Following an initial tease last week, Sega and Game Freak today announced a partnership to develop an all-new Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC game called Tembo The Badass Elephant.
The game, developed by Game Freak and published by Sega, is described as a "larger than life" 2D side-scrolling action game. It launches this summer, and you can watch its first trailer above.
Tembo The Badass Elephant is set in the fictional world of Shell City, which is facing a state of emergency after the nefarious "Phantom" group attacks it. There is only one creature that can save the day, a "peanut chompin', villain stompin'" elephant named Tembo.
Working together with his bird friend Picolo, players will jump, punch, and "butt stomp" their way through 17 levels. As you can see in the trailer above, Tembo The Badass Elephant features all manner of fierce enemies and a comic book-style presentation.
Sega's announcement of Tembo The Badass Elephant was stuffed with elephant puns, including some in a prepared statement from Sega VP John Clark.
"We're delighted to be working with Game Freak to bring this heavyweight adventure to an audience we feel it will have relephants to," Clark said. “It's a trunkful of fun and we think gamers are going to love it. Hopefully more than my rubbish elephant puns."
For a closer look at Tembo The Badass Elephant, check out the image gallery below. This game looks interesting, for sure, but Stampy is still my favorite pachyderm.
Looks kinda cool. This might be fun... I'll wait and see.
Hmmmm...looks like wario shake to me, just with a elephant
I like the art style used, let hope the game is fun.
LOL and people were hoping for a pokemon mmo, guess it's kinda similar...
I actually quite like the art style, not sure about the elephant tho!
Is anyone else getting STRONG Donkey Kong Country vibes from this clip?....
@incrediblmullet Read your comment, then watched the trailer. At first I was like, "Nahh...", but then when he jumped into that canon and did the barrel roll, did a homing attack, and also upon realizing the collection sound is very similar to the banana's in DKC, I changed my mind - definitely agree! Not necessarily a bad thing though.
This actually looks kinda fun. Will keep a watch on it.
It looks like someone added lots of destruction effects to a mobile runner. Even the art style looks like the free games my little nephew plays on the iPad. The ad doesn't show any interesting mechanical hooks besides breaking stuff, so the platforming looks very shallow. Maybe it was just not a great advertisement, but I not feeling it right now.
DUMBO, that is how they got the name TEMBO so origional.
@win10do Digital Domain was actually working on a movie about an elephant named Tembo not too far back. Never got made though. http://www.cartoonbrew.com/how-to/the-legend-of-the-legend-of-tembo-77114.html
Do people actually have fun with these side-scrolling games?
@lonesamurai1 This one looks like a F2P iPad game. Other side-scrollers? Yes.
Yes lots of fun actually.
Would you believe me if I told you there was once a time when about 90% of all video games were side-scrollers and that people actually had fun with them?
This looked like great fun I love challenging platformers.
Nice 2D graphics but the main character isnt fun imo.
made by the ones who made pokemon? nope dont care!
It's Tembo Mother F*#kers!!!
nothing about this looks like it will sell at all.
It's real weird seeing Game Freak make games for other consoles, even though I know Nintendo doesn't own them. The guys who make a kid-friendly game involving some of the cutest creations ever imagined, are making a game about a "BADA$$" elephant that dodges gun fire from humans, and rocket fire from choppers. Is this even considered kid-friendly? I don't know what is and isn't anymore. Not that I care much, I played Mortal Kombat when I was a kid, and I turned out fine...
...Ignore my username.
I didn't see any blood so it can't be too bad.
@Too-DementeD Who said Game Freak has to make kid friendly games? Nobody I know of...
And that, people, is why, no matter how great are the games you make, you shouldn't partner with the makers of Sonic Boom....
every now and then game freak likes to remind us that they are not, in fact, owned by nintendo.
it's kinda baffling, though, that a cute 2D sidescroller would be released everywhere EXCEPT the one place where cute 2D platforms are the norm.
Hey I know what we should do! Let's make a game for every system EXCEPT the one made by the guys who made sure we stayed alive and brought us in a lot of money! Besides, it's not like 99% of our user base is located on those systems anyway!!
While the game looks decent (feels too much like DKC...even in sound effects, though), it's pretty hurtful for them to spit in the face of the people who keep them afloat (the Nintendo users who buy all their games). I mean, it's not like it would be complicated to learn how to develop for Nintendo considering that is almost all they've ever developed for. So would it have required THAT MUCH in extra resources to make it for Wii U as well?
Smells like another Bungie all over again (backstabbing the people who kept you alive). I guess we'll see what happens.
Instead of being bitter why don't you play the game when it releases. Only fanboys get upset over something so stupid.
@tiffanystarrxxx I agree with the point he's making. It would have been nice for GameFreak to throw a bone to the audience that has supported it, and put it on their systems as well. I don't agree about the Bungie part though, since Bungie is still supporting the XBox audience.
@Bowser05 Wait. Nintendo kept Game Freak alive? LOL. You're funny. No, Pokemon would've still sold well if it released on another console buddy. Nintendo isn't Game Freak's lifeline, but Nintendo's mobile platform has definitely benefited A LOT over the years from Pokemon. Let's be realistic.
@Mraou @tiffanystarrxxx When even one third party game sells well on the Wii U, I'm sure third party developers will change their mind about it... Just saying.
Not...exactly what I expected, but it doesn't look bad.
I thought it would be a Donphan game when I saw the teaser announcement. It was Sonic the elephant all along!
What? How is this...what?
OMG this looks fantastic.
Could'a fooled me into thinking it was a mobile game.
Still, GameFreak is getting more and more daring by the second. Any day now, they may release a mainline Pokemon game non-exclusive to Nintendo. A mobile Pokemon game would explode the internet.
@elheber You know what would break the world? An augmented reality mobile pokemon game.
You use your smartphone camera to look for pokemon around (in bushes, tall grass, trees, lakes, etc.) and, depending on your geographic location (near the sea, mountain area, forest, etc.) a certain type of pokemon appears.
The game can find trainers near you, and you can battle them for gold and glory.
Real players are Gym Leaders, and you have to find them to win a Badge.
Release that and people will leave their lives to become pokemon masters.
@elheber GameFreak doesn't own Pokémon, The Pokémon Company does. GameFreak is just a developer of the Pokémon games. And, according to their wikipedia, Nintendo owns and is the parent company of The Pokémon Company. Aside from arcade, PC and mobile spin-off games, I highly doubt we'll see Pokémon on Nintendo's rival systems.
@elheber While Gamefreak isn't owned by Nintendo, I'd be amazed if a deal didn't exist that kept Pokemon on the Nintendo platform. I wouldn't expect it on any other platforms any time soon.
@elheber Pokemon Snap 2...not restricted to on rails....for Wii U....using the gamepad as a camera screen....
If this was announced I would "wii" my pants haha
Dafuq did I just watch?
They really need to make a open-world, RPG pokemon game for console. Like Skyrim in a sense.
@Shantmaster_K Yes, another Wii U exclusive....
@Shantmaster_K My wish is that Nintendo announce a new console to arrive before the end of 2017 (5 year life for Wii U seems fair), and the tent-pole launch title is an open-world Pokemon game.
I'd accept the game now, though.
Well I hope this finally puts to rest all the people who thought it was going to be a Pokemon related game despite the teaser image obviously being an elephant. It's strange they went for this though, this looks like the sort of game that would barely meet it's goal if it were shown on Kickstarter.
@catsimboy Getting funded on Kickstarter isn't much of an endorsement though...
Damn Republicans and their mascot propaganda.
Where's my Donkey Punch game?
@unreal849 I was hoping they are still on track for Pokemon Z.
@davillain- @unreal849 Wouldn't you rather have a new Pokemon game then a rehashed re-release of an old one?
Looks like a Wario GBA game - which I liked.
On my radar for my X1!
An Elephant Game huh, I hope he can fly.
@davillain- No they are making a Dumbo live action movie. The Elephant who could fly is dead.
@davillain- Because what is an elephant who can't fly XD
@Deadlysyns87 @davillain- Because CGI is never in live action movies.
SMH
@Vylsith @meedokicky @davillain- have you tried setting it to W for Wumbo
@meedokicky @davillain- Not Dumbo?
@meedokicky @davillain- a miserable pile of secrets...?