Tembo The Badass Elephant
Overview -
Far and above everything else, Game Freak is known for creating the 'Pokemon' series, however, the company has created more than the mega popular franchise. Their latest title, 'Tembo The Badass Elephant', is a collaboration with Sega, a company well known for its quirky, unique games. With such a pedigree on hand, just how well does this game stand up to the lofty expectations of these high-profile companies?
Video Review
'Tembo' stands up well visually. While it's certainly not an art style that pushes the PlayStation 4 to its limits, the graphics are both clean and colorful. The style mimics a comic book for its few cutscenes, and a cartoonish style for the levels and gameplay. Players will only have trouble making out enemies amongst the background if they're trying to dash through the levels, but that's not as much a graphical problem as it is the game itself punishing players for being careless.
Audio Review
The 'Tembo' soundtrack is also quite good. The tracks aren't the type I would listen to outside of the game itself, but do fit the game quite well. Also, the sound effects are a good fit for a game about an elephant destroying everything… even if they tend to drown out the music.
Final Thoughts
'Tembo The Badass Elephant' might have a few niggling issues with a short campaign and some difficult to reach requirements to access new stages, but all and all the title stands as solid as an elephant. It's a blast to play, smashing through enemies and exploring all of the levels, and is worth the time of anyone that enjoys platformers. It's by no means perfect, but this collaboration ended with both Sega and Game Freak on top.
