Pokemon-inspired MMO Temtem is out now in early access
Not to be confused with Australian biscuits
If you've spent the past two decades fantasising about enslaving wild creatures to do your bidding, boy howdy, do I have good news. Temtem is a Pokemon-inspired MMO for PC that came out on early access yesterday. Everything you know and love from the Pokemon games you were never allowed to play is here. Gyms are dojos, trainers are tamers, and your menagerie of adorable fighting beasts use elemental attacks in turn-based battles. It is Pokemon with synonyms and multiplayer. You might like that.
It really is the same formula. You pick one of three starting Temtems, then head out and explore three floating islands (six once the game's done) while taming wild Temtems and picking fights with other tamers. There are ostentatious baddies up to something nefarious, too.
It's an MMO, so you'll have other players jogging around in the background. You can also bring a pal along to fight in dual battles, where your Temtems fight side by side. That does sound nice. Moseying around the wilds, sharing the joy of stumbling on a rare creature together, then devolving into bitter arguments about who gets to keep it. I will kill anyone who denies me a Ganki, a bee with giant bull horns that looks like it's constantly clapping out of general contentedness.
I spotted my bee in vidbud Astrid's look at the Temtem alpha last week. She was generally pleased, though did find parts of it a little grindy.
Developers Crema say they've got "50% of the game's content" done, including the first three islands and 80+ Temtem. The full game will have 161+ Temtem, ranked matchmaking, tournaments, and more social stuff, like housing. They reckon they'll be done sometime around the middle of next year.
You can nab Temtem for £28/$35/€31 on Steam or the Humble Store.
Guidesman Dave has also been on the Temtem beat. Here's his Temtem guide, and a handy chart showing Temtem type resistances and weaknesses.