A standalone experience focused on the 2v2 battles, out now
Six months ago, MMORPGTemtemintroduced a mode that let you jump straight into the game’s 2v2 turn-based battles, ignoring the busywork of quests, creature-catching, and all the other Pokémon-isms. Showdown was the mode’s name; something for the animal fight pit lovers in the room, rather than the plain old animal lovers. That mode has now been spun into a free standalone release aptly calledTemtem Showdown, out now.
Temtem Showdown is a totally free - and microtransaction-free - download and you don’t need a copy of the base game to jump in. You can just hop ahead to the game’s Steam page to get started.
The actual game seems just as unshackled as the price. From the get-go, you’re free to build your dream team of six Temtems without needing to actually catch the creatures from the creature-collectathon. You can then customise every creature’s SVs, TVs, and movesets - again, without the need to engage in levelling up and whatnot. Once your ideal party is ready, throw your probably-not-enthusiastic animal friends into ranked battles against other online battlers, competing to move up the skill ladder. Or you can practise and test out strategies against friends.
Temtem Showdown will also have a new Season every couple of months, which I’m guessing will coincide with the base game’s Seasons and balance patches.
“Temtem is a treat for Pokemon fans on PC,” reads ourTemtem 1.0 review, “innovating on the formula in meaningful ways while staying close to its roots.” In the months since its full release, the game has only become more like Nintendo’s behemoth with additions such asan official Nuzlocke mode.
The base Temtem game is available for £40/$45/€45on Steam, meanwhile, Temtem Showdown is a completely free download.
