DELTAZEAL
DELTAZEAL
Game
Game2015
TEMBO THE BADASS ELEPHANT
Developer GAME FREAK inc.
Tembo the Badass Elephant (stylized in all caps) is a 2015 platform video game developed by Game Freak and published by Sega. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on July 21, 2015. The game allows players to play as an elephant called Tembo, who has different abilities to smash through structures and objects, and is on a journey to rescue the metropolis known as the "Shell City" from an invading… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
224 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 1, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
69
Fresh
128 positive · 57 negative
95% range 62–75%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 128 | 57 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 10 | 2 | 24 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
219 of 315 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
70% recommend · 134 yes, 58 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 192 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (440 of 587 positive).
Players praise Tembo as a fun, fast-paced platformer that blends elements of Donkey Kong Country and Sonic the Hedgehog. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note the game is short but enjoyable, with tight controls and satisfying destruction. [4][5][6] A few players criticize imprecise controls, repetitive music, and a requirement to collect enough items to progress. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [13]
So it looks like a few of the members of Game Freak got tired of making Pokémon 24/7 and wanted to prove that they could make something that wasn’t Pokémon for platforms that aren’t Nintendo. So once they get the time and resources to do so, what do they make? …A quirky platformer starring Elephant Rambo versus thousands of purple alien robots. Part of me still can’t believe this game even exists. TEMBO THE BADASS …
- [7]
Horrible. - Terrible controls: they expect you to play like if it where a Sonic game or something like that but with awful control. - Boring music (and extremely repetitive): really, every world have like 1 song for the 5 levels in it and the "song" is a 5 seconds loop. - Super short: 15 levels. - Buggy: sometimes you can't collect all the civilians, sometimes it doesn't count the phantoms kills (both are the …
- [1]
Tembo the Badass Elephant is an old school 2D side-scrolling platformer with brawler's elements and its gameplay is similar to Sonic the Hedgehog franchise or to Donkey Kong Country series. We control - as you might imagine because of the game title - elephant named Tembo and it's very funy due to the fact that an elephant is generally associated with slowness and clumsiness. Graphic is similar to classic cartoons …
- [3]
A fun and fast-paced platformer you should not miss! Whoever made this game sure did their homework on how to make a good platformer. Taking obvious inspiration from classics such as Sonic and Donkey Kong, but with its own unique features (although being a much simpler and smaller game), Tembo is the perfect casual run-jump-and-smash to play and have hours of guaranteed fun. The game is fast and never boring. The …
- [2]
what a game if you like old side scrolls era games and nostalgia this is a must it remids me of the dk country saga blend with sonic saga if you like those games this is a must buy this gem know
Summarised from 34 of the 231 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
70% of the 192 Steam reviewers we collected recommend TEMBO THE BADASS ELEPHANT. The complaint that keeps coming up: imprecise controls can lead to frustration. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The initial reception of the game was positive, with critics surprised by the nature of the game and the game's protagonist Tembo. Comparisons were drawn between the game and the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Tembo the Badass Elephant received mixed-positive reviews upon release. Aggregating review websites Metacritic gave the PlayStation 4 version 71/100 based on 20 reviews. Chris Carter from Destructoid gave the game an 8 out of 10, praising the game's open-ended level design for allowing players to use different approaches to complete their objectives. In addition, he praised the game's artstyle, which he compared to works from Cartoon Network. However, Tom Orry from VideoGamer.com was much…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 224 · most liked firstSo it looks like a few of the members of Game Freak got tired of making Pokémon 24/7 and wanted to prove that they could make something that wasn’t Pokémon for platforms that aren’t Nintendo. So once they get the time and resources to do so, what do they make? …A quirky platformer starring Elephant Rambo versus thousands of purple alien robots. Part of me still can’t believe this game even exists. TEMBO THE BADASS ELEPHANT (caps are ) plays like a cross between Donkey Kong Country and Sonic…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I actually hadn't realized until last week that Beast of Reincarnation is less than a month away. There's a new Gamefreak game that's not Pokemon and isn't Tembo the Badass Elephant or Giga Wrecker. That's scary.
neutral · AI labelView post →So out of weird curiosity, I was looking at "TEMBO THE BADASS ELEPHANT" which is developed by Game Freak and published by Sega. Mostly because I don't recall hearing much about it, the last Sega-published Game Freak game "Pulseman" was 20 years prior, and I don't think it got a Japanese release.
neutral · AI labelView post →Tembo the Badass Elephant is an old school 2D side-scrolling platformer with brawler's elements and its gameplay is similar to Sonic the Hedgehog franchise or to Donkey Kong Country series. We control - as you might imagine because of the game title - elephant named Tembo and it's very funy due to the fact that an elephant is generally associated with slowness and clumsiness. Graphic is similar to classic cartoons mixed with modern "2.5D" effects and it's pretty nice. Animations, control system…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game! Am i alone or do you hear the sounds of grabbing the nuts like donkey kong returns banana grabbing sounds? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=170OtqrSmco
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tembo the Badass Elephant from Game Freak. Believe it or not, the game's director @jamesturner.bsky.social cited Wario Land as one of his inspirations for this game. A fairly fun game all around, definitely worth a try. james-turner-42.squarespace.com/tembo #WarioLikes #WarioLike #WARIO-LIKE
positive · AI labelView post →Game Freak? The Tembo the Badass Elephant developer?
neutral · AI labelView post →Gamefreak if they made good games
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Horrible. - Terrible controls: they expect you to play like if it where a Sonic game or something like that but with awful control. - Boring music (and extremely repetitive): really, every world have like 1 song for the 5 levels in it and the "song" is a 5 seconds loop. - Super short: 15 levels. - Buggy: sometimes you can't collect all the civilians, sometimes it doesn't count the phantoms kills (both are the collectibles in this game). Stay away from it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →People surprised that Game Freak does more than just Pokemon have clearly never played Tembo the Badass Elephant and it shows
neutral · AI labelView post →you can always tell a real game freak fan by their knowledge of Tembo the Badass Elephant
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is not only a Donkey Kong Country-like, it's also a Wario Land-like. It's like Pizza Tower and AntonBlast, but BEFORE Pizza Tower and AntonBlast!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →what a game if you like old side scrolls era games and nostalgia this is a must it remids me of the dk country saga blend with sonic saga if you like those games this is a must buy this gem know
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →- This review isn't written by a native speaker, thank you for your understanding - - If you haven't found this review helpful or if you have found a mistake please leave a comment below - Rating Must Play ! - Key features below ---- Review after ----------------------------------------------- Play time needed (perfect) about 13 hours Gaming level between Casual and Gamer Achievement level between Casual and Gamer Game style Platformer; Action Game modes Story mode Graphics Very good. Story…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short and sweet. I was shocked by how good the level design was, it's very much on par with Nintendo's flagship platformer titles. There's a little bit of a learning curve to controlling Tembo as they have a lot of functions mapped to the dash button, but once you learn how to control them it feels fun, methodical, and rewarding. The game is surprisingly difficult. I had a few game overs on my playthrough, however it's not brutally difficult. I would only die once or twice on a stage, but it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Couldn't even play the first level because Tembo decided to game freak out and glitch a bunch. Restart didn't help, nor did switching to keyboard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drwmpjgs6xM
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't recommend supporting Sega. Even buying their good games supports bad practices. This one is just okay. If you don't care whether you support DRM that may repeatedly force you online for re-validation; or make games that use it eventually cease to work for all legitimate owners; or you only care about this particular piece of software then it's safe to ignore the preamble & "score" of this review. I believe the rest of its contents are fair criticism. Buying any of Sega's products,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros +good visuals, good backgrounds, colorful +good sound design, very satisfying to smash through the environment as a big burly elephant Visuals and Sound both sell the vibes of the game very well +enemy design, they're not just cannon fodder, many require light strategy and require you to use Tembo's full moveset to defeat them, surprisingly challenging in groups Cons -screen is a little small, sometimes I just ran into an enemy and got damaged b/c I wasn't able to see what was up…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like Sonic meets Metal Slug!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I rolled a d6 to decide what game to play There was a 50% chance of warframe. A 33% chance of dark sector. And a 17% chance of Tembo The Badass Elephant. I am playing dark sector.
neutral · AI labelView post →I like this elephant
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fun and fast-paced platformer you should not miss! Whoever made this game sure did their homework on how to make a good platformer. Taking obvious inspiration from classics such as Sonic and Donkey Kong, but with its own unique features (although being a much simpler and smaller game), Tembo is the perfect casual run-jump-and-smash to play and have hours of guaranteed fun. The game is fast and never boring. The constant destruction is satisfying. There are secondary missions to keep you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's interesting seeing Game Freak outside the context of their Pokemon wheelhouse, and Tembo has a really interesting visual style to it. There's a decent amount of fun to be had playing the game, but the imprecise controls can lead to some frustrating situations, and overall the game doesn't bring anything too interesting. Only pick it up if you're super interested. EDIT: The more I play it, the more I dislike it. Don't bother.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rather not a good game. This is one of those collect 300 things to proceed - type of game. Levels are not fun to play and it´s all about collecting, and if you don´t collect enough then it won´t let you proceed, so you end up repeating same tedious levels over and over again. Also easiest way to get health is to die, levels are full on enemies and traps what hurt you but the game doesn´t give you health, so after checkpoint it´s wise just die if you don´t have health, and that is not the way…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →WHAT A SURPRISE! Tembo is a GREAT action platformer with many ideas and a very solid console-feeling. I tried the demo and was very impressed, Tembo is nice to play and control, has many moves that gives the game a good variety on gameplay. If you would like to play retro action platformers with modern HD graphics, this game is for you. Gfx is also very good and the elephant with is old action movies reference makes you smile. BUY THIS GAME NOW, it's great fun: 9/10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A nice and enjoyable platformer. It has given me a feeling of playing a light version of Donkey Kong Country. Around 3 hours long, some variety on levels, time attack mode, little exploration, some hidden stuff, nice animations. You can get additional time if you aim for achievements. There is global leaderboards per level, but they are broken, better play against your friends. Some control mechanics were annoying for me, for example, try to attack up meanwhile i was running sometimes didn't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I picked up Tembo The Badass Elephant on sale and I'm enjoying it! I know it had a rough launch (it's a Game Freak game, so...), but it's a fun animal mascot platformer with a lot of destruction. My kinda game! I may not finish it, but for under $4 it's solid.
positive · AI labelView post →I feel bad for not playing this game more. It's honestly a really fun game, and while I don't feel drawing to play this game, whenever I do give this game a go, it has me smiling like a clown. The gameplay is fast paced and satisfying, the puzzles aren't too cryptic, and for pete's sake! It stars a fricken elephant! That, alone, is an automatic thumbs up from me. Even then, I do think it's a pretty underrated game in its own right, being both quirky and charming, but having fun, fast paced and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game Freak makes amazing games when they aren’t forced to make Pokemon. Remember Tembo the Badass Elephant? (Actual name) It was like Wario Land mixed with Yoshi’s Island. Game Freak deserves to be let out of its Pokecage.
neutral · AI labelView post →That being said, they range from mixed bags to being pretty damn awful, like I only recommend Tembo the Badass Elephant from this list. Outside of that they made Harmo Knight on the 3DS, Pocket Card Jockey on 3DS and Switch and Pulseman which is where Pikachu's Volt Tackle came from.
positive · AI labelView post →Reminder that Game Freak also made a game called Tembo the Badass Elephant They have quite the range en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tembo_t...
neutral · AI labelView post →Its a fun platformer where going fast gives you combo bonus for getting extra lives. So if you asked yourself "what if the good sonic game had an elephant instead?", well you will get this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I picked this up during a SEGA sale a while back on an impulse and finally got around to playing it, my biggest regret is not playing this game sooner. Bar none one of the best platformers of all time. Everything is incredible from the movement, to the stage layouts, to the visuals. Obviously, you could JUST play the game, but for people who are a sucker for optimization and speedrunning, even from the first stage the game shows you a lot of different ways to get around; and as you play you'll…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Looking for a Quick 2D side scroller fix? Would highly recommend Tembo! Develop by the Pokemon devs, the game has great music, sounds and good lvls.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is a lot of positive things like good level design, destructive environment, responsive control, reasonable difficulty, beautiful graphics, sense of humor and variety of moves. There are also some negatives like the absence of upgrades, generic enemies and some annoying passages. Some co-op multiplayer would also suit the game. Pros: - level design - destructive environment - control - difficulty - graphics - sense of humor - variety…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not sure what was up with the game, but the control were very buggy. I couldn't walk at all, and the only way to move was by rolling or sprinting. Jumping would fly me off of the screen and it was difficult to leave a roll action as it required me to press down but even that didn't work reliably.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Alright, so, even though I don't recommend this game, by no means does this mean that this game is bad. In fact, it has a beautiful and consistant artstyle, fun comic panels, fun little comic related jokes and is also mostly fun to play! So why the bad review? Well, while the game is overall fun and pleasant to look at, I'm pretty sure there is a reason that Gamefreak does pokemon games and not platformers. The game has a hard time deciding what it wants to be, one second you're supposed to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played until the middle but got bored and didn't finish it. Controls needed to be "tighter", in this day & age with so many options, in a 2D platformer game that is a must have.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unplayable. I couldn't even move or jump without the game fundamentally bugging out.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tembo the Badass Elephant (i love this name) is a good platformer. I enjoyed my time with it and would recommend it to anyone who likes these kind of games. The game consists of various zones, which all have a different theme and bring some new obstacles/enemies. Tembo's moveset is the same from start to finish. Only the new environmental aspects alter the gameplay a bit. This is my biggest issue with the game, there is very little progression. Other minor negative aspects are, that the camera…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A the outset I felt a surge of excitement that so much potential was going to be realized, given what they showed me of Tembo's abilities. It presents well, feels exciting, has a unique and fun protagonist with cool moves, neat graphics with a pleasing palette of colors, good sound and music, cinematic presentation, etc. And yet somehow the entire thing fell flat. After maybe an hour I was bored to tears, having seen everything the game had to show me within the first 5 minutes. The levels…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tembo The Badass Elephant is a pretty nice 2D sidescroller which reminds me of the games I used to play in my childhood, like Sonic & Knuckles, for example. The gameplay is quite simple: you have to reach the end of the level, killing enemies and rescuing civilians along the way, and you can also collect peanuts to earn extra lives. Tembo also has a few different abilities, like dashing, or using his trunk as a hammer (or as a water hose), which are useful for fighting the different types of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This art is so cool! Plus it reminds me of the game Tembo the Badass Elephant with was actually made by GameFreak!
neutral · AI labelView post →Today I learned that Game Freak made a title called "Tembo the Badass Elephant" and now I need to try it.
neutral · AI labelView post →Overall it is not bad but plays like so many others I have played in the past it really doesn't stick out. Overall gameplay loop is fun for a bit but bugs got frustrating. Good for a playthrough maybe 2 but honestly wouldn't ever play it again after that. Also not a huge fan of the final boss as there are is an odd bug when attempting to hit him for the last few hits.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The more advanced their graphics become, the worse they run. Game Freak really are much more comfortable making games with simpler art styles that can scale down to potato hardware: see also Pocket Card Jockey, Tembo The Badass Elephant and any pre-Switch Pokemon game.
neutral · AI labelView post →Forgot to write a review on this game but here goes: Its a really fun action platformer with some good humor and Tembo is a loveable character. SEGA please make a sequel.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tembo is a badass elephant and wreaks havoc against the evil army known as "Phantom". The ticket is worth the ride, however some control issues that could be mitigated by actions having alternate input options would have relieved some frustrations and do-overs. also for some reason this game does require some computer juice pre-2010 cards need not apply. 8/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tembo is a "brute platformer" that behaves a bit like Donkey Kong Country, but places importance on killing enemies and destroying their installations. Killing enemies and destroying specific objects gives you points, and three times in the game you will need a certain amount of points to progress, but I never found this to be annoying or restrictive. It helps incentivize bad players to look for all the secrets in each level. All of the controls are pretty tight, which is important. Tembo…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the game is very charming, controls like a flailing elephant in a good way, and I highly recommend any platform lover to play this
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished the game. Honestly, comparing it to something like Super Mario or Sonic? It's a rather silly mentality. It's a platformer. The first few levels are easy. But the difficulty jumps up rather quickly making this something to not push aside. The gameplay is surprisingly simple but fun. The level design is fun. At the start there is a bit of exploration to do but near the middle of the game, it becomes rather strict. Which is both a good thing and a bad one. A good thing because…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →not a bad game. But does not have full joystick support. Can't configure joystick without the game going hawire. No patches found.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is much like Tembo himself, slow to get going but once up to speed not a gosh darn thing can stand in the way. It really grew on me and I felt compelled to end Phantom once and for all.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →OMG! I just played the first 2 levels! WORTH IT! On sale, or even at full price! The short comic panels that open the game are hillarious. The Game looks amazing! You smash through the world as John Rambo, but as an Elephant. Crushing Bad guys, and saving civilians. They ride on your back when you save them!!! Highly recomend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you love fast paced platformers with loads of hype, this game is perfect for you!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A gorgeous Donkey Kong Country-style platformer directed by the guy who designed the ice cream Pokemon I'm not kidding, it was the same guy
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Man, I really want to give this game a glowing review, but some parts of it are infuruatingly difficult. Mainly, the level before the final boss, and the final boss himself. The rest of the game is difficult, but fair, but those last 2 bits cross the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ line on several occasions, in an attempt to artificially extend the length of the game perhaps. Took me roughly 5 hours to finish the game, and 2 of those were just on those last 2 parts... The developers clearly took inspiration from the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't bother, even on a sale. This is not the quality I expected from Game Freak. Bad performance, clunky controls, dumb music, bad sound effects, not even fun.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hard enough, despite the fact it can look easy. A slight touch of Sonic in it and it works nice. 8/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game Freak made smaller games once upon a time. Here's one. TEMBO THE BADASS ELEPHANT www.twitch.tv/prismaticrhy...
neutral · AI labelView post →
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