I like Pokémon Pokopia's Bubbly Basin as a whole. The marine aesthetic is lovely. Post-apocalypse Cerulean City hit me in the feels, water types have always been my favorite Pokemon, and they're very much in the spotlight now. And the vibes are just immaculate down here. You know what I don't like? Slamming the brakes on progress when Popplio asks me to build them a temple.

In contrast, Palworld does not inspire happy feelings in me. Most of the time, I find it insipid and tedious. But this Pokopia project has me missing how helpful and less-prone-to-slacking-off your Pals can be. Oh sure, the Pokemon do the actual building work. But gathering the amount and variety of materials required for the project takes a long time. I could be gathering them now. Except I have to clear a gigantic, trash-filled, sand-covered, overgrown plot of land for Popplio. In this game about working together to build a better community, I look around like John Travolta in that Pulp Fiction meme, wondering where everyone is.

I'll say this for Palworld: It does a remarkably good job dividing labor tasks so things get done on time. While you're off locating new materials or improving yourself, a team of dedicated expert Pals grows and harvests food, while another rips ore out of the earth. Some are making medicine. Others work on construction projects for you. They're here to help, whatever you need. Granted, I think PocketPair, the game’s developer, did this to lean into the idea of "Pokémon-but-edgy," where you force your critters to work for you. But still! At least everything wasn't on my shoulders.

Meanwhile, what's Popplio doing? Just floating around looking cute. Stunfisk and Mudkip ran off (well, Stunfisk has no feet, but you get the idea) to play hide-and-seek. Corsola's eating watermelon that I grew for them. Cloyster's smacking Corphish on the head, and judging from the heart that appeared over Corphish afterward, they seem to like it. Horsea's sitting in the office chair I gifted them, while still managing to get no work done. All while I'm drudging in caves gathering pearls, making fences, building doors, busting rocks, scraping every seashell I can find off the ocean floor — and knowing I still have a heap of work to do before I can use any of this. Why won't anyone help? My lamentations fall on uncaring ears. Or whatever earless Pokémon hear with.

It took seven minutes to clear half the site to the point you can see above, and all total, the entire process will probably take me 15 minutes. It really is not much time at all. But it's a choice made for me, which is annoying, and an intentional progress blocker, which is obnoxious. At least if I plunk down a massive park kit and have to literally move a mountain to put it where I want, it's my decision. And I can ignore it for as long as I want while I do other stuff. The temple, however, looms over me as an obligation.

I'll do it. Eventually. But since no one cares enough to help, I think I'll just bring electricity to the sea folk. Not as an act of vengeance, mind you. Those submarine homes need power.