I heard a rumor that every time someone compares Temtem to Pokémon that an angel gets its wings! Seriously, it is impossible and I mean impossible to talk about Temtem without comparing it to Pokémon. It is clearly inspired by the classic Pokémon games, but the fact this is an MMORPG and on PC does make it rather special.
How to Download Temtem
You can download the game from Steam. To start, click on the Download button at the end of this review.
The Game Review
You start out by creating your character and starting your journey to become a Temtem apprentice. Your professor lets you pick from one of three starter Temtem and you also meet your rival. Yep, that is pretty much how a Pokémon game starts too! The story is that you need to beat the 8 bosses and also deal with a sinister group, again just like in Pokémon.
I am not saying the clear inspiration and all the stuff this borrows from Pokémon is a bad thing, it is just impossible to ignore. The actual Temtem are pretty well designed and they can be different types, some can be two types at the same time and again like in Pokémon they can evolve.
Your Temtem has different moves they can do and the battles have a real emphasis on two vs two which I like. The battles showcase the major difference that the game has over Pokémon and that is the stamina system. Rather than having so many turns, in battle, you have a stamina bar that you need to keep an eye on.
Each time you do a move it depletes. This prevents you from spamming a powerful attack or just using the same Temtem over and over again. The MMORPG aspect is kind of cool in that you can team up with other players and this adds a lot of strategy. I would actually say it makes the game more challenging.
This is because you have to work as a team. You cannot just do what you want and your partner does the same as it will not work. I was kind of surprised at how challenging Temtem was. Some of the dungeons and boss battles are pretty brutal and on one occasion I was not strong enough to fight this boss and had to backtrack through the dungeon so I could level up some more!
It should be pointed out that as I write this Temtem is in early access and I am sure they will add many new things. However, even in this rather early state, this is a game that is showing a great deal of promise. This could be the legit rival to Pokémon, many have tried and failed over the years, but so far, I am really liking what I am seeing here.
So, do I recommend Temtem? Well, if you like Pokémon, especially Pokémon from a few generations ago, you will love this. The MMORPG aspect does not get in the way of things and the game just has a lot of charm to it. On the flip side of things, if the Pokémon games have never done anything for you, I do not see this one doing it either.
