With the recent announcement of Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! for the Nintendo Switch, the demand and love for Pokémon is at a fever pitch. However, while millions of players are excited to head back to Kanto, there are still those who wish for the long-dreamed about Pokémon MMO. The dream may still be far away, but Madrid, Spain-based game studio, Crema, looks to fill that void in our lives with their upcoming PC Kickstarter title, Temtem.
Temtem allows you to head to the six islands of the Airborne Archipelago and discover, befriend, breed, and battle with Temtem. Along the way, you will have to defeat the “ever-annoying” Clan Belsoto and the eight Dojo leaders to become the ultimate Temtem tamer!
What is a Temtem? They are creatures that were named as such by the locals. Temtem and villagers all live in harmony and these creatures help with chores around the islands or even being loyal and faithful pets. Recently, due to a “revolution in Temtem technology”, scientists have created the first digital Temtem and battling, training, and breeding has jumped in popularity due to these and more advancements. Each Temtem and technique has one of 12-types, including Wind, Crystal, and Nature. Temtems can have up to two types, although techniques are limited to one. Each type has their own strengths and weaknesses and should be considered before any battle.
As far as battling, each Tamer can have up to six Temtem in their party, and two may battle at any given time. Battles are in a traditional turn-based fashion, and the Tamer with the last standing Temtem’s will be victorious. Interestingly enough, Crema has claimed to keep “random factors out of battles” as they want the battles to only rely on skill and strategy.
Breeding will be an important component as well, and will be the best way to achieve the perfect Temtem you are looking for, as babies will inherit traits from both parents. There will be genetic degradation to consider, so each time an Egg is produced, the lower the value goes until they will no longer be able to produce Eggs.
Temtem will feature a full story campaign, and since Temtem is an online MMO, the campaign will be fully co-op, if you desire to make it so. While you are adventuring, you will see other real-world Tamers around you and you can battle, trade, or just hang out with any of them. You can even have one of your Temtem follow you on the overworld to showoff your team. There will also be a place called Atoll Row where you can purchase and decorate your own home, and you’ll be able to visit other’s as well. There will be a ranked competitive mode with a “pick and ban” phase where you alternate choosing and then banning your opponents Temtem, until each Tamers are left with 4 Temtem each.
That is only a brief overview of all Temtem has to offer, and you can find out much more on the Kickstarter page. Speaking of which, Crema was looking for $70,000, and as of this writing, they have already raised $90,512 with 28 days remaining. If you are looking to back it, you can help contribute to the Stretch Goals, such as a Nuzlocke mode and Arcade Bar. If the funding reaches $250,000, Temtem will be brought to the Nintendo Switch.
One of the benefits of Kickstarter is allowing the developers to offer rewards to its backers. These range from spending $20 to get the game and access to and Early Access build, all the way up to designing a route in the Airborne Archipelago ($3,500) or a Temtem ($6,000).
The biggest question though, is when can players get their hands on Temtem? Alpha 1 is planned for a launch in November 2018, which is available for Alpha Hero Backers at the $30 level. The Early Access launch is planned for September 2019 and a final release of May 2020.
Will Temtem live up to its promise? As you can see from the Kickstarter, they are well on their way to delivering a game that is close to that long-awaited Pokémon MMO. It will be very interesting to follow the development of this title, as it will also be launching near when we will be getting the Generation-8 Pokémon title as well. Only time will tell what will happen, but the more competition the better for all of us trying to be the very best.
