For the first time since 1999, Pokemon developer Game Freak will be venturing into the world of home consoles. The studio has announced that they will be partnering with Sega in order to release Tembo The Badass Elephant for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC this summer.
I’m not sure I could do the plot of Tembo The Badass Elephant justice, so I’ll just let Game Freak fill you in:
Shell City is plunged into a state of emergency after coming under attack from the devastating forces of PHANTOM, led by a mysterious masked commander. Terrifying war machines, emblazoned with skulls, tear through the city leaving a trail of destruction in their wake!
As the National Army struggle to contain PHANTOM, General Krenman sees the mammoth task at hand and calls upon the only thing that stands between Shell City’s obliteration and its salvation; the peanut chompin’, villain stompin’, PHANTOM romping BADASS Elephantidae TEMBO THE BADASS ELEPHANT!
Together with his loyal partner Picolo, Tembo will smash and bash through 17 unique levels filled with the forces of PHANTOM. All of the action will be visualized through gorgeous 2D comic-book style art.
Just from the debut trailer, I’m getting strong Donkey Kong Country vibes from Tembo The Badass Elephant. That’s certainly not a bad thing in my eyes though, as Rare’s influential platformer is one of my personal favorites. It’s also probably for the best that Sega farms out development to another studio, as their in-house efforts have certainly been lacking as of late.
We will continue to have coverage of Tembo The Badass Elephant over the coming months. For now, though, let us know what you think of Game Freak’s latest effort in the comments section below.