Did ‘Palworld’ Just Get Palworld’d? – Looking at the ‘Aniimo’ Gamescon Trailer

It’s been just about 24 hours since the official release date trailer for Aniimo dropped. This game was apparently announced way back in September 2025, so I am so incredibly behind, but if you’d please indulge me for just a moment, I really must talk about how this game looks like they Palworld’d Palworld, which is to say, they filed off the serial numbers of Pokemon and put just enough effort to distinguish it, but I mean… come on.

You can put a flower on its head, but that’s a Gardevoir. I played Ruby/Sapphire. I know that Psychic (and later Psychic/Fairy) type when I see it and…

Oh my god, hello Tera-Fairy Gadevoir. I know the idea of elementally aligned pocket monsters isn’t purely in Pokémon’s realm (as much as Nintendo desperately wishes it was), and I know objectively there seems to be a modicum more effort in the reskinning than in Palworld, but it’s hard not to sift through the trailer and go “huh” every couple of frames.

This ball of fluff is equally likely to be ice cream or a failed clone of Wooloo’s failed clone from the one in Palworld pictured below.

They got Snorlax in a cyperpunk inspired fit next to what is their base building example.

There’s their version of the Pokémon Synchro mode in Pokémon Scarlet/Violet.

Everything about this trailer gives a very similar vibe to my reaction when the Palworld trailer dropped, although with significantly less guns and forced animal labor. Then again, perhaps …