Amikin Survival is the closest Palworld port available on mobile
Palworld took the world by storm when it launched early this year, setting Steam records and showing Nintendo that there is a market for a more mature version of Pokémon. While Palworld probably isn’t coming to mobile anytime soon (if ever), the newly released Amikin Survival is the next best thing.
Amikin Survival is a top-down RPG for Android and iOS that blends monster capture mechanics with base building and survival elements that will feel familiar to anyone who rode the Palworld craze. Many of the same features are in place, including a monster taming system, mostly real-time battles, and an upgradeable base where you can put your acquired creatures to work.
Touchdown on no man’s land
Your adventure begins when you and your brother’s spaceship crash lands on the planet Amiterra. However, you’re separated from your brother before impact, and your goal now is to find him. Before setting off, you’re discovered by your first Amikin (the creatures of this world), which you’ll get to choose yourself, Pokémon-style. From there, you’ll start to build your base and capture more Amikins before you can venture further out into unknown territory.
Just like with any good survival game, there’s a lot to do to get your base up and running. Tasks are guided by a list of to-dos on the left hand side of your screen, checking them off automatically as you go. You’ll forage for nearby resources, build work benches to unlock more weapons and tools, and you’ll even go toe to toe with the local Amikin, all of which range from evasive to aggressive, so stay alert.
It’s worth noting that all Amikin attacks are dolled out automatically. You can’t choose which ability to fire at the closest enemy. And while you also don’t get to strap guns or other weapons to your Amikin – at least not that I’ve seen so far – you can still get out all your pent-up rage by clubbing targets with a range of craftable weapons.
Amikin – the creatures, not the game
As you might guess, the cute little creatures roaming the map are the main draw of the game, and Amikin Survival takes a lot of cues from its Pokémon and Palworld predecessors.
Each Amikin you encounter can be captured using special devices called Amidice. Simply attack an Amikin until its health falls to a reasonable level, toss the Amidice, and pray for the best. The lower an Amikin’s health, the higher the chance you’ll actually capture it, which is indicated by a percentage value beneath the Amikin’s name. However, hit the Amikin too hard, and it will transform into a deceased essence, which can then be used with other materials to craft more Amidice.
You can equip up to six Amikin at a time, though only one of those slots is available at the start of the game. From there, you can summon your primary Amikin to your side whenever you’re ready to do battle. There are 25 total Amikin slots in your inventory where all of your creatures will go, whether they’re actively in your pocket, working at your base, or set aside for later.
Just like in Palworld, putting your unused Amikin to work at your base is great for getting stuff done faster and more efficiently. You’ll start with only one Amikin that’s able to work, but build more beds, and you can employ more of your monster friends. From there, anytime you craft an item, your Amikin will rush to your side to help you build tools, benches, and other items at a quicker rate. You’ll even need element-specific Amikins to complete certain jobs around your base. For example, only fire Amikins can help you operate the metal-smelting furnace.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to feed your fighting Amikins to replenish their health after battle, your working Amikins to keep them happy and productive, and even yourself when your health points run low from fighting enemies.
In-app-purchases galore
The downside (or upside, depending on how you look at it) is that Amikin Survival is a free-to-play title, so it costs nothing upfront to get started, but there are in-app purchases everywhere.
Note that all of these IAPs are simply said to speed up in-game progress, and so far, that has been true. For instance, there are several benches you will create that let you build different items, including a workstation for tools, equipment bench for weapons, and an Amigear lab for Amikin-wrangling gear, all of which require you to farm resources to upgrade their capabilities. Alternatively, you can pay a fee per bench to unlock their full potential earlier on in the game — a nice perk, but not a necessity to play.
You’ll also occasionally run into Master Yanlou, a retired traveler who will try to sell you his favorite Amikin (for real cash) under the guise of giving them a second chance to go on adventures. Just don’t look his little friends in the eyes if you refuse, lest your heartstrings melt on demand.(Well played, Helio Games, well played). Choose quickly, though, because these offers are usually timed.
You can pay for practically anything in Amikin Survival, but thus is the way with most freemium mobile games these days. The good news is that you don’t have to buy anything if you don’t want to, and you’ll have a perfectly fun time if seeing the occasional “buy now” pop-up doesn’t bother you.
Bones to pick
No game’s perfect, of course, and I had more than a few issues with Amikin Survival’s launch version:
There’s no Bluetooth or wired controller support, which every mobile game should have, in my opinion. Amikin Survival’s touch controls layout would be perfectly compatible with a physical controller, but no dice. Maybe it’ll show up in a future update...maybe.
The same long song plays on repeat in the background over and over again. After the fifth time or so, it gets pretty annoying. I ended up just turning it off in the settings, which probably isn’t what the devs want, but it’s better than losing my marbles while trying to survive the Amikin-infested wilderness.
Every time you build a tool, bench, or item, there’s a little estimated completion timer that pops up. If you have an Amikin or two nearby, they’ll jump in to help you get the job done faster, but instead of the timer showing a new accurate countdown time, the original estimated time simply ticks down faster, so it’s always a bit of a guessing game as to how long it will actually take to build something, even with your Amikin’s help.
Building and maintaining your base will require a lot of resources, many of which don’t respawn fast enough in the starting zone. While this is probably a ploy to encourage you to fill out your stash with a resource IAP, try to resist. Instead, arm up with your favorite Amikin and head to the next zone in the northwest to find many more renewable resources. Be vigilant, though, because this area is also much more dangerous.
Finally, Amikin Survival isn’t an MMO or a server-style game, though an internet connection is required at all times. I’m sure this is for the sake of serving IAPs at every chance they get, but still, I don’t see any other reason why I can’t run this thing offline. At least the game boots up and loads pretty quick, so that’s a nice perk.
Final thoughts
While I am a huge proponent of Palworld coming to Android and iOS, Amikin Survival is the mobile equivalent of “we have Palworld at home,” and that’s really not a bad thing. It offers enough survival fun, head-to-head monster battles, and base-building intrigue to keep most players happy with what is ultimately a leisurely handheld experience.
All in all, Amikin Survival promises an “endless adventure” with a robust world filled with magic, monsters, and plenty to explore... and this is “just the beginning.” Whatever the future holds is uncertain, but I think I’ll play this title for a little while longer, just to see where it goes.
Amikin Survival is available to download today for free on iOS/iPadOS and Android.