Tempopo Review

I don’t envy game developers when they’re in the position of having to follow up a massive success story, created through dedication and heart, that’s a lot of pressure on those collective shoulders. It’s so easy to rest on your laurels, work with what you know to dial in a solid sequel. Not so Witch Beam, the Aussie studio that shot to fame with its sophomore outing Unpacking, a comfort food puzzle game that itself was vastly different to their twin-stick shooter debut, Assault Android Cactus. Tempopo offers another opportunity for the team to flex their imaginative muscles, this time through observation and rhythm, and I’m glad to say the team are now three from three from banger range.

Hana’s musical flowers have been scattered from the garden and across platform puzzles not unlike those seen in Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker, top-down 3D designs where moving the camera around reveals the full path ahead. You must solve each level by correctly guiding the Tempopo (uncoordinated flower-like creatures that you tell what to do) to collect every flower on screen. This is accomplished across two phases, starting with placing task icons across a puzzle in the right places, before watching the Tempopo bounce around on their own, reacting to your instructions to reach the exit. Do it right, and they’ll collect the flowers and reach the goal with glee.

There are 60 levels to begin with that gradually increase in complexity and size, each handful designed around the four seasons. The first lot I found very easy to complete, only involving one or two Tempopo at a time and slowly introducing each command at your disposal. Once you reach the latter stages of Autumn and Winter, the complexity starts to build, and you’ll be juggling four or more Tempopo across numerous hazards, involving an increasing number of guidelines needed to create a path for them to safety.

You wouldn’t hurt a guy with glasses, would you?

You’ll have a handful of ability commands you can make use of. The most basic of which points a Tempopo in the right direction, though you’ll rarely come across these arrows. Instead, you’ll be making use of transformative powers, turning a Tempopo into a large block that can force other Tempopo in a different direction or can be pushed around to clear an obstacle or create a new path. A Tempopo can also morph into a flight pad, boosting anyone behind it into the air and gliding forward to the next available block.

You can also tell a Tempopo to destroy or push what’s ahead of it, whether that’s an obstacle, block or another Tempopo that bounces into view. Push became the most important ability to me, and the most satisfying, as you watch one Tempopo push another Tempopo block across a space, just in time for a third to hop onto. All of this comes with some caveats, namely some dino shaped skulls that will eat any Tempopo it comes across, or pits of spikes you can accidentally fall into. Not every Tempopo has to survive the level to complete it, mind, so a sacrifice or two isn’t out of the question as long as all the flowers reach the goal.

I preferred the slow and steady method of solving each puzzle, making use of the restart button to methodically build out my solution. I’d observe each Tempopo’s pathway bit by bit, allowing them to show me where it could go wrong or what possible directions they could go. My Captain Toad experience came in handy as I constantly swiveled the camera freely to get a better angle on every corner of each level, and no matter how many times I had to hit ‘go’ it felt fun to watch the proceeding results play out.

This can’t possibly end badly.

That quick restart ensured any mistakes I made could be quickly rectified, an easy-to-use control scheme making adjustments straightforward. Whether you’re on PC or console (in my case, Steam Deck), there’s no need to worry about how you interact. It’s as simple as placing your cursor at the desired location, bringing up the small radial menu and choosing which function you want to add. You can edit these as often as needed, and during the normal mode of play you’ll know exactly how many of each ability you can use to solve the logistics of each level.

Hit the pause button and you’ll also have an option to ask Hana for a clue, a handy feature if you do get stuck, that will point out if you placed the wrong command in the wrong place. Hana never outright tells you what to do, outside of where to pop a function across the grid, but its addition is a welcome one to use in a pinch. It’s entirely optional, so if you prefer glaring at a puzzle for minutes on end before the solution dawns on you, that’s entirely up to you.

Tempopo provides numerous approachability features, including the option to scale the difficulty to what you prefer, or how you interact with the world control wise. It’s a praiseworthy achievement to have a puzzle game with a broad range of options, allowing anyone to pick up and play at any level of experience. That includes the ability to play with one hand using a mouse (or touchscreen if you have a Nintendo Switch), or removing time or move limits to reduce any stress levels and just enjoy the puzzles at your own pace. Appropriately, Tempopo never punishes you for changing back and forth at any time either, you can make these changes in an instant.

Outside of its feature sets, Tempopo stands above with plenty of colour and clever character designs. Everything is meticulously crafted to avoid clashing with one another, making it easier to deduce friendly flower from dastardly chomping monster head. Hana appears in the right corner to conduct things, reacting both positively when things go according to plan or hilariously bummed out if it falls apart. I love little touches like this, expanding the world beyond the puzzle itself, and when Hana gets to sing her heart out once you complete a themed world you can’t help but smile at its adorableness.

When the puzzles get too tough, just sing along

The included soundtrack by audio director Jeff van Dyck stands out, colorful and engaging as it encapsulates what’s happening on screen with some genuine bopper tunes. You’ll also get the chance to create your own symphonic melodies with the flowers you rescue within The Melody Garden, a wonderful bonus feature that’s surprisingly deep in terms of options. I did my best to create some thumping beats of my own, but I’ve seen the wizards at Witch Beam recreate the Tetris theme among other wonderful arrangements. I can imagine plenty of other players will get a kick out of this mode, and I’m looking forward to seeing how wild they get with it.

Once you’ve rolled credits and saved all the flowers, a further 60 or so levels will unlock for those willing to really challenge themselves. All good puzzles games tend to keep the best parts a secret, and these are some of the most cunningly crafted of the entire package and are well worth checking out. With this added content, there’s just enough within Tempopo’s joyful package to please any kind of puzzle lover, but there’s also plenty of space to expand further in the future, and I certainly hope that’s the case.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed my time watching the little Tempopo buds flapping about to my unintentionally silly commands, perhaps more so than solving the puzzles themselves. I don’t know what that makes me, but it’s a sign that Witch Beam has crafted more than just another puzzle game to wile away a few hours. There’s a lot of love and care in each element of its design, making it desirable to every level of skill or age.

Reviewed on PC // Review code supplied by publisher

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