TEMBO THE BADASS ELEPHANT Reviews

TEMBO THE BADASS ELEPHANT is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.5 / 10.0
Aug 3, 2016

Tembo: The Badass Elephant is a very fun game, visually beautiful and with well designed controls, whose main attenuating is the short duration of it. But if you leave that aside, you certainly find a very entertaining and even addictive package. If you're a fan of old school platform games, do not forget to try it, I consider it the best of the genre in a long time. Play it, you will not regret it.

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7.4 / 10.0
Jul 27, 2015

In the end, Tembo the Badass Elephant is an enjoyable 2D platformer that's satisfying enough to warrant at least one playthrough.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jul 28, 2015

2D side-scrollers certainly aren't at the top of everyone's favourite genre. But a fun, new approach, a fantastic concept and beautiful design might well see Tembo become a mascot for the future.

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8 / 10
Jul 27, 2015

The cell-shaded graphics are beautiful, and the soundtrack and sound effects are notably pleasing to the ears

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Cubed3
Top Critic
7 / 10
Jul 20, 2015

Tembo the Badass Elephant's ride may be a very short one, but it is undeniably a high quality romp. The game has very high highs with very few low points and not a single bit of filler or wasted moments. Tembo can almost be too lean by being so utterly focused in upping the challenge, though. The design and aesthetics are 100% on the mark and it is curious that Game Freak doesn't do more original titles like this as often, since it is clearly very good at it. Game Freak is so much more than just Pokémon and Tembo the Badass Elephant proves it.

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7 / 10
Jul 19, 2015

If you're interested in enlisting with a pachyderm that throws himself around like an acrobatic anvil, arm your trunk and charge full speed ahead – Tembo the Badass Elephant has brought the ruckus to Xbox One.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 21, 2015

Tembo the Badass Elephant has a set of interesting ideas and manages to create a cool contrast between the protagonist and the feats that he manages to accomplish, but the full potential of the title is never realized by the team at Game Freak.

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7 / 10
Aug 4, 2015

Overall­ not quite a ton of fun but still bananas. Just don't tell Donkey Kong.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jul 21, 2015

Tembo the Badass Elephant is a goodhearted, challenging platformer where speed and rhythm sit at the forefront of the gameplay experience. It's really about getting into that great groove, where enemies are going "poof" every second and Tembo is in absolutely no danger 'cuz you've got him down cold. There are a few shortcomings but none of them should keep the intrigued from giving Tembo a go.

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Jul 22, 2015

The controls and the way they unpredictably unleash the wrong moves at the worst possible time really disrupt Tembo's platforming gameplay. Pair this with a no-mercy difficulty and you have a frustrating mess that could have been so much more.

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Jul 22, 2015

'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.

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Jul 21, 2015

If you are looking for a satisfying and whacky 2.5D platformer, this is a great game to pick up.

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6 / 10
Aug 2, 2015

Tembo the Elephant starts strong. It seems peppy and fun, with a protagonist you can't help liking. Then, it shifts gears. That change in tactics takes something that stands out and feels unique and makes it feel more like others in its ilk. It's the last thing it needed, since so many of Tembo's moves are shared with other heroes. It's entertaining enough, but doesn't quite define itself as one of the greats.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 13, 2015

I did like the game, and were it longer, I would have no trouble rating it higher. The short experience is the one thing that I feel holds the game back, but the overall experience is certainly worthy of a play through. I find it easy to recommend this title.

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7 / 10
Jul 31, 2015

Infused with excellent level design blended with all the good ideas from the 16bit greats of Donkey Kong Country, Yoshi's Island and Sonic the Hedgehog, Tembo the Badass Elephant is spoilt by the bizarre decision to force collectable progression in a game that feels based on travelling fast and hard, along with its reliance on one-stick-commands-all control scheme. Even so, anyone looking to spend an entertaining afternoon with a good platform game should dig their tusks into a jar of Tembo the Badass Elephant.

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4.5 / 5.0
Jul 24, 2015

Tembo the Badass Elephant is a platformer that only comes once in a while, making it an experience that no gamer can afford to miss. Game Freak takes a break from their Pokemon duties to show everyone that they're no one trick pony and that Pulseman was no accident.

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6 / 10
Oct 6, 2015

A nice concept let down by predictable design

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8 / 10.0
Jul 20, 2015

A strange hybrid of Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog, Game Freak once again proves that they can do so much more than Pocket Monsters.

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7 / 10.0
Jul 21, 2015

Solid gameplay and a charming art style make Tembo a good platformer, but poor replay value.

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5 / 10.0
Aug 10, 2015

A good idea, nice art style and mix of ideas, absolutely terrible gameplay.

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