Temtem is the closest we can get to Pokémon without actually playing Pokémon. While the indie game's roots are in Nintendo's famous franchise, Temtem still develops its own unique take on the genre.
Once you start playing Temtem, you'll begin to realize that it's the Pokémon that you never had. In some ways, Temtem manages to surpass Pokémon, expanding on the thrill of catching and battling creatures.
1. It Offers an MMO Monster-Catching Experience
Before Temtem, I think everyone dreamed of exploring the world of Pokémon side-by-side with a friend. Sure, Pokémon has online battles, but that doesn't beat the true MMO experience that comes with Temtem.
As you travel the six islands of Temtem's Airborne Archipelago, you'll do so with tons of tamers around you that you can trade and battle with. If you don't want to play with strangers, you can also invite your friends to join your game. This way, you can progress through the campaign together and even partake in dual battles.
2. The Battles Are Actually Difficult
In a time when video games are becoming too easy, it's nice to see that Temtem actually challenges its players. Pokémon is especially notorious for falling on the difficulty scale, which almost makes its newer games boring to play.
Temtem has been created for more experienced gamers. The first trainer you encounter might go easy on you in Pokémon, but Temtem doesn't hand you victories. In fact, your first Temtem battle is basically a guaranteed loss.
It doesn't get any easier after that—you'll have to think over matchups carefully in order to win.
3. It Has a Refreshing Battle System
Temtem has a complex battle system with a familiar, Pokémon-style framework—you choose monsters to battle with, pick a move, and then select the opposing monster to attack. However, Temtem introduces novel concepts that make battles even more challenging and fun.
For starters, most battles pit two pairs of Temtem against each other, as opposed to one-on-one fights. Certain combinations of Temtem types allow your team to gain Synergy, which can make your Temtems' attacks even stronger.
While Pokémon has Power Points (PP), Temtem has Stamina. Like PP, Temtem's Stamina system gives you a limited number of times that you can use your moves, but there's a catch—the Stamina points draw from the Temtem themselves.
In other words, each move drains a specific number of Stamina points from a Temtem. If a Temtem runs out of Stamina points, it'll take damage when it does another move. Strong attacks use up more Stamina, forcing you to use your moves strategically.
4. Temtem Is an Early Access Game
The release of Pokémon Sword and Shield didn't come without controversy. When fans voiced their concerns about subpar graphics and the limited number of importable Pokémon, Game Freak didn't offer a compromise.
Temtem is made by a Spanish indie developer, Crema. The game is still Early Access, meaning that there's plenty of improvements on the horizon. So far, it seems that Crema is doing a wonderful job of keeping players updated on the status of the game, as well as letting us know about its promising future.
To find out what's new with Temtem, you can easily go to Temtem's Steam page or social media accounts to see the latest changes and patches.
5. Inclusive Character Customization
I'm not denying that Pokémon has come a long way when it comes to character customization—in Sword and Shield, you have more customization options than ever.
However, the biggest benefit of Temtem's character creation is its inclusivity and overall freedom. Unlike Pokémon Sword and Shield, you don't have to pick a gender and base the rest of your look off of your selection. Temtem allows you to design a non-binary character from head-to-toe, and even choose your preferred pronoun.
Does Temtem Pose a Threat to Pokemon?
It's exciting to think about the future of Temtem. With Crema planning to release Temtem for consoles (and that includes the Switch) Pokémon will have some real competition.
If you plan Temtem, you'll notice that it has plenty of unique creatures you can catch and add to your squad. Fortunately, none of them resemble the strangest Pokémon ever created.