MMO Pokemon rival Temtem has a new roguelike in Steam Next Fest, and without even trying the co-op it's already one of the best demos I've played

The reveal of Temtem: Swarm, a new Vampire Survivors-style roguelike based on the Pokemon-adjacent MMO Temtem, was slightly divisive among fans of the main game. Some players worried the MMO-lite would lose support despite assurances from developer Crema that co-developer GGTech would help ensure the spin-off doesn't hog all the resources. Both games will be updated going forward, though Temtem is indeed done with massive updates after many years, and after playing the Temtem: Swarm demo in Steam Next Fest I can tell you which one I'm most excited for. I've played a lot of so-called Survivors-likes, and based on the demo, this one is going on or near the top shelf – and I haven't even tried the co-op yet. 

The formula will feel familiar. Temtem: Swarm is an isometric action roguelike where you run around while your collected weapons automatically fire off to cleave through thousands and thousands of enemies. Collect the XP they drop to unlock new weapons, supporting items, and upgrades, and after each round take a separate currency back to base to buff your character and improve your odds for future runs. Repeat until it's 1:57am on a work night despite your plans to only play one quick round. The Survivors rhythm works, and it works here. What Temtem: Swarm brings to the genre is a lovely wrapper as well as some clever milestones and objectives that shift that rhythm in fun ways. 

The point of these games, as far as I'm concerned, is to combine the satisfaction of making numbers bigger and popping bubble wrap – truly one of the most devilish and unassailable game loops ever devised. Pop go the dudes, up go the numbers, shing go the glossy new items, oooh goes my gamer brain. So far, Temtem: Swarm nails that and does it in a cute, characterful way by leveraging a roster of colorful creatures. The Temtem universe brings more than aesthetic strength, too; the ability to evolve your not-Pokemon during a run is a massive, visually obvious, and just plain cool upgrade – the kind of quantum leap that 10% more damage to your boomerang can't really manage. 

A few big moments also cut through the enjoyable but same-y grind. It feels like there are more projectiles and AoE markers to dodge compared to many Survivors-likes, and after getting spoiled by Holocure, I've come to enjoy this kind of back-and-forth over purely avoiding mobs of enemies. Temtem: Swarm also presents you with little objectives like summonable bosses or zones to defend, and if you can clear them you'll get an extra bite of loot. Similarly, at least in the demo, each round ends with a big boss fight with distinct attacks to watch out for. It's all nicely dynamic, which counts for a lot in a run-based game. 

I've only dipped my toe into the skill tree for one playable critter, but there's clear depth to progression – more than enough to keep me hungry for the cog-like currency that some enemies and challenges dish out. As always, focus on the armor and movement speed upgrades, people. Temtem: Swarm is very much another Survivors-like, but the three-player co-op I haven't been able to sample is a potential game-changer, and the fundamentals in this Steam Next Fest demo are ironclad. 

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