Parents' Guide to temtem

Pokemon fans who dismiss this game simply because it's a copycat of Nintendo's long-running pocket monster franchise may be doing themselves a disservice. Temtem captures much of what players love about Pokemon, from its expansive cast of colorful, loveable fantasy animals and strategic turn-based combat (which requires a surprising amount of strategy the further you go), to its world design and primary objectives. Since it's running on more powerful hardware, it actually looks better than Pokemon games, giving players a more detailed world and smoother frame rates. Of course, there's something to be said for originality, but when a game so lovingly and expertly mimics key aspects of a perennial favorite, it's hard not to have fun.

It'll be interesting to watch how fans react to temtem's online elements, though. It's undeniably fun to see other players running around doing the same sorts of things you're doing, and the ability to join up with or compete against them can be both a nice distraction and a valuable aid in progressing further. But none of this is really necessary if you simply want to complete the story on your own. Some players -- especially those who prefer to play with friends rather than alone -- are bound to love the social aspect of online play, whereas others will simply choose to ignore it, in which case the game will likely end up feeling pretty much just like another Pokemon game. That's not a bad thing -- especially for kids who love Pokemon but don't have a Nintendo system on which to play. Temtem's obsession with Pokemon-style play and design can be interpreted as blatant stealing or loving homage. How you choose to see it is a good indication of whether it's a game for you.