PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE BUYING THE GAME!

TemTem is NOT the "Pokemon Killer" some would have you believe. I was excited for it to release, but I will be refunding the game as soon as I am done creating this review.

When I first started the game, I was greeted by a queue, where I was #98540 in line to get in. I get it, it's early access on the day of release, but the wait times just to get in are terrible. I waited over 40 minutes before I was disconnected, and had to re-queue.

When I FINALLY got into the game, I got to make my character. The character creator is fairly limited, but it gets the job done. I'm sure if I got further into the game, there would be more clothing and hair options... If I could actually finish my character. It took me THREE WHOLE ATTEMPTS to create a character due to me getting booted out while I'm making them, have to re-queue AGAIN (for around 30+ minutes), and then try again.

Another issue is the naming system. I get that it's an MMO that's always online, so people can't have the same names. That being said, it's nearly impossible to find a common name of any kind without putting random numbers or letters thrown in. What's wrong with using your Steam name? The entire system is more complicated than it needs to be.

Now on the the worst part of the entire game, and the main reason for this review: the load times. Between finally finishing my character, leaving my house, getting my starter, and getting into my first battle, it took TWENTY MINUTES. TWENTY. That's not even counting the time it took to load the battle itself, which took 44 seconds of staring at a black screen, wondering if my game crashed or not. Once I finally got into the battle, simply PICKING AN ATTACK was like pulling teeth. Targeting an enemy Tem took around 11-20 seconds each time--hardly the thrilling battle I was promised. Battles became a chore that stopped me from exploring entirely. This is not a game you can pick up and put down on the fly.

I was very excited for this title to release, because I was hoping I would finally have something to play that isn't Pokemon Sword or Shield, since they've shown that they clearly don't care. But at least THEIR game is playable. I have a gaming laptop that can run Skyrim on max settings, and yet TemTem chugs on low settings, native resolution, and borderless windowed mode. The game as it is now is simply unacceptable.

My rating: 2/10 - The game looks fun and has some fun visuals, but you need to dedicate an entire hour to getting past the title screen.

EDIT: Since I played more than 2 hours of the game (by waiting in queues and loading screens and remaking my character several times), I am no longer eligible to refund the game. Brilliant strategy, Crema.

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE BUYING THE GAME! TemTem is NOT the "Pokemon Killer" some would have you believe. I was excited for it to release, but I will be refunding the game as soon as I am done creating this review. When I first started the game, I was greeted by a queue, where I was #98540 in line to get in. I get it, it's early access on the day of release, but the wait times just to get in are terrible. I waited over 40 minutes before I was disconnected, and had to re-queue. When I FINALLY got into the game, I got to make my character. The character creator is fairly limited, but it gets the job done. I'm sure if I got further into the game, there would be more clothing and hair options... If I could actually finish my character. It took me THREE WHOLE ATTEMPTS to create a character due to me getting booted out while I'm making them, have to re-queue AGAIN (for around 30+ minutes), and then try again. Another issue is the naming system. I get that it's an MMO that's always online, so people can't have the same names. That being said, it's nearly impossible to find a common name of any kind without putting random numbers or letters thrown in. What's wrong with using your Steam name? The entire system is more complicated than it needs to be. Now on the the worst part of the entire game, and the main reason for this review: the load times. Between finally finishing my character, leaving my house, getting my starter, and getting into my first battle, it took TWENTY MINUTES. TWENTY. That's not even counting the time it took to load the battle itself, which took 44 seconds of staring at a black screen, wondering if my game crashed or not. Once I finally got into the battle, simply PICKING AN ATTACK was like pulling teeth. Targeting an enemy Tem took around 11-20 seconds each time--hardly the thrilling battle I was promised. Battles became a chore that stopped me from exploring entirely. This is not a game you can pick up and put down on the fly. I was very excited for this title to release, because I was hoping I would finally have something to play that isn't Pokemon Sword or Shield, since they've shown that they clearly don't care. But at least THEIR game is playable. I have a gaming laptop that can run Skyrim on max settings, and yet TemTem chugs on low settings, native resolution, and borderless windowed mode. The game as it is now is simply unacceptable. My rating: 2/10 - The game looks fun and has some fun visuals, but you need to dedicate an entire hour to getting past the title screen. EDIT: Since I played more than 2 hours of the game (by waiting in queues and loading screens and remaking my character several times), I am no longer eligible to refund the game. Brilliant strategy, Crema.