Developer: Crema
Platforms: PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), PC (Steam)
Genre: Adventure, Indie, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Early Access
Publisher: Humble Games
Temtem is the massively multiplayer creature collection game. This version of the game is an early access copy and it’s available on Steam as well the Playstation 5. Temtem is a Pokémon clone with some additions.
First impressions: I had an issue when I installed the game and a game-breaking bug where the screen was blurred stopped me playing the game the first night I had it. It was fixed in the morning. As I’m playing it on PS5, load times are quick, seems to keep a solid 60 fps frame rate and play well. It’s bright, colourful and is action-packed from the get-go. It plays super smooth. As for the gameplay, you play as a creature/monster tamer who navigates a host of islands fighting creatures and capturing them too. It plays along the lines of any turn-based strategy games, your creatures have levels and the level up as you gain more experience. It’s similar to the last Pokemon game I played but that’s a while ago. It’s a Pokémon clone that’s also an MMO. The game can also be played in a solo mode but there is an emphasis to team up and play with other Temtem tamers too. There are co-op adventures too and I think this will be needed for certain parts of the game. I found some of the mechanics a bit odd where you can’t refuse a fight against other tamers in the game, for me, this broke the flow of the game as I was getting used to it. There is tons of customisation of your characters and your residence too. The game has crossplay too which is awesome.
A few annoyances for me were around the sound effects used to character voices as you engage with them, it’s this high pitched “hmmmm” noise and I found it grating fairly quickly. This made me want to mute the sound effects and music, it’s just a bit too much for me.
If you need a Pokémon fix on your PC or PS5, this fills the gap quite well. If you liked turn-based strategic battling too this will also be up your street. The game is still in early access so you may encounter issues and bugs, the game-breaking bug I had was resolved quickly. There is huge scope for this game to be a game you play for ages as this is an MMO. All the co-op games and playing online players were smooth and solid. From an early access point of view, this is a very promising game and I would be keen to see what changes are made when it becomes a full release. If you have the itch of playing a monster tamer MMO, this will hit a lot of boxes.
Overall: 7/10
Enjoys more than the odd game, long time gamer, somewhat a technologist and everything else in between.
Also enjoys a good solid game of FIFA online. Currently PS4, XBOX 360 and STEAM.
