“Growing up and playing Pokémon was one of the best parts of my childhood. I want to give that back to players with Temtem and include all of the features I had dreamed of back then.”
This is a quote from Crema co-founder Guillermo Andrades. Crema is a Spanish studio that created the game Immortal Redneck and has now developed Temtem. The quote above gives a clear image of what the game might look like and be like to play. But don’t be deceived; it has its differences, whilst this is a Pokémon-inspired game. For a start, it is an MMO game that allows you to interact with other players, team up with friends and enjoy an online experience.
What is the gameplay like?
The game commences very similar to Pokémon. It will ask you to choose your starter Temtem, from which you have three to pick, and you meet your rival Max, who you will encounter throughout the game. Then your adventure begins. The mission is to find the best possible team of Temtems and overthrow six leaders of the Clan Belsoto, the evil organization that think these creatures are better for war and labour.
While this does sound incredibly familiar to anyone who played Pokémon from the very beginning, the MMO multiplayer and changes in gameplay are what make the difference between the two games.
Different battling styles
You can pair up with a friend and make battles 2v2 on Temtem, something you couldn’t do on Pokémon; however, you may encounter 2v1 battles with wild Temtem and tournaments are held in a 1v1 style. It is not uncommon to find Temtems who can perform two different, naturally occurring types of elemental attacks. To capture wild Temtem’s, you now use cards instead of Pokéballs. The cards show the creature in a holographic form floating above each card.
When you are battling, your Temtem uses stamina for each attack. To refuel, you can take a ‘rest’ between turns. Be careful not to overwork your Temtem because they can suffer from fatigue damage. This add-on creates another level of battle strategies that earlier Pokémon games didn’t necessarily have.
Player interaction
The ability to interact with other players also sets Temtem apart from its inspiration. You can trade creatures to build up your Tempedia or battle to level up and train your team. And this interaction adds another game-changer: if you get stuck or encounter difficulties, you can ask another player who has already been through the same problem—saving you the time to research a solution.
Breeding Temtems
The developers say that breeding is a great way to make Temtems with perfect stats. This is because they inherit stats from their parents and attack moves that they would not learn any other way. Besides training hard, battling other players and trading, you can breed new Temtems in your own house (which you can fully decorate).
What consoles is it available for?
Available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Nintendo Switch, allowing cross-play and cross-save across all consoles, except PlayStation 4, due to Sony policies. It makes it the closest you can get to playing Pokémon without the need for a Nintendo gaming system.
Final thoughts
Temtem is beautifully designed, cheerful, and the island-based environment is promising. Each island is designed to have different cultures. So, while it may not be setting a new trend as its inspiration did, it has made some practical changes that make it stand out and the gameplay, with its differences, is very worthwhile. Your starter Temtem, in a similar fashion to Pokémon Yellow, can be seen to follow you around wherever you go. An effective way to see another player’s primary monster.