Temtem launched as an Early Access game on Steam on January 21, 2020. If you’re a gamer, you’ll immediately recognize the similarities between Temtem and another franchise based on the game description:
Every kid dreams about becoming a Temtem tamer; exploring the six islands of the Airborne Archipelago, discovering new species, and making good friends along the way. Now it’s your turn to embark on an epic adventure and make those dreams come true.
Catch new Temtem on Omninesia’s floating islands, battle other tamers on the sandy beaches of Deniz or trade with your friends in Tucma’s ash-covered fields. Defeat the ever-annoying Clan Belsoto and end its plot to rule over the Archipelago, beat all eight Dojo Leaders, and become the ultimate Temtem tamer!
This game is as close as we’ve seen to a Pokemon MMORPGÂ that doesn’t involve Pokemon and has drawn a ton of attention since launch. We interviewed a couple of Average Gamers to learn more about the similarities and differences between Temtem and our beloved Pokemon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaFE07Yyj-I
How did you first hear about Temtem?
iNakumah
Saw it randomly on a YouTube video for upcoming games.
J Davis
YouTube
Temtem began development in August 2017 and hit Kickstarter in June 2019. The hype built up quickly and the trailer made its way to YouTube. With almost a million views, the clip was able to generate plenty of buzz in the gaming community following many dev updates over the years!
What attracted you to this game?
iNakumah
The MMO aspect
J Davis
It was like pokemon
There are over 9 million MMO players worldwide. Add that to the over 300 million Pokemon titles sold and you’ve got a pretty large group of people who would be interested in this game.
Here are the key features that the devs list on their site:
- Story Campaign
- Online World
- Co-op Adventure
- Housing
- Customize
- Competitive
While there have been some Pokemon MMOs in the past, Temtem has branched off with their own creatures, aptly named temtems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14VCHUNpY20
How many hours have you put into the game so far?
iNakumah
39
J Davis
28
These numbers are over the course of about two weeks. Needless to say, Temtem is an addictive game that you can easily play for 5+ straight hours.
This is exactly what I experienced when playing Pokemon: Let’s Go. With how many additional features are in Temtem, especially the online community, you’ll easily be able to put 100+ hours into this game.
What was the last Pokemon game that you played?
iNakumah
Pokemon Red
J Davis
Shield/Sword
It’s a small sample size, but you can see that Temtem appeals to all ranges of Pokemon fans. iNakumah got in on one of the earliest Pokemon games and J Davis just started on the most recent entrant.
Pokemon games have gotten more complex over the years and Temtem followed suit. More on this later!
What are some of the biggest changes you’ve noticed from the standard Pokemon game formula?
iNakumah
Two vs two, seeing other players explore the worlds with you, the fact your temtem follow your avatar.
J Davis
Mandatory dual battles
The Pokemon series introduced double battles in generation 3, allowing for 2v2 battles. Temtem opted to use double battles as the default, with your team taking two Temtem into the fight.Â
Additionally, moves rely on stamina, which makes fights more dynamic. Gone are the days of just spamming one very powerful move every turn. Some moves even have a cooldown timer, where you’ll need to wait for multiple turns in between uses.
What things are you glad to have carried over from the standard Pokemon game formula?
iNakumah
The basics in a creature collection game.
J Davis
Breeding, Luma (shinys), trading
This is consistent with many of the reviews online. The devs tried to take the core of what makes Pokemon games incredible and add their own flair to create a more engaging offering.
You’ll still battle, collect and trade monsters, plus there have been many quality of life changes to help you on your quest:
- Removed random factors from battles so that they become 100% skill and strategy based
- Fully co-op compatible campaign
- Assign cosmetics to your character to alter their look
- Temtem strength chart shared upfront
Who are some of your favorites?
iNakumah
Temtem: None yet
NPC: Your rival is an interesting character. He’s rowdy and loud lolJ Davis
Temtem: Ganki
NPC: None yet
Temtem’s Airborne Archipelago is filled with 141+ critters and dozens of NPCs to interact with. On each of the six islands, you’ll meet a bunch of personalities along the way.
Additionally, you’ll need to watch out for Clan Belsoto, a Temtem-ified Team Rocket who is up to no good!
What was one thing that surprised you in this game?
iNakumah
How much I enjoyed exploring the worlds.
J Davis
Swearing, losing to the rival multiple times.
I’ve watched several hours of iNakumah’s Temtem streams, and two things have been constant:
- The scenery and music of the Temtem world are incredible
- Whoever wrote the dialogue for this game has a unique sense of humor
As J Davis mentioned, there’s some vulgar language from both your character and the NPCs. This is something I would never expect to see in a Pokemon game and makes Temtem feel that much more grown-up.
Also, it’s rare for me to lose a battle against a rival in any of my past Pokemon games. The antagonist in Temtem is actually a challenge and you’ll find yourself on the losing end of some of these rival battles.
What tips would you give to someone who is about to start Temtem for the first time?
iNakumah
Stop comparing it to pokemon and just enjoy the game for what it is.
J Davis
Don’t worry about breeding perfect temtem until end game. Having weaker temtem makes the game more challenging.
iNakumah brings up an important point here: Temtem is not a Pokemon game. The developers are upfront in saying that Temtem was inspired by Pokemon, but this is not supposed to be some reskinned Pokemon game that got updated with an online component.
Temtem aspires to be its own thing, a constantly evolving world (no pun intended) which improves as the community shares feedback.
J Davis shares some good wisdom as well. It’d be easy to build the “perfect Temtem” party early in the game through breeding and grinding out levels. This would make the game really easy and take away from the experience.
I’ve found in prior Pokemon games that the endgame is rich with advanced mechanics after you’ve gone through the initial gyms. I expect Temtem will similarly have a strong endgame after conquering the six islands.
The Verdict: Temtem Improves on Pokemon But Needs Refining
Interestingly, both respondents gave the game a 3 out of 5 rating. The game is in Early Access and has a bunch of bugs, some of which are painfully bad. Players have reported getting stuck in battles, being unable to move and even Temtem disappearing!
That said, the reviews on Steam are overwhelmingly positive, with 89% of reviewers giving a “recommended” thumbs up.
Reading through the comments, I saw ‘nostalgia’ pop up pretty frequently. Coupled with the Early Access tag, it looks like many people are willing to be patient as the devs work through the bugs.
Developer Creama set the price at $35, well below the standard $60 for a stand-alone Pokemon game. As I said before, you’ll likely get at least 100 hours out of Temtem, so the fun per dollar is more attractive.
Temtem currently has fewer monsters than Pokemon but will be able to add new locations and Temtem to the world in the future.Â
One interesting distinction from typical MMOs is that you can’t type in-game while playing Temtem, outside of trades. There’s an option to show global chat in the game, but this hasn’t been enabled yet. Reviewers say this makes the game much less toxic than other games where people are constantly spamming you with nonsense.
Temtem is doing a lot of things right and has ambitious plans to bring the game to many more platforms in the future. I’m optimistic about its outlook and am looking forward to hearing more from the Average Gamer community on your thoughts!
Yeap…im addicted…
iNakumah – Yeap…im addicted… – Temtem – Twitch
Closing Remarks From iNakumah
So I beat the main story quest for what they have released so far. I love the game. I enjoy running around and seeing other players live, being able to battle on-sight if you want, and just finding quest. The 2v2 battle system works. The last Pokemon game I played was Red so I’m not hip to all the new stuff but apparently a lot of stuff is similar. The co-op system is dope!
Check him out on Twitch and YouTube for some entertaining gameplay and chill vibes!!
Have you already picked up Temtem? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below!
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