It would be hard to find someone nowadays that hasn't heard of Pokemon. The multimedia franchise spans decades as well as multiple formats, and has inspired many different creators including Spanish developer Crema, whose MMORPG Temtem serves as a celebration of the IP. Starting as a Kickstarter campaign back in 2018, the game aimed to create an MMO version of the Pokemon universe, and Temtem quickly gained traction as fans flocked to support the project.
After launching in early access in 2020 and officially releasing as a full game earlier this year, Temtem has continued to attract gamers and grow its player base, with fans enjoying the colorful world and Pokemon-inspired gameplay. Despite Temtem's success, it has still barely touched on the level of renown that its predecessor has achieved, but its own anime series could start to change that.
The World Of Temtem
Though some might think of Temtem as merely a ripoff of the beloved Pokemon franchise, the newer game has never made any secret of the fact that it was inspired by the popular series. The creators of Temtem clearly saw a gap in the market, and wanted to give players what they were obviously craving – an MMO where they could collect, train, and battle fantastical creatures. By borrowing from the Pokemon formula, making improvements in some areas, and adding the ability to battle with and against other players and their teams of adorable monsters, Temtem created its own unique world.
The Airborne Archipelago and its six regions where the game takes place is a fascinating and vibrant universe for gamers to explore, and Temtem's take on Pokemon has just enough features of the original to maintain its winning formula while still including its own ingredients to make it feel distinct. The design of the world, the creatures, and the cartoonish characters is fun for a game, but it would also transition seamlessly into an anime setting as well.
Adapting It To An Anime
Video games have a tumultuous relationship with screen adaptions, with many failing to live up to the success of their game forerunners. There are, however, a handful of series that managed to transition successfully, like the critically acclaimed Arcane based on the world of League of Legends. One of the original successful adaptions was the Pokemon animated series. Launching shortly after the release of the first games, the Pokemon series has a special place in the childhood of many gamers, with its energetic and wholesome tone and its fidelity to the games.
It was an example of how an animated series can perfectly encapsulate its video game origins, as well as continue to expand the world and bring the franchise to new audiences. At the moment, Temtem is still flying fairly under the radar, and it can't necessarily match up to other mainstream MMOs on the market or its Pokemon origins. But an anime could really elevate the game to new levels and widen its reach significantly.
Just like Pokemon, Temtem would work incredibly well as an anime, with its already stylized look, great attack animations, and interesting 2v2 combat system to show off. The game has introduced a new and interesting world to explore, and there's plenty of lore that is waiting to be deepened that an anime could handle much more effectively than a game could. Temtem's creatures are well-designed and distinct, and turning them into anime characters would all but ensure their continued popularity. Temtem's slightly more complex story has all the elements of a hit that could appeal to many age groups, making an anime series seem like a no-brainer.
Temtem is available to play on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
