Temtem

Temtem is definitely worth getting for something different, yet familiar. It’s worth the price of admission, but that’s all you should spend on it.

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Temtem is an online multiplayer creature-collection adventure taking place in the Airborne Archipelago, a group of floating islands where Temtem and humans coexist. Catch, train, and battle Temtem, engage in Temtem trading with friends, and defeat various dojo leaders and the nefarious Clan Belsoto. Embark on an epic journey to become the ultimate Temtem tamer in this immersive world.

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 17,739 reviews

story734 positive mentions

grinding1,350 negative mentions

story
3,116 mentions
24 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The story of "Temtem" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its engaging twists and character depth compared to traditional Pokémon narratives. However, some criticize it for being overly linear and filled with tedious fetch quests, leading to a sense of grind and frustration. While the game offers a cooperative story mode that enhances the experience, the lack of a quest log and the abrupt pacing in certain areas detract from the overall enjoyment of the narrative.
- “The story has some really cool twists and turns, and the characters are charming and interesting.”
- “Temtem is a massive game with an amazing and super engaging story.”
- “The story is enjoyable to play through, there are quite a few interesting twists, and the dialogue with the NPCs is often humorous.”
- “Overall, its gameplay loop is okay, different enough but gets old quickly. The disparity in leveling is huge and a slog; the story lacks depth and is filled with an obscene amount of battles that you wish you could just skip. Keeping key things from the player until they beat your story is a bad decision and rude in most cases, as it shows you don't respect their time.”
- “The story is a slog and it's generally uninteresting with very little charm. The quests are tedious and boring, and the story doesn't provide enough for a casual gamer, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “The story is mediocre at best. It feels like it was lifted straight out of a poorly dubbed anime, and the plot twists can be seen from space. The dialogue is cringe-worthy and detracts from the overall experience.”
gameplay
1,922 mentions
33 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Temtem" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its strategic depth and innovative mechanics, such as the stamina system and 2v2 battles, which enhance the traditional Pokémon formula. However, criticisms often focus on the game's grindiness, repetitive nature, and the forced encounters that can detract from the overall experience. While some players find the gameplay engaging and challenging, others feel it becomes tedious over time, especially with the lack of variety in encounters and the need for extensive grinding to progress.
- “Awesome monster tamer game with some entertaining story; stamina and hold mechanics make us think about what to do each turn, and not just spam only one offensive move like in Pokémon.”
- “It's highly polished, genuinely well made and the co-op mechanics add some really lovely strategic flavors to the game.”
- “The gameplay is solid and will keep you entertained throughout the base game, and the art style is extremely polished and cute.”
- “The gameplay quickly becomes a chore, and the price is heavy for what you receive.”
- “The gameplay is tedious and very grindy, and the monster design leaves much to be desired.”
- “The core gameplay loop is tedious and unrespectful of the players time with mechanics straight out of 90's or korean mmo.”
grinding
1,366 mentions
0 % positive mentions
1 % neutral mentions
99 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of "Temtem" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting it as excessively tedious and time-consuming. While some enjoy the challenge and find the grind rewarding, others criticize it for feeling like a chore, particularly in terms of leveling up, breeding, and earning in-game currency. The game's design encourages repetitive battles and backtracking, which can detract from the overall enjoyment, especially for casual players.
- “It also wasn't as grindy as I was expecting, though that might be due to experience.”
- “I'm a casual, so I'm not grinding for lumas, but I do appreciate them giving us something else to do in the meantime.”
- “Not too grindy, but just enough.”
- “The game is unbelievably grindy.”
- “The grinding in this game is a chore, and optimizing your team throughout the campaign feels very limited.”
- “The game is grindy as hell, and the lack of an exp share does not help matters.”
graphics
1,319 mentions
56 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Temtem" have received generally positive feedback, with many players praising its vibrant art style and charming character designs that evoke nostalgia for classic Pokémon games. The visuals are often described as colorful and well-polished, with smooth animations that enhance the gameplay experience. However, some critiques mention that certain character designs feel less polished compared to the overall aesthetic, and there are occasional performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems. Overall, the game's graphics are seen as a significant improvement over traditional Pokémon titles, contributing to its appeal in the creature-collecting genre.
- “The graphics are stunning and the world-building is top-notch.”
- “The art style is charming, and the temtem are adorable!”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is fun, and the overall design is polished and something new and refreshing.”
- “The aesthetics are juvenile with the slightly pastel-ish color scheme and child-friendly looking style.”
- “Overall very uncanny with poor graphics and poor creative designs.”
- “The character models look horrible, the graphics are way too bright, and we put up with all of this just to have some monster collecting fun.”
music
519 mentions
52 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The music in "Temtem" has received a largely positive reception, with many players praising its catchy and immersive soundtrack that enhances the game's atmosphere. While some find the music repetitive over long play sessions, others appreciate its distinctiveness and ability to evoke emotions during battles and exploration. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing to its charm and appeal, though some players desire more variety in the music.
- “The aesthetic, creatures, sound design, and music are so good they pull you in and make you want to finish every single quest.”
- “The music is catchy as hell.”
- “The soundtrack is absolutely amazing, especially some of the battle themes.”
- “The music is okay but forgettable and isn't engaging.”
- “I often found myself muting the audio to listen to other music or watch something in the background while playing.”
- “The only complaint I have here is that there is not enough variety to keep the music fresh and you will definitely notice the repetitive songs during a longer play session.”
monetization
289 mentions
5 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it a "cash grab" due to the presence of microtransactions and a battle pass system in a full-priced game. While some argue that the microtransactions are cosmetic and non-predatory, the overall sentiment reflects disappointment over the game's shift towards aggressive monetization strategies, especially after initial promises of no such features. Many reviewers recommend waiting for discounts or avoiding the game altogether due to its perceived exploitative pricing and monetization practices.
- “And now that microtransactions have been removed from the game with patch 1.7, it's pretty easy for me to recommend it to anyone looking for another solid creature capturing adventure.”
- “Crema recently announced that the game's live service monetization style will be getting removed, and players will be able to earn it all in-game for free.”
- “The only true downside is the monetization of the thankfully totally optional microtransaction store; the prices are a bit much for everything, but again, all cosmetic so completely ignorable if you do not wish to support it.”
- “If the price was set to $15 or lower, then there's a decent possibility that I would've given it a positive review instead, but currently this just feels like a cash grab aimed at benefiting from Pokémon's popularity.”
- “The devs mentioned player retention issues and introduced live-service aspects and microtransactions to the game, which I never felt the need to engage with.”
- “I bought this game because it was supposed to be the indie version of Pokémon, but what I got was another ripoff game with a AAA predatory monetization model for the price of a full game.”
stability
277 mentions
8 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
92 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been a significant concern among players, with many reporting frequent glitches, crashes, and freezes, particularly during co-op play. While some users have noted improvements over time, especially on PC and Steam Deck, the overall consensus is that the game remains quite buggy, especially in its early access state, leading to frustrations during gameplay. Despite these issues, some players still find enjoyment in the game, appreciating its potential and the developers' responsiveness to community feedback.
- “The game runs great and doesn't have any significant glitching, which is an edge it might have over Pokémon.”
- “One of the few early access games that is worth the asking price... plus it is the most bug-free I have seen in an early access game.”
- “It's essentially bug-free so far, great performance, and an interesting world.”
- “The game is still buggy; it's amazing how many areas you can get trapped in, and if you don't have a smoke bomb, you have to call for a mod on Discord to get out. The most annoying bugs are when you try to get lumas and they suddenly disappear.”
- “Do not buy; the game barely works, constant crashes and freezes, battles take 10-20 minutes due to the game hanging after every input, not to mention the huge login queue times.”
- “Game freezes a lot, requires restart, requires requeue.”
humor
211 mentions
99 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding the dialogue genuinely funny and engaging, while others criticize it as clunky or cringe-worthy, often detracting from the overall experience. Many appreciate the quirky and self-aware writing, which includes clever references and a more mature tone compared to similar games like Pokémon. However, some humor falls flat or becomes repetitive, leading to a divide in player enjoyment.
- “The in-game world is colorful and vibrant, with memorable characters, hilarious dialogue, and unique themes and inspirations for each location.”
- “The dialogue is quirky and funny.”
- “The amount of time and cleverness put into the dialogue of almost every NPC player you can fight is impressive and has legitimately made me laugh out loud many times.”
- “The odd facial expressions are simply not funny, and the dialogues are bad most of the time.”
- “After weeks of playing, the humor just isn't funny anymore.”
optimization
122 mentions
43 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its smooth performance and beautiful graphics, even on lower-end systems, while others report significant issues such as stuttering, freezing, and poor frame rates. Many acknowledge that the game is still in early access and express hope for future improvements, but there are notable concerns about its current state, particularly regarding UI and overall optimization. Overall, while some players enjoy a seamless experience, others struggle with performance problems that detract from gameplay.
- “The game runs smoothly, the UI is very polished, the temtem battles feel balanced and feedback from hits is great - which is more than I can say for a lot of early access games I've played!”
- “For an early access game, this game feels really optimized and plays like a AAA game.”
- “The performance of the actual game, not the servers, is excellent.”
- “Currently has some major performance issues on PC that are holding it back; poor optimization and insane FPS drops when moving your mouse are just some of the more common ones.”
- “What does factor into my review, however, is the atrocious performance I'm getting and the million little quality of life blind spots that somehow slipped through the early access period.”
- “Would say I like the game but one big problem, it takes more than 20 minutes to load and just freezes before the actual game even boots up all the way past the beginning logo only showing the mouse cursor; no, it is not my PC because I can run other games and this is not a demanding game in the first place, it just seems to be poorly optimized when you boot up the game and it's overpriced at that in my opinion for an early access game.”
character development
50 mentions
40 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising the vibrant art style and unique character designs, while others criticize the overall character design as lacking depth and polish compared to established franchises like Pokémon. Customization options for player characters are highlighted positively, enhancing player immersion, but the narrative and character interactions often feel underwhelming or unoriginal. Overall, while the creature designs are generally well-received, the human character designs and story elements leave room for improvement.
- “The art style is also a highlight, with colorful and expressive character designs and a vibrant world to explore.”
- “A lot of customization in the character designs and colors, feels like I have a truly unique character.”
- “The character designs are amazing and I love the animations.”
- “Character design is lacking from a game design standpoint and quite lazy aesthetically.”
- “However, I do not like the character designs; they are too vague and boring.”
- “My biggest complaint is the only above-average character designs, but even that is backed up by surprisingly good animations and shaders that ultimately carry them into greatness with a unique aesthetic.”
emotional
48 mentions
85 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players expressing frustration over a lackluster story and uninspiring character development, leading to a sense of disconnection. However, some players appreciate the wholesome community and representation within the game, finding joy in the multiplayer experience and the cute aesthetics. Overall, while the game offers a comforting and nostalgic vibe for some, it fails to evoke deeper emotional engagement for many others.
- “These are positive things that, as a person in those communities, felt very touching, affirming, and nice.”
- “Personally, I'm not trans, I don't know anyone who is trans, but I thought this was a heartwarming and unexpected touch and I'm glad that they included everyone in their game and not just a white boy or a white girl.”
- “Gaming is one of the most hostile markets/communities for trans people to exist in, so this came as a welcome and emotional surprise.”
- “It is a story-based game that has an incredibly boring story... a ton of useless dialogue that you will find yourself clicking through just to get an extremely anticlimactic boss fight.”
- “Quite short, a boring story, bland characters.”
- “I paid 45€ for Pokémon... had poorly designed zones, a boring story, the new generation looks horrible (mostly), and no post-game, because they put that in the expansion pass which will cost 30€.”
replayability
38 mentions
32 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The reviews for "replayability" in the game are mixed, with many players praising its high replay value due to features like weekly resets, multiplayer options, and a wealth of secrets to discover. However, some users express disappointment over a lack of content and variety, suggesting that while the game offers significant replayability, it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the game is seen as a strong alternative to others in the genre, particularly for those who enjoy multiplayer and competitive elements.
- “Overall, this game is really fun to play; it's one of my favorites, and I think that it has high replayability.”
- “In multiplayer, there are ranked matches, dojo guilds, and other social experiences that make the replay value of Temtem basically endless!”
- “Temtem is a 100+ hour long monster-catching RPG that towers above Game Freak in terms of polish, world design, and game mechanics, and is an infinitely replayable MMORPG with a quality that hasn't been seen before in the monster-catching genre.”
- “This game has the worst replayability!”
- “No replayability, no multiple character slots.”
- “The main problems the game has to face now are lack of content, features, and replayability.”
atmosphere
32 mentions
47 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in Temtem is widely praised for its vibrant visuals, charming characters, and immersive world-building, creating a unique experience reminiscent of Pokémon while offering its own distinct flair. The game's music and ambient sounds enhance the overall ambiance, contributing to a sense of openness and freedom, especially in multiplayer settings. Reviewers appreciate the game's challenging nature and the engaging environments that invite exploration and interaction.
- “The music is a really nice touch, and brings a nice atmosphere to the game.”
- “I love the visuals and how boldly the game uses bright colors and vibrant environments; every place has its own atmosphere, and the game does a good job in world building, kudos for that.”
- “The atmosphere and characters are imaginative and varied.”
- “The 4th wall breaks, and the smart-ass remarks/responses just really don't feel right in this atmosphere.”
- “Final judgement: Temtem is not the Pokémon slayer the community makes it out to be; however, Temtem's charming take on the creature collecting genre prioritizes challenging the player and developing a competitive atmosphere.”
- “Don't be fooled by the color and child-like atmosphere; it's not kid recommended. It's a chess game meets Pokémon strategical puzzle game with co-op.”