![]() ![]() ![]() The big change from Pokemon is a stamina meter, with each attack draining it a little, so just casting each monster’s nuclear option over and over isn’t an option. Environments are lush, colorful without being overly-detailed, and the temtem monsters well animated and (from my limited play) have a nice variety of attacks and buffs. It would be easy to write the game off as a clone if so much attention hadn’t been put into the art and design of every bit of the game, with everything feeling solid and inviting. A young trainer leaves home, rival slightly ahead, and sets out into the deep grass to find new critters to add to an ever-growing collection of blood-hungry monsters cute little battle-beasts. Temtem is a monster-catching RPG, and if you’re familiar with Nintendo’s version then you know exactly what to expect. Temtem has thrown open the doors for all, and while a brief test-play revealed that it’s very slow going right now, the game is still good enough to dive into so long as you bring a nice helping of patience along. Nobody wants a bad launch so this weekend is a server stress test, and you’re all invited. It’s almost time to kick off the Early Access period, beginning January 21, but right now it’s more important to break everything. That means it’s fair game for another company to take a crack at it, and that’s exactly what Crema did with its Temtem Kickstarter a year and a half ago. While there are more than a few uncanny similarities between the titles in items of gameplay, monster design, and story progression, it's still more original than other creature-collection games that have blatantly copied Game Freak's formula and hidden it behind a new coat of paint.It’s well past time to face facts- Nintendo will never bring Pokemon to PC. From its unique Stamina system to it's greater focus on worldbuilding, Temtem goes to great lengths to set itself apart from Pokémon. ![]() However, despite what some Pokémon fans may have believed, Temtem wasn't trying to be "the new Pokémon," and that interpretation of the game ignores everything Temtem does to set itself apart from Pokémon and other monster-fighting RPGs. Convincing themselves that this new "hot-blooded contender" was trying to usurp Pokémon's throne, some rallied behind Temtem, only to discard it like an unwanted Caterpie once it became clear the game couldn't fulfill the "destiny" they had unfairly placed on its shoulders. Sadly, while it was clear to most that Temtem was trying to respectfully pay tribute to Pokémon, the hostility that many fans felt towards Sword and Shield warped their perception of the game. ![]() Like many of the "Pokémon clones" that came before it, Temtem didn't pretend it wasn't inspired by Pokémon, with the game's website openly acknowledging Game Freak's tent pole franchise as its primary influence. Not only did the "Pokémania" craze see the creation of original monster-battling franchises like Metabots and Digimon, but it also inspired well-established RPG franchises like Shin Megami Tensei and Dragon Quest to release spin-off mobile games that intentionally modeled themselves after Pokémon's formula, right down to releasing multiple versions of the same game and making a handful of monsters unique to each version. The release of Pokémon Red and Green in 1996 took the world by storm, and it took less than a year for other video game companies to begin creating their own creature-collecting games to try and cash in on Pokémon's success. RELATED: Pokémon Cookbook Serves Up Charizard, Pikachu, and Other Fan-Favorites However, while it may not have become the " Pokémon killer" some wanted it to be, Temtem still enjoys a decent following of enthusiastic fans, and the modest success of it and other Pokémon-esque titles proves that there's a place for other creature-gathering games in the modern gaming market. In failing to make so much as a dent in Pokémon's popularity or profits Temtem has joined a long list of so-called " Pokémon clones" that have tried to replicate the franchise's iconic feel while putting a unique spin on the monster catching and battling RPG subgenre. ![]()
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