Pal-Mon
Gavin Ray · 2025 · Casual, Short, Point & Click, Game Development, Incremental
PC
Positive85% · 13
This game is free to play. Get it on Steam →
Screenshots
About Pal-Mon
This game is not really a game. It is an interactive podcast, aimed at bringing awareness to specific issues within the gaming industry. Mainly, it dives into the impact of copyright and patent disputes on creativity. Through its simple mechanics, Pal-Mon sparks a conversation about fairness, innovation, and the future of gaming. Each level is designed as a parody of another game that had mechanics that were patented. You can choose to play through these game parodies while listening to the podcast. Gameplay is very simple, usually moving a 2D character around on the screen using WASD. But for the most part you really don't have to do anything except listen unless you want to.The podcast features narration from the developer themself. This adds a personal touch to the experience, and allows for a deeper dive into how patents affects small scale, solo developers. The perspective is from the indie scene. However, the point is made that unfair legal action hurts every game studio, no matter its size.Whether you're here for the casual gameplay or the deeper commentary, Pal-Mon invites you to play, enjoy, and reflect on what truly matters in the gaming community.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
7.5/10 Pal-Mon is meant to show the effect that patents on game mechanics have, and it does a great job at that. The only main takeaway is that the game can be a little bit buggy, with steam achievements unavailable and I once got stuck in a UI menu and was unable to continue until I restarted the game. However, if this does happen, you can switch between chapters, so it doesn't create too much of a loss. Lets get into the details: Graphics: If you are looking for a visually stunning game, this might not be the best option, but not having lifelike graphics doesn't affect gameplay at all. Game length: The game itself is less than an hour, but more than only 10 minutes. Accessibility: The game doesn't have subtitles and relies on audio as it is a narration based game. Narration: The narration is absolutely amazing. The voice isn't super annoying, and provides great insight into the world and effects of game mechanic patents. Replay ability: This game is meant for only one playthrough.1 found this helpful
This is a really good game with a great message. ^w^1 found this helpful
I recommend this soapbox "game" for its description of the misuse of the patent regulations by big game manufacturers, which take out patents for almost any game mechanic so that they can sue - or (just as effectively) threaten to sue - anyone, even a solo developer, who tries to use anything which looks even the teeniest bit like the patented mechanic in their own proto-game. The power of the patents to effectively stifle game production by others is incredible. On the other hand, having played through this slow, slow, slowwww game twice now, and still not been rewarded with any of the achievements (which was reported by players as a bug many months ago), I feel that the developer is shooting himself in the foot a little in terms of gaining and retaining player sympathy. I'll remember the patent lesson, but I won't try running this game again.
Interactive podcast is funny and informative. Nice work Gavin!
Gavin Ray (Narrator) is a lovely commentator. the game mechanics were fun. and the humor is well crafted. 9/10 for the long loading screens
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