"Tempest Rising: A Nostalgic '90s RTS Experience"

From the moment I launched the Tempest Rising demo, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. The opening cinematic, complete with its delightfully cheesy dialogue from armored soldiers and a reedy scientist, set the stage perfectly. The music, UI design, and units felt like a time capsule back to my high school days, staying up late playing Command & Conquer fueled by Mountain Dew, taco-flavored Pringles, and sheer excitement. Experiencing that feeling through a new game in today's world is exhilarating, and I'm eager to see what Slipgate Ironworks has planned for the full release and beyond. Whether diving into Skirmish mode to battle clever AI bots or engaging in Ranked Multiplayer, playing Tempest Rising is as comforting as slipping on a well-worn baseball glove.

This nostalgic vibe is no mere coincidence. The developers at Slipgate Ironworks deliberately crafted Tempest Rising to echo the classic real-time strategy (RTS) games of the 90s and 2000s, while integrating modern quality-of-life enhancements. Set in an alternate 1997, the game imagines a world where the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated into World War 3, leaving nuclear devastation in its wake. Amidst this chaos, mysterious flowering vines emerged, brimming with electrical energy and heralding a new era of power for those brave enough to harness them.

Tempest Rising Screenshots

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Since my demo focused solely on multiplayer, I'm eagerly anticipating the story mode, which promises two replayable 11-mission campaigns, one for each of the main factions featured in the preview. The Tempest Dynasty (TD), an alliance of Eastern European and Asian countries, represents those most affected by WW3's aftermath. In contrast, the Global Defense Forces (GDF) unite the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. A third faction remains shrouded in mystery, unavailable in the demo, the Steam RTS Fest demo, or at launch.

The Tempest Dynasty captivated me, not just for its whimsical 'death ball' vehicle, the Tempest Sphere, which delightfully squishes enemy infantry into oblivion. The Dynasty also leverages 'plans' to activate faction-wide bonuses in three distinct categories. Starting with the Construction Yard, the main building every player begins with, you can activate one plan at a time. With just a bit more power generation and a 30-second cooldown between switches, you're set to adapt your strategy on the fly.

The Logistics Plan accelerates construction and resource harvesting, making mobile resource harvesters move quicker. The Martial Plan enhances unit attack speed, provides resistance to rockets and explosives, and allows Machinist units to sacrifice health for a 50% attack speed boost. Finally, the Security Plan reduces the cost of units and buildings, boosts the Repair function, and extends Radar vision. I found a thrilling rhythm switching between boosting my economy with the Logistics Plan, speeding up construction with the Security Plan, and launching aggressive attacks with the Martial Plan's combat enhancements.

This versatility extends beyond just plans. Instead of the GDF's method of establishing a base with a Refinery to harvest tempest fields, the Tempest Dynasty employs Tempest Rigs. These vehicles roam to resource-rich areas, harvest until depletion, and can then relocate. This approach makes my favorite 'fast expand' strategy in RTS games smoother than ever, as the distance from my base doesn't matter. Dispatching Tempest Rigs to distant locales ensures they can harvest undisturbed, generating steady resources away from prying enemy eyes.

The Dynasty also boasts a quirky unit, the Salvage Van, which repairs nearby vehicles but can switch to Salvage Mode to destroy them, reclaiming resources for its owner. Sneaking these vans into enemy territory to obliterate their vehicles and steal resources is a thrilling tactic.

Moreover, Dynasty power plants can toggle to 'Distribution Mode,' accelerating construction and attack speeds of nearby buildings (some even have cannons, which is just awesome), albeit at the cost of taking damage. Fortunately, the mode automatically deactivates at critical health levels, preventing self-destruction.

While I gravitate towards the Tempest Dynasty, the GDF has its own charm, focusing on enhancing allies, weakening foes, and controlling the battlefield. My favorite GDF tactic revolves around the Marking mechanic. Certain units can mark enemies, who upon defeat, drop Intel used for advanced units and structures. Investing in specific Doctrine upgrades (Tempest Rising's tech trees) further debuffs marked enemies, reducing their damage output, increasing the damage they receive, and even extending the range of units targeting them.

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Both factions boast three tech trees, allowing players to tailor their strategy. For instance, the GDF's 'Marking & Intel' tree enhances this mechanic, while the Dynasty's tree amplifies the effectiveness of their 'Plans.' Beyond tech trees, advanced buildings unlock cooldown abilities that, while costly and with their own cooldowns, can dramatically shift the battle's momentum. While both factions can deal area damage and summon additional troops, the GDF uniquely offers spy drones, remote building beacons, and a 12-second attack disruption for enemy vehicles.

The Dynasty, with fewer buildings that can be upgraded, faces a significant setback when losing structures to enemy Engineers. To mitigate this, the Lockdown ability prevents enemy takeovers, albeit at the cost of the building's action. The Field Infirmary ability proved invaluable, allowing me to deploy a stationary troop-healing zone anywhere on the map, complementing the Dynasty's mix of infantry and repair-focused vehicles.

There's much more to explore, and I'm excited to delve deeper, especially with the launch version's Custom Lobbies enabling team play against the cunning AI bots, who impressed me with their hit-and-run and harrying tactics during Skirmishes. Until then, I'll continue my solo battles, gleefully rolling over bot enemies with my swarms of death balls.