As soon as I launched the Tempest Rising demo, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. The opening cinematic, complete with its delightfully cheesy dialogue between armored soldiers and a wiry scientist, set the stage perfectly. The music, user interface, and unit designs all felt like a throwback to my high school days, spent late into the night playing Command & Conquer with friends, fueled by Mountain Dew and taco-flavored Pringles. Experiencing that familiar thrill in a new game set in the modern era is exhilarating, and I'm eager to see what Slipgate Ironworks has planned for the full release and beyond. Whether I'm diving into Skirmish mode to battle clever AI bots or engaging in Ranked Multiplayer, playing Tempest Rising feels as comforting as slipping on a well-worn baseball glove.
This nostalgic feel is no coincidence. The developers at Slipgate Ironworks explicitly aimed to craft a real-time strategy (RTS) game that channels the spirit of classic 90s and 2000s titles, while incorporating the quality-of-life enhancements expected from today's games. Set in an alternate 1997, Tempest Rising envisions a world where the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated into World War 3. In the aftermath of nuclear devastation, mysterious flowering vines emerged, brimming with electrical energy and heralding a new age of power for those brave enough to harvest them amidst the fallout.
Tempest Rising Screenshots
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While the demo I played was solely focused on multiplayer, I'm eagerly anticipating the story mode, which will offer two replayable 11-mission campaigns for each of the main factions introduced in the preview. The Tempest Dynasty (TD) represents an alliance of Eastern European and Asian nations, severely impacted by WW3, whereas the Global Defense Forces (GDF) unite the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. A third faction remains shrouded in mystery, as it won't be playable until the campaign is released, neither in the preview build, the Steam RTS Fest demo, nor at launch.
The Tempest Dynasty captured my attention, not just for its quirky 'death ball' vehicle, the Tempest Sphere, which amusingly rolls over enemy infantry, turning them into a paste, but also for its unique 'plans' system. These plans allow faction-wide bonuses in three distinct categories, activated through the Construction Yard—the starting building for all players. With a bit of extra power generation and a 30-second cooldown for switching plans, players can gain significant strategic advantages.
The Logistics Plan accelerated my structure building and resource harvesting, including speeding up my mobile harvesters. The Martial Plan, on the other hand, enhanced my units' attack speed, provided resistance against explosives, and allowed Machinist units to trade health for a 50% attack speed boost. Lastly, the Security Plan reduced costs for unit and building production, bolstered repair functions, and expanded Radar vision. I found a satisfying rhythm by cycling through these plans: boosting my economy with the Logistics Plan, rapidly expanding under the Security Plan, and launching aggressive attacks with the Martial Plan's combat enhancements.This flexibility extends to other aspects of the Dynasty's gameplay. Unlike the GDF's need for a Refinery to harvest nearby tempest fields, the Tempest Dynasty utilizes Tempest Rigs—mobile vehicles that can move to different resource-rich areas, harvest until depletion, and then relocate. This mechanic makes my favorite 'fast expand' strategy in RTS games more accessible than ever, as it doesn't matter how far these rigs venture from my base. In fact, deploying rigs to distant locations was an effective way to harvest resources undisturbed by opponents.
The Dynasty also introduces a fun unit, the Salvage Van, which can repair nearby vehicles or switch to Salvage Mode to destroy vehicles—regardless of ownership—and reclaim resources. I enjoyed the thrill of ambushing inattentive opponents, strategically placing a salvage truck next to their vehicles to both weaken their forces and bolster my own resources.Moreover, the Dynasty's power plants can switch to 'Distribution Mode,' boosting the construction and attack speeds of nearby buildings (some of which have cannons after upgrades) at the cost of taking damage. Fortunately, the mode automatically deactivates before buildings reach critical health, preventing self-destruction.
While I'm drawn to the Tempest Dynasty, the GDF offers its own intriguing gameplay dynamics, focusing on buffing allies, debuffing enemies, and controlling the battlefield. My favorite GDF synergy involves the Marking mechanic, where specific units can mark enemies. Defeating marked enemies yields Intel, a currency crucial for advanced units and structures. Investing in certain Doctrine upgrades (Tempest Rising's tech trees) can apply various debuffs to marked enemies, such as reduced damage output, increased damage taken, and extended attack range for units targeting them.
Tempest Rising3D Realms WishlistEach faction boasts three tech trees, allowing players to specialize in different aspects of their faction's strategy. For instance, the GDF's 'Marking & Intel' tree complements the Dynasty's 'Plans' enhancement tree. Beyond tech trees, constructing specific advanced buildings unlocks cooldown abilities that can dramatically influence battles, such as area damage, troop spawning, and GDF-exclusive features like spy drones, remote building beacons, and temporarily disabling enemy vehicles.
There's much more to explore, and I'm excited to delve deeper, especially with the launch version promising Custom Lobbies for cooperative play against the clever AI bots, which demonstrated sophisticated tactics in Skirmishes. Until then, I'll continue enjoying solo battles, crushing my bot opponents with my swarms of death balls.
