Temtem – Pokemon for PC on Steam

Temtem – a new game in the spirit of Pokémon from the Spanish studio CremaGames.

Temtem shamelessly copies the Pokémon series in almost everything, but that’s what makes it good. Temtem is immediately recognized as a full-fledged successor in the eyes of PC gamers who have been dreaming of an MMO with the motto “catch them all” since they first saw the chubby yellow mouse shooting lightning.

However, Temtem is not a complete copy and in many aspects intentionally follows modern trends more than Pokémon games themselves.

Instead of the starting question “Are you a boy? Or are you a girl?” players are offered the options of He/Him, She/Her, or They/Them. You can choose different running animation styles, from athletic, in the spirit of cartoonish Usain Bolt, to relaxed and amusing. There are so many customization options for your character that I spent about 15 minutes in the character creation menu.

At the beginning of the game, first of all, you are given a completely original, not borrowed at all set of three starting temtems to choose from. After a difficult decision – Houchic, I immediately liked your emo-style from 2006 – an opponent named Max challenges you to a unique fist fight, although in reality the temtems, which may not even have fists, will fight.

After an inevitable defeat, the very friendly Professor Konstantinos will explain that everything is fine: Max, who is quite a jerk, put a ridiculously strong temtem against our little one. Funny fact, by the way: Konstantinos tells the story of where the starting temtems came from, and a fighter monkey named Smazee emerged as the winner in a bar fight.

The introductory part of the game doesn’t stop there: you then run through tall grass, which you couldn’t enter before, and start finding wild Temtems, in this case “untamed” ones – Temtem is breaking records in terms of reimagining familiar terminology. Pokémon – of course, they are Temtems. Pokédex has turned into a Tempedia, PCs have become TemDeck stations, potions are now balms, and instead of a trainer, you are called a tamer. In general, you’ve got the idea.

Undoubtedly, the game is similar to the latest representatives of the Pokémon series in terms of aesthetics and style, but it has a different atmosphere.

Temtem rejects the flawless polish of the new Pokémon games, focusing on the moments that made the series special back when you would rush home from school to see Brock defeat Ash (imagine Brock losing). Temtem retains the magic of the Pokémon world, allowing you to befriend curious creatures and send them into battle against creatures from another decade.

It is most noticeable in dialogues – for example, after dealing with three villains from the “team with a silly name”, the next one can be teased with a phrase like “you’re already the fourth one trying this”. And here you have to rediscover the world of Pokémon, because it is actually a different world. Everyone knows that grass beats water, but what about mind against crystal? What can a fighter do against a robot?

Personally, I couldn’t remember the effectiveness of attacks, so I constantly look at the type compatibility chart. And even then, I often make mistakes. After getting a little more familiar, I start thinking, “Ah, I know Saku, he has a natural type,” even though his type is actually nature/air, so the electric attacks of my Ganki don’t even scratch his propeller-like petals. There is something truly enjoyable about these mistakes, which make me repeatedly adapt to the new elemental system.

It is worth noting that the combat here is more reminiscent of Persona than Pokémon. Battles take place in a 2-on-2 format, rather than 1-on-1, and Temtems have a stamina gauge that decreases the cost of their moves – there is no separate gauge for each move. This is both good and bad at the same time: losing all stamina, a Temtem will replenish its stamina with its health.

Temtem imitates Pokémon so openly and unabashedly that such frankness cannot be condemned. You can say to the game, “You’re a true copycat!”, and Temtem will happily respond, “Thank you.” Moreover, the game has not left the basic idea unchanged, now it is a Pokémon simulator aimed at slightly older players, and it is also an MMO. Accordingly, the audience has become a little older – Temtem even has conversations about beer.

This may seem trivial, but who knows, perhaps the reason for Temtem’s success lies right here. All the elements of the narrative – the plot, dialogues, character design – bring a smile at the very least. Temtem can be played by ten-year-olds, but it is also a game for adults who remember themselves at the age of ten.

Temtem is a rejuvenated Pokémon, a silly, funny, wonderful game about catching magical monsters and battling between them. It brims with endless energy and knows exactly what a long-time Pokémon fan needs in 2020. Enthusiasm overflows in it: even battles start with the phrase “Temtem up!”, sometimes with multiple exclamation marks.

The only problem with Temtem right now is the unstable server, jumping up and down like Jumpluff on a trampoline. Otherwise, it is the best Pokémon-like game in recent years, including the Pokémon games themselves.