspiciously close to Danganronpa’s iconic Junko Enoshima—pink hair, detached sleeve, even the vibe! Spike Chunsoft (Danganronpa’s dev) hasn’t sued, but the irony is thick. Pocketpair borrows from a legendary VN franchise while mocking the genre itself. If visual novels are so unserious, why lift aesthetics from their titans? It’s like sampling Mozart while calling classical music "elevator tunes." 🎹

Final Thoughts: A Plea for Respect

I love Palworld. I’ve spent hours building bases and catching Pals. But this "joke" feels like a betrayal—not just to VN fans, but to gaming’s creative spirit. Visual novels shaped my love for narrative depth; they’re why I care about stories in games at all. Dismissing them as April Fools' fodder isn’t edgy—it’s ignorant.

So here’s my question to Pocketpair (and every studio doing this): If you won’t take visual novels seriously, why should anyone take your parody seriously? 🤷‍♂️