Tempest Rising Preview: An RTS That Takes Me Back to the ‘90s

From the moment I launched the Tempest Rising demo, I had a great feeling. The opening cinematic, with its cheesy dialogue from heavily armored soldiers and a nervous scientist, instantly brought a smile to my face. The music, UI, and units felt like a nostalgic trip back to my high school days, pulling all-nighters playing Command & Conquer with friends, fueled by Mountain Dew, Pringles, and sheer willpower. This game expertly captures that feeling, and I'm thrilled to see what Slipgate Ironworks has planned for the full release. Whether battling bots in Skirmish or facing off in Ranked Multiplayer, Tempest Rising felt instantly familiar and comfortable.

This nostalgic experience is no accident. The developers aimed to create an RTS game that evoked the classics of the 90s and 2000s, while incorporating modern quality-of-life improvements. Set in 1997, Tempest Rising presents an alternate history where the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated into World War 3. The resulting nuclear fallout spurred the growth of strange, electrically charged vines, ushering in a new era of power for those daring enough to harvest them.

Tempest Rising Screenshots

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Since the demo focused solely on multiplayer, I'll have to wait for the story mode, which will feature two replayable 11-mission campaigns, one for each main faction. The Tempest Dynasty (TD) is an alliance of Eastern European and Asian nations devastated by WW3, while the Global Defense Forces (GDF) unites the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. A third faction exists, but details remain shrouded in mystery until the campaign's release.

The Tempest Dynasty immediately captivated me, not just because of the hilariously named Tempest Sphere—a rolling death machine that crushes infantry—but also because of their unique "Plans." These faction-wide bonuses are activated using the Construction Yard, allowing for strategic shifts in gameplay with a short cooldown.

The Logistics Plan accelerates building and resource harvesting, the Martial Plan boosts unit attack speed and provides explosive resistance, and the Security Plan reduces unit and building costs while enhancing repair and radar range. I found a satisfying rhythm cycling through these Plans—boosting economy, accelerating construction, and then unleashing devastating attacks.

This flexibility extends to other aspects of the Dynasty. Instead of stationary refineries, they utilize Tempest Rigs, mobile harvesters that move to resource fields, harvest until depletion, and then relocate. This makes rapid expansion incredibly efficient, allowing for safe resource gathering far from the base.

The Salvage Van is another fun unit; it can repair allies or, in Salvage Mode, destroy enemy vehicles for resource gain. I enjoyed ambushing unsuspecting opponents, destroying their vehicles, and claiming their resources.

Power plants can switch to Distribution Mode, boosting nearby building construction and attack speed at the cost of taking damage. However, this mode shuts off automatically at critical health, preventing accidental self-destruction.

While I favored the Tempest Dynasty, the GDF offers a compelling alternative, focusing on buffing allies, debuffing enemies, and battlefield control. The Marking mechanic, where units mark targets for debuffs and Intel gain (used to create advanced units), is particularly effective with certain Doctrine upgrades.

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Each faction has three tech trees, allowing for diverse strategic approaches. Beyond the tech trees, constructing advanced buildings unlocks powerful cooldown abilities that can dramatically shift the tide of battle.

The Dynasty's fewer, upgradable buildings make losing structures costly. Lockdown, an ability that prevents enemy takeovers but halts building functions, is a valuable counter. The Field Infirmary, a mobile healing zone, is also a great asset.

There's much more to explore, especially the Custom Lobbies for cooperative play against the challenging AI. Until then, I'll continue my solo campaign, crushing bots with my unstoppable Tempest Spheres.