Tembo the Badass Elephant

Tembo the Badass Elephant is a really enjoyable game at its core, but it can get tiring to replay the same stage five times over just to grind out a few kills to see the next set of levels. It’s an odd design choice for sure, but most of you will probably enjoy dashing through unsuspecting Phantom Soldiers and butt stomping them into oblivion regardless.

Stomp terrorism!

Within the first few levels of Tembo, I was convinced that it deserves to be up there with the most revered of platformers. Its combination of humour, savage level design and colourful visuals make it an experience that feels familiar yet fresh and original. It also helps that Tembo himself is instantly likeable, which is notable to say that he is a 2D elephant who can’t talk. The game’s difficulty spikes may be an issue for some, but for those with patience, the experience will be hugely enjoyable and rewarding. In an age of countless shooters and open world adventure games, we only hope we s...

Tembo the Badass Elephant wants you to smile, and often, I did. Its charismatic protagonist, and the joy of stomping around and wrecking shop with him never got old, though the controls and level design would sometimes do as much to dampen the fun as facilitate it. Though it doesn’t always allow you to play it the way it seems to beg to be played, it still manages to be enjoyable overall until the credits roll.

Tembo has an arsenal of flashy and destructive moves at his disposal, but he's a bit too stubborn to be considered a badass of the absolute highest order. Still, the protein power of peanuts has supported a bone structure that doesn't buckle from a few fractures, thus ensuring the host is sturdy enough to endure a mission that fans of the platforming genre should find plenty rewarding. 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.

A few flaws short of a modern platforming classic, but although Tembo isn’t perfect he is exactly as badass as promised.

Overall, Tembo feels like a badass-tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog. It should have taken a few more pages out of the Blue Blur's playbook though in order to create a more complete experience that honored Sonic's legacy with consistent gameplay that focused on its strengths rather than constantly shining a spotlight on its weaknesses.

Tembo is on a mission. An evil military force has taken over, and it’s up to this peace-loving pachyderm to come out of retirement and stomp them out – permanently. After applying some Rambo-style face paint and getting airlifted to the front lines, the giant is ready to flatten the bad guys while providing safe passage for rescued hostages on his mighty back. Tembo the Badass Elephant’s flimsy story is right at home with the rest of this character-driven platformer, which harkens back to the genre’s roots.

Tembo could have been great, but sadly it's a game in which you're made to crawl over the line instead of gloriously smash through it.

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

Tembo the Badass Elephant should have been ten tons of fun, but instead it's a steaming pile of missed opportunity. This is Pokémon developer Game Freak's first PlayStation release since surgeon simulation Click Medic deployed in Japan over 15 years ago, and so it carries the weight of industry intrigue for that reason alone. But while there's a nifty Sonic the Hedgehog-inspired sidescroller hidden beneath several layers of fat here, the final product's got some serious junk in its trunk.

Tembo has modern Sonic's spirit - and level design. The pairing doesn't work here either.