Through TemTem, MeinMMO author Philipp Hansen relives his childhood and feels like a little boy on the playground again. What excites him so much about the Pokémon MMO?
What does a shooter narrative have to do with TemTem? TemTem made a name for itself as the Pokémon MMO that offers cuddly monsters to collect and fight beyond Nintendo’s microcosm. But what does that have to do with me?
Privately and for MeinMMO, I am active in the hardcore virtual shooter business. I enjoy lead-laden action like in Call of Duty and celebrate victories in Warzone with big cigars with Captain Price.
But my true love has been Destiny for 6 years (again, only virtually, of course). I haven’t spent so many hours in any other video game. However, there was an earlier love whose flame burned hot and now rekindles with TemTem.
To find my former flame, we have to turn the clocks back a bit. We travel 20 years into the past.
The Pokémon MMO hits me hard with nostalgia
This is what my childhood looked like: I shamelessly admit, I was in a Pokémon fever at the turn of the millennium. Who am I kidding? I was fully immersed in the frenzy of pocket monsters. This included:
- Showing friends who the true Pokémon master is through intense Gameboy battles
- Investing my allowance entirely in collectible cards and dealing Holo-Charizard on the playground
- After the exhausting Pokémon action at school, immediately watching on TV how Ash and Pikachu fail again
Pokémon had completely permeated my daily life. Around the year 2002, however, after the Silver and Gold editions, it suddenly came to an end.
What makes TemTem so great for me: When TemTem (in Early Access) was released in early 2020, I took notice. Because it was hyped as “the” Pokémon MMO. The little boy in me spoke up – first quietly, but then louder and finally TemTem made its way into my Steam library.
I fully agree with the Pokémon comparisons. The game could have just as well come out under Nintendo’s flag, and hardly anyone would have complained.
- Catching wild creatures (here with cards instead of balls)
- Designing and training pocket monsters
- A teenager setting out from home to be the very best, like no one ever was
- The premise of defeating trainers and working through arenas
All this and more is shamelessly and brilliantly copied. And TemTem doesn’t even try to deny it; it presses exactly the buttons that nostalgics like me wish for.
Moreover, TemTem’s story features cool characters. Notably praised are the dialogues of NPCs. I had a hearty laugh when Gabriel the Grey told me that I wouldn’t get past him – however, the Gandalf lookalike eventually couldn’t stop me.
New variables in the old Pokémon formula yield a special result
TemTem doesn’t just mindlessly recite the Pokémon creed. Thoughtful changes add a new spin to it all.
That’s why the combat system is my highlight: Right in the first minutes, it becomes clear that you are almost always fighting with 2 monsters. This adds more depth to the combat system, as both combatants influence each other.
- If you, for example, fight with a fire and water monster, the water attacks change; they essentially boil.
- Other synergies have passive effects and encourage experimentation.
I find the biggest deviations from my childhood memories in the combat system.
- Instead of a fixed number of action points, TemTem has a dynamic stamina bar that increases a little after each round.
- Attacks consume stamina points, and if the stamina reserve is nearly exhausted, you can rest or still attack, but injure yourself.
- Some attacks can only be executed every 2nd or 3rd round, but deal more damage or offer other advantages, such as low stamina costs.
- You must create a healthy mix of all possibilities.
Generally, the fights in the story against the lurking Tamers (that’s what trainers are called here) are more challenging than in the old Nintendo titles. But I don’t want to scare anyone off; no one needs to fear a stamina bar dance like in Dark Souls.
Why is TemTem an MMO? The special aspect of TemTem is that you can experience the game cooperatively if you choose. You can always continue alone or spontaneously help low-level friends.
Of course, you can trade and exchange with other Tamers too. Additionally, you will constantly encounter other people on your journey.
In TemTem, you also need to defeat tough arena leaders to fight your way through the world. However, this is lightened up with many side quests. These will get you new attacks or useful items such as an Experience Share, which allows weak monsters to be safely leveled up.
The game also gives you weekly tasks. This includes, for example, releasing a certain number of captured TemTem back into the wild. The resulting rewards greatly encourage the hunt. Especially cool is that you also receive EXP for catching, not just defeating.
New TemTem update brings plenty of reasons to play
The game is growing: I mentioned at the beginning that TemTem is in Early Access. Fortunately, the game doesn’t remain static there, but is gradually being developed.
Since its launch, stability has been fine-tuned, and MMO aspects have been improved. Chats with multiple channels like trade or local, as well as guilds (clubs) have found their way into the game. The largest update for TemTem came on July 21 (via Gamestar).
This is in the new update: It finally continues the excellent story and was for me the reason to check back into the game. The most important innovation is a completely new, flying island.
Finally, the fourth of a total of 6 islands is accessible. It is called Kisiwa and is a hot desert region. A great addition to the holiday paradise, the forest island, and the toxic swamps and mines that TemTem already has.
Of course, not only the story continues. Tamers can look forward to 23 new TemTem, new attacks, and an increase in the maximum level – instead of 48, you can now train your monsters up to 58. This allowed me to finally evolve my starter TemTem into its final form.
There’s still much to discover: I love exploring the landscapes in TemTem. This is made tasty by the “Metroidvania” gameplay. Throughout the story, the player receives new tools like a surfboard (which later even becomes acid-resistant) or a grappling hook, allowing for new paths in familiar areas.
As of now (July 28, 2020), I have not yet completely finished the story on the new island. Yes, I must confess, I have not been able to finally defeat General X yet. But hopefully, that will change this weekend.
MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch recently tried out Pokémon Go with me after years of absence. We had a lot of fun discovering new things, but also faced some hurdles: Why Pokémon GO is so much fun for me as a returnee after 3 years
