Tempest Rising: A Nostalgic RTS Masterpiece
From the moment I launched the Tempest Rising demo, I was hooked. The opening cinematic, complete with cheesy dialogue from heavily armored soldiers and a nervous scientist, brought a smile to my face. The music, UI, and units perfectly captured the essence of my high school years spent playing Command & Conquer with friends fueled by Mountain Dew, Pringles, and sheer exhaustion. This modern take on a classic RTS is a blast from the past, and I'm eager to see what Slipgate Ironworks delivers at launch. Whether battling bots with surprisingly sophisticated AI in Skirmish or engaging in Ranked Multiplayer, Tempest Rising felt instantly familiar and comfortable.
This nostalgic experience is intentional. The developers aimed to create an RTS that evoked the classics of the 90s and 2000s, enhanced with modern quality-of-life improvements. Set in an alternate 1997, following a devastating World War 3 ignited by the Cuban Missile Crisis, the game introduces strange, energy-rich vines that power a new era.
Tempest Rising Screenshots
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The preview focused solely on multiplayer, leaving the story mode's 11-mission campaigns (one per faction) for later exploration. The Tempest Dynasty (TD), an alliance of devastated Eastern European and Asian nations, and the Global Defense Forces (GDF), a coalition of the US, Canada, and Western Europe, are the primary factions. A third faction remains shrouded in mystery.
The Tempest Dynasty immediately captivated me, not only because of the ludicrous Tempest Sphere – a death-dealing vehicle that crushes infantry – but also due to their "Plans" system. These faction-wide bonuses (three types) are activated via the Construction Yard, one at a time, requiring sufficient power. The 30-second cooldown between plan switches is minimal.
The Logistics Plan accelerates building and resource harvesting, while the Martial Plan boosts unit attack speed, adds explosive resistance, and grants Machinists a health-draining attack speed buff. The Security Plan reduces unit and building costs, enhances repair capabilities, and expands radar range. I discovered a satisfying rhythm of economic growth (Logistics), rapid construction (Security), and aggressive offense (Martial).
This flexibility extends to base building. Unlike the GDF's stationary Refineries, the TD uses mobile Tempest Rigs to harvest resources, allowing for flexible expansion regardless of distance from the base. This made rapid expansion incredibly easy and effective, especially when strategically deploying Rigs to unseen locations for uninterrupted resource gathering.
The Salvage Van, a dual-purpose unit, is another highlight. It repairs vehicles but can switch to Salvage Mode, destroying nearby vehicles (friend or foe) and reclaiming resources. Ambushing unsuspecting opponents and stripping their vehicles of resources was incredibly satisfying.
TD power plants can switch to Distribution Mode, boosting construction and attack speed of nearby buildings (some upgraded structures even have cannons!), at the cost of taking damage. However, the mode automatically deactivates at critical health, preventing self-destruction.
While I favored the TD, the GDF offers its own appeal, focusing on allied buffs, enemy debuffs, and battlefield control. The Marking mechanic, where units mark targets for debuffs (reduced damage, increased damage taken, extended attack range) and Intel drops upon defeat, is particularly effective.
Tempest Rising3D Realms Wishlist
Each faction boasts three tech trees, offering strategic depth. Beyond the tech trees, advanced buildings unlock powerful cooldown abilities, adding another layer of strategic choice. The GDF, for example, can deploy spy drones, build beacons for remote construction, and temporarily disable enemy vehicles.
The TD's fewer, upgradeable buildings make structure loss impactful. The Lockdown ability prevents enemy takeovers but temporarily disables the building. The Field Infirmary, a deployable healing zone, proved invaluable.
There's much more to explore, especially the Custom Lobbies for cooperative play against challenging AI. Until then, I'll be content crushing bots with my legions of death balls.
