Tembo the elephant
For instance, we've generally come to accept over the years that cannons often signify a one-way ticket to the next section of the level. From what we've seen so far, each stage has a wonderful sense of pace, height and rhythm, but you can easily miss entire sections (and therefore crucial Phantom soldiers) due to poor sign posting. It all adds up to make Tembo an incredibly striking and entertaining platformer, but we wish Game Freak had the same eye for level design as DK developer Retro Studios. ^ What's better than watching an elephant stampede into a row of minions? Watching a giant bowling ball do it for you Finding civilians is particularly delightful, as they not only let out a comically high-pitched whoop when you first discover them, but they also stay with you throughout the level, riding around on Tembo's back with arms flailing in the air like they're on a rollercoaster ride every time you break into a sprint. However, you'll occasionally need to resist the urge to plough headlong into the next obstacle, as there are plenty of secrets to be found beyond the game's crumbling stage furniture, including massive peanut caches and ten trapped citizens, each of which contributes another ten goons to your overall Phantom hit count. Naturally, he can also use his trunk to douse flaming crates and cool off red hot tanks, provided he has enough water reserves, of course. Tembo's also a more versatile hero as well, as he can reshape his trunk into a deadly hammer-shaped uppercut, slide kick along the ground to reach hidden passageways and dive bomb unsuspecting Phantom soldiers with a deadly diagonal cannonball attack. ^ Hammer out a trunk uppercut to get rid of pesky helicopters Even the peanut noise sounds eerily familiar to DK's banana pick-ups, but luckily Tembo's delightful range of expressions and trunk load of character make him a far more memorable protagonist than any of DK's largely forgettable Kong relatives. With a moveset that includes a floating jump, a devastating ground pound and a thundering stampede, anyone who's ever played a Donkey Kong Country game will feel right at home here. Look past the game's wanton love of carnage, however, and Tembo quickly starts to resemble another red-tied jungle dweller from the side-scrolling forests of Nintendo. The more stuff you destroy, the higher the number of peanuts you earn as well, which are crucial for making pots of life-regenerating peanut butter (of course). ^ Better move out of his way - this elephant never forgets a grudgeįortunately, with its recent foray into the rhythm action genre with 3DS title HarmoKnight, Game Freak has the art of creating satisfying thwacks and smacks down to a tee, and the escalating combo counter only serves to heighten that delightful science of aural gratification.