Tembo the Badass Elephant (PC) review "Ivory much enjoyed this one."

We don't see mascot platformers much these days. I figure part of their absence has to do with exhaustion from the bygone era, but most of it is simply that they're no longer en vogue. Really, I don't see many people these days pining for a game starring an animal—usually an anthropomorphic one—jumping around, smashing things, squashing simple cronies, incessantly collecting objects, and sometimes rescuing damsels. I would comment that such material isn't gritty enough for today's crowd, but everyone still seems to dig Pokemon and Animal Crossing, so what do I know?

Honestly, slowing the subgenre's releases to a trickle has worked wonders. For one thing, it's easier to ignore the more recent titles that aren't that great, like Croc's World, because they're obscure enough to escape everyone's notice. On the other hand, when well-known companies like Game Freak and SEGA release a new mascot platformer, it matters a hell of a lot more when it isn't the eighty-fifth hyped one to come out that year. So yeah, Tembo the Badass Elephant proved to be a refreshing revisit of that category, mainly because it had little competition.

This one stars an elephant who is not quite anthropomorphic. Sure, he dons a bandanna, wears Rambo-ish war paint, and seemingly bears a human-like sentience, but he is ultimately still a pachyderm who runs on all fours and communicates through grunts and trumpet blares. The titular titan has been called by his old friends in the US military, who remember enlisting his aid during the conflicts in Vietnam. Well, they need his strength again, this time to wipe out a terrorist organization simply called “Phantom,” which seeks to conquer the world.



Obviously, Tembo's main objective is bringing down the villains and their leader, Phantom Commander. However, there's more to the mammals journey than scotching a bunch of bosses, as some levels stand gated, only unlocking if you've destroyed enough of Phantom's soldiers and properties found in stages. And that's not all: he's also tasked with rescuing kidnapped citizens, with ten each imprisoned in the levels he visits.

Boy, does that sound exhausting...

Here's the thing: I'm a huge opponent of gating in video games. I detest having to grind or replay stages until I get enough perfect ratings to access additional areas in a game I already paid for. However, Tembo handles the mechanic a little more gracefully than most. You don't need to destroy literally everything, and you can easily bust up Phantom enough to skate by most of the gates. Hell, if you're the type to finish 100% of the campaign, annihilating all of Phantom is realistically attainable. Granted, you might need to restart some areas and do some moderate-level exploration and examination of each locale, making sure you didn't miss a breakable wall or floor, but this secondary goal is not too lofty.

Neither is rescuing all hostages, though a few of them are cheaply hidden out of sight. One I recall required me to watch a video, where I discovered the hostage lie on a platform suspended above the top of the screen, only reachable by launching a giant ball into the air just right to crumble the ledge. The view didn't scroll upward when I approached it, either, so I had no way of knowing he was there.



The worst of it is that stages branch at times, and it can be difficult to discern which branch is a detour and which takes you to a “point of no return,” resulting in you missing some Phantoms and citizens. You then consider if it's better to scrub a life—no, they aren't infinite in this one, though you can earn an extra one every time you nab three hundred peanuts, and continues are unlimited—or restart the stage if you wish to fully complete it.

You're probably wondering how an elephant accomplishes these feats. As it turns out, Tembo is a graceful master of combat. He dashes indefinitely at a ridiculous speed, allowing him to charge through obstacles and stimuli. Walls don't stand a chance against him; neither do cars, buses, houses, and just about anything else built by humans. This is easily the most satisfying part of the experience: blasting through neatly stacked environments, plowing over Phantom troops like pins in a bowling alley, and putting the hurt on their tanks, helicopters, and mechs.

Running at break-neck speed, however, is only Tembo's most basic technique. He also unleashes a nasty uppercut with his trunk, great for taking out airborne foes; executes a sliding kick similar to Mega man, except with damaging properties; sprays water from his trunk, allowing him to extinguish fire or dispatch heat- or electric-based enemies; and pull off a bounce strike by turning into a massive ball midair.

As you can tell, the experience doesn't merely consist of negotiating platforms and obstacle courses. Yeah, there's plenty of that, requiring you to properly hit long jumps with the dash maneuver or pull off a float technique, a la Princess Peach. Other areas showcase genre mainstays, such as trampolines, manholes, flying platforms, and a variety of hazards. Each stage is intricately built, too, as they see you venturing in numerous directions rather than the traditional “run to the right” format. Heck, you sometimes even climb into cannons and get blasted into the background to bust some fools up.



But outside of the platforming, you find plenty of combat. Often, it's not as simple as mowing down a bunch of basic goons, as they sometimes carry flamethrowers, swords, or guns that expel electric blasts. Of course, the aforementioned tanks and aircraft also crop up, usually while numerous other targets fire bullets at awkward angles. You not only find yourself weaving around traps and projectiles, but also taking choice shots with aerial strikes without taking too much damage.

And that's where things get somewhat complicated... To put it simply, Tembo has too many different attacks. Remembering all of them proves to be a chore if you've taken a break from the title, and sometimes they're more of a liability than a help. This notion especially rings true about the midair ball skill, as it sometimes activates at the worst times, causing Tembo to shoot downward inexplicably. I can't count how many times later in the proceedings I ended up shooting downward into a pit because of that stupid strike...

Altogether, though, the game remains a treat despite a couple annoyances. Sure, replaying levels because you accidentally missed a side area is irritating, and perishing because an unnecessary attack caused you to fall of the screen draws f-bombs, but the destruction, stage designs, and problem-solving-based boss encounters make this platformer well worth checking out.

Tembo the Badass Elephant effectively scratches the mascot platformer itch that's been sorely lacking from gaming. No, we don't need a deluge of cute animals wearing sunglasses to inhabit the genre, but it would be nice if bigger developers would occasionally step outside of their current comfort zones and toss us the occasional revisit of nearly-dead genres like this one.

Staff review by Joseph Shaffer (March 16, 2025) Rumor has it that Joe is not actually a man, but a machine that likes video games, horror movies, and long walks on the beach. His/Its first contribution to HonestGamers was a review of Breath of Fire III.