Palworld has been coasting along nicely since its meteoric rise to Internet stardom earlier this year. Since then, there has been a steady stream of updates, but they have been mainly bug fixes and enhancements to the nail economy, with very little content added.

This is appropriate, as Poképire has suddenly become this kind of game, and was soon severely understaffed. It was also part of the mission plan on the roadmap released in January. Still, the studio has big plans, and today, when Palworld unveils its first raid boss, the first step in that direction begins.

Calling himself Belanor, the pal can be captured as usual and appears to enhance Palworld's end-game content, giving players both a reason to join the massive server and a test dummy for the enhanced, non-pocket monster. Palworld pros around the world will be pleased. There is only so much joy that can be squeezed out of a brutally efficient factory line.

The announcement itself does not go into detail: "A powerful evil pal has emerged and is besieging the Palapagos Islands! Only the most skilled pal tamers can stand against her. No specific time frame is given, but Pocket Pair assures us that it will be "soon."

Perhaps it's a sign that the studio is now able to put a little more money into the art department, but I actually think Belanor's design is kind of nice, even if it's a mixer of gardeboa and chandelure. I think the shape language is solid, and I like the ecstatic eyes that adorn Bellanoir's floaty dresses.

But the comparison to Gardevoir fills me with dread; in a similar vein to Salazzle, the Internet proves that it is impossible to be normal in any capacity about Gardevoir. Adding a layer of gothic loli to that base feels like a chemical weapon designed in a lab. But. I'm avoiding Google in my bunker for a while.