Craftopia developer Pocketpair has officially announced the early access release date for its upcoming legally distinct Pokémon-like survival game, Palworld.

As announced, the hotly anticipated “Pokémon with guns” Palworld will be entering early access on 19 January 2024 on Steam and Game Pass.

The initial reveal of Palworld has certainly caught much attention for its absurd premise of “What if you are in a Pokémon-like survival game but you have access to firearms.”

In Palworld, you not only throw in your cute creature companions to battle with other little monsters but also engage with shootouts, where you can even use them as a meat shield.

While these collectible critters can be cute in Palworld, the game is also explicitly described as a survival title and there may come a time when you will eventually have to eat your Pals for survival.

Sounds grim but sensible when it comes to survivability, but emergency food is not all there is, like Craftopia, Pocketpair’s previous title, the game features an extensive base-building system.

These constructions do not complete themselves and you would have to task your Pals for labor as they work to build your base, tend to crops, and run factories.

“Letting Pals do the work is the key to automation. Build a factory, place a Pal in it, and they’ll keep working as long as they’re fed—until they’re dead, that is,” as written on their Steam page, the developers are not joking.

There is also a breeding system, allowing you to mix and match Pals for offspring that inherit the best traits of their parents.

Similar to Craftopia, Palworld will also include multiplayer for you to travel with your friends, wage war with NPCs, and trade Pals for their abilities… or as food.