TemTem - Global Release Date & First Impressions Review

TemTem has released on early access globally in January 21, 2020. It’s the most hyped game that HumbleBundle has published, and also the best chance we are going to get so far, for a proper Pokémon MMO for PC ? My excitement is over the roof, as the game has just launched, and I’m.. launching it for the first time! I hope that this excitement will carry over the rest of this review, and we can hope for a bright future for TemTem!

The developers behind TemTem, CremaGames, have only released one more game so far, called Immortal Redneck (wtf??) – an FPS rogue-lite set in ancient Egypt. In their own words, they “made some assumptions that led to us not putting enough effort into certain areas of the game” with their first game, so they are making bigger promises for involving the community in TemTem’s development.

Only time will tell – we can only hope that it won’t turn out to be yet-another-f2p2w-lootbox-fest-tem. ?

Login, Capacity & Stability Issues Are to Be Expected

So… my excitement quickly wore off:

Oh well, this is only normal for a hyped online game, I do hope they manage to keep the playerbase, and make the childhood dreams of most gamers a reality. I’m going to make a coffee, hoping that when it’s done I can login to TemTem!

So.. came back, created my beautiful character, only to lose connection after trying to get in, throwing me back in – you guessed it – position 12,000+ in the queue ?

I think it’s better for my mental health, and the review outcome of TemTem, to keep on trying tomorrow, when hopefully some critical errors will have been fixed, or at least the servers will be less populated.

Character Creation Is Pokémon-Appropriate & Quite Polished

My gf’s reaction was “nice pixels”, but me – a true Pokémon fan – find it to be just perfect for what the game aims to be!

Beautiful voxel-y assets, vibrant pastel colors, and smooth relaxing animations – all pefectly capturing the mood a Pokémon MMO should have!

I’m sure they will add many more customization options in the future, but the ones we got at launch already offer a nice variety.

Capture Them All, Again!

Oh man, the nostalgia is huge in TemTem. They have “copied” the main premise and starting conditions so well – the professor, your mother, your rival – it’s all there. A fresh take that will make you reminish, but also take you by surprise!

It’s also nice to see that even though this is Early Access, everyone in town has already been given nice dialogue options, making the world that much more immersive! I wish they quickly adopt the same to the environments as well – I could find some hidden items around town, but they’re just.. not.. enough!

I’m quite positive that Pokémon Red & Blue are liable for my OCD. I wasn’t your next door pleb carrying the 100 Lvl Charizard along with a leftover Lv 7 Ratata in my team. I was the geek that owned you at every battle, training ALL my pokemon equally while progressing through each area, and of course capturing ANY new pokemon the area could provide.

I can’t express how glad I am that I can do this in TemTem too! At the end of the day, the mechanic is not too different from your average grind-all-day-JRPG – but there’s something in monster capturing, that really makes this a non-grindy and pleasurable experience! ? I guess only true Pokémon players will appreciate this.

The UI is Rough Around the Edges

The User Interface is clean and accessible, but it’s clear there are a lot of things missing there, making the game feel a bit “emptier” than it actually is.

But of course, I’m sure this is one more thing that will be worked on heavily, since it’s a paramount element for any Online game’s success.

The good news is that any major function is provided in a quite easy-to-use way, so it won’t get in your way of enjoying the game – too much!

Combat Might Actually Be More Promising Than Pokémon

You will realize that TemTem combat is not too easy, just from your first hour of gameplay.

Managing your team, attack / defense types and items, feels more purposeful than Pokémon, since if you don’t, chances are you’ll find yourself “blackout” more often than not.

Squads consist of 6 TemTem – just like Pokémon – but during the fight 2 TemTem will fight for each side, making combat even more challenging and strategic.

Combat animations are simply gorgeous, offering sheer satisfaction with each command you issue at your TemTems! I don’t see myself asking for a “fast mode” in battles – there’s just too much variety all over to make this a boring process. Maybe I’m too excited? Ask me again in a few months. ?