Game Rant spoke with Temtem game director Guillermo Andrades and Crema community manager Lucia Prieto about the influences that give Temtem its unique look, as well as the wide variety of customization options that players have at their disposal. Veteran Pokemon players looking for a more social and culturally diverse experience should definitely keep Temtem on their radar.

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Temtem’s World of Many Cultures

Similar to Pokemon’s regions, which are based on real-world locales, Temtem’s Airborne Archipelago draws influence from specific cultures. Since Temtem is an MMO, each different region is connected to others, resulting in a more varied world. Prieto discussed the different inspirations for specific regions, including a number of cultures that Pokemon has yet to tackle.

Prieto said to ensure the portrayal of each region was properly represented, Crema hired regional consultants on the cultures in question. Respectful representation and accommodating real-world diversity seems to be a major priority for Crema. The result is an atmosphere that feels more real than Pokemon’s in many ways, with a story that tackles the state of the world as much as the monsters that players tame and train.

That said, players will still find many pleasing similarities to Nintendo’s monster-collecting juggernaut. Players adopt different types of trainable monsters with a complex grid of rock-paper-scissors elements, battle each other for sport, and oppose a nefarious criminal organization. In Temtem, said criminals are the Belsoto Tribe, but even they are less monolithic than Pokemon’s region-specific “Teams.” Each tribal leader hails from a different environment and has their own motivations, though the organization is unified by a general lust for power.

Gigantic’s Influence on Temtem

Temtem’s vivid, 3D art-style has many influences, but Andrades noted one title in particular had a strong influence on the game’s aesthetic: Gigantic.

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Gigantic, a MOBA-like shooter by Bellevue, Washington-based developer Motiga, was released for Xbox One and PC in 2017. Despite positive reviews from players, publisher Perfect World closed Motiga later that year, and subsequently pulled the plug on Gigantic just a year after launch. While the game had a number of unique mechanics, one particular point of praise was its aesthetic being reminiscent of illustrations, but rendered in 3D.

When comparing the two titles, Gigantic’s influence is readily apparent. Temtem’s bright, illustrated character models resemble Gigantic’s, just with just a touch of anime influence.

Temtem’s Customization is Built with Diversity in Mind

Discussing Temtem’s customization options, Prieto said players would be able to tailor their character’s appearance to taste, and select their pronouns from the start; a feature becoming increasingly common. The option isn’t empty tokenism. as Prieto mentioned that Temtem’s story features open LGBTQ+ representation.

Other points of MMO customization emerge as the player progresses through the game, including outfits, hairstyles, titles, battle intros and outros, and personal customization options for music. Players’ Temtem followers are also visible in-game as mounts or companions, giving fans a lot of opportunities to appear the way they want.

Temtem is available now for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.

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