In the almost three decades since the release of the first Pokemon game that marked the beginning of a monster-taming video game era, Temtem stands out for its many customization options, increased difficulty, in-depth competitive battles, and more. Temtem is one of the best creature-collecting non-Pokemon games out there, and it is now launching its 1.5 update to breathe new life into the game with a third Mythical, Umbras, and more coming with Season 5, dubbed Endless Night. In an interview with Game ZXC, Crema Game Director Guillermo Andrades, Producer Mariana Irazu, and Art Director Cristina Jimenez discuss everything players need to know about Umbras, how they fit in the new Endless Night season, and what to expect from the new Mythic Lair and third (and final) Mythical Temtem.
Temtem is one of the hardest online multiplayer games on the market thanks to its campaign, which can be played either solo or with another player, as it comes with many difficult battles and surprises for players to handle. In patch 1.5, Crema is adding an all-new area called Fiery Inferno where players will be tested once more in a series of battles to complete a quest that will give them access to the third Mythical, Galios, and more secrets of the Endless Night. This includes Umbras, extremely rare critters that will top even Lumas with odds skyrocketing at 1 in 75,000 - however, they will be worth pursuing due to their perfect stats and access to all Egg Techniques exclusive to their respective species. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: A season called Endless Night seems the perfect place to introduce Umbras. Was this your plan all along or did you end up changing things around to better fit the schedule and theme of the release? Does the season itself have actual Umbra-themed content?
Andrades: Yes! This was the plan all along. Back when we released Temtem 1.0 we started toying with the possibility of adding Umbras and where to add them. Season 5 was perfect because it matched the anniversary date for Temtem, and having a year ahead would give us enough time to properly implement Umbras. Since Season 5 was the expected Season to feature the new Mythical Temtem, this gave us the ability to intertwine both elements to give them narrative cohesion.
Q: What does an Umbra Temtem actually mean for the base critter outside of the darker base color palette and effect? Will Umbras have distinct effects on their moves as well?
Andrades: It’s pretty much like the previously known Lumas, so only cosmetic changes on the Temtem itself. This time, all Umbras share the same colors and effects, to better distance them from Lumas.
In terms of Temtem gameplay, they don’t really have any advantages, but every Umbra comes with all perfected stats and all the possible egg techniques learned. They’re fully ready to go!
Jimenez: If I remember correctly the whole Umbras thing started as an inside joke almost at the beginning of Temtem's development. In fact, the art team liked the idea so much that we started to play with it with some of the Lumas, making them look like a dark version of the Temtem.
So, as soon as the Umbras became a reality, we were pretty clear about the artistic direction we wanted to take. We came up with some initial concepts ahead of Temtem's launch, and then it was a matter of fine-tuning the shader and VFX until we were happy with the result.
Q: How rare exactly will Umbras be compared to Lumas? Will Luma Tems become more common as a result or will their odds stay the same?
Andrades: Umbras are 10 times rarer than Luma Temtem, so that means the default rate for them is 1 out of every 75,000 Temtem that spawn. While this sounds like a crazy number (it is), there are some new hunting methods specifically designed for Umbras, but the idea is for them to be much rarer than Lumas and to be something for the truly dedicated players.
Lumas are staying at the same rate. We believe they currently are common enough while also being difficult to capture, especially if you are just coming out of the endgame island.
Q: Will Luma radars and other current Luma-hunting methods work for Umbra Tems or will they have their own separate items and currencies? Will Umbras be featured in the weekly Saipark selection?
Andrades: Luma-hunting methods and Umbra-hunting methods, while similar, are different. Methods that boost the Luma rate won’t boost the Umbra rate, so you’ll have to stick with the Umbra-hunting methods (Umbra radars) in order to hunt Umbras.
Umbras won’t be featured in Temtem's Saipark, at least for now.
Q: What do you think will be the impact of Umbras on the game and its current market? Will Lumas run the risk of being devalued in the face of rarer Tems?
Andrades: Umbras are Soulbound when captured by a Tamer, so that means they are not tradable. We spent some time deciding on that, but we believe it’s the best course of action in order to keep them more unique and as a reward for dedication.
The Umbra-hunting methods require having spare Lumas too, so we believe that Lumas are actually going to be valued even higher after this release!
Q: What was it like for you to design a brand-new quest, route, and final battle for Umbras after a long hiatus from PvE content being released? What were the challenges, if any?
Andrades: Even though it’s been a while since the last route we made, this route was planned since the beginning of the game, so we haven’t started from scratch. I think the development on it has been pretty smooth and every team has been very synced.
Jimenez: For the art team it was a nice change of pace after months of working on cosmetics for Temtem. It'd been a while since we had designed a Tem and route! We had been prepping certain things for a while, but when it was time to start development for real we were very excited and motivated.
We also knew that it was the game’s crowning jewel, and we wanted it to feel really special, so we went all in and took risks with things we hadn't done before. We are super happy with the final result and hope the players can enjoy it as much as we did making it!
Q: With the changes to Lairs and a new Mythical, do you expect there to be more Luma and Umbra Mythicals all around? Did you balance the odds with this in mind?
Andrades: Yes, we expect it, and it was the plan with the changes. We’ve always wanted to keep Luma Mythical Temtem as something truly special and unique, like a one-in-a-lifetime event that is granted to some lucky users. However, with time, we’ve also seen some frustration about this and not being able to do anything about it from the user's perspective, so we wanted to include an option to hunt for them even if it is still a very long and hard task to do.
Q: What is your personal favorite Umbra Temtem and why?
Andrades: I think I have to give it to Volgon, it just looks so menacing.
Irazu: Momo has been among my favorite Tems from day one and her Umbra self is really giving! Visually, Nagaise is another standout for me.
Jimenez: Agh! It's so hard to decide! But I would probably go with Innki, Aohi, or Thaiko as those are my most precious babies!
Q: Can you share anything else about the third Mythical Temtem and/or its upcoming Lair?
Jimenez: In terms of lore, Galios is responsible for keeping the archipelago floating in the air and is in charge of the rotation of Temtem's Pansun plates, so we thought that a space or galactic theme fit perfectly with it and its types.
That's why we wanted to give him a more ethereal look, as if his body was made of pure space matter and the only thing that really shapes him are the earth plates around him. This is very well showcased in his introductory cinematic.
The new Temtem Mythic Lair, of course, matches that same idea. It's really cool how in the last phase of the boss fight, it looks like you're about to get lost in a space vortex.
Q: One more question - how do eggs with one or two Umbra parents work? Can Umbra Tems breed with Lumas, and what would the final egg look like in terms of odds?
Andrades: Apart from being stat-perfected and Soulbound, Umbras are also infertile! So there is no breeding between Umbra Tems. However, that doesn’t mean that a couple of Luma Tems couldn’t have an Umbra child…
[END]
Temtem is available now for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.
