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

As soon as I launched the Tempest Rising demo for the first time, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. The opening cinematic, with its delightfully cheesy dialogue between bulky armored soldiers and a reedy scientist, instantly brought a smile to my face. The music, UI design, and units all felt like a time machine back to my high school days, staying up late with friends, fueled by Mountain Dew and taco-flavored Pringles, as we played Command & Conquer. Experiencing that familiar thrill through a new game in the modern era is exhilarating, and I'm eager to see what Slipgate Ironworks has planned for the full release and beyond. Whether diving into Skirmish mode against clever AI bots or engaging in Ranked Multiplayer, playing Tempest Rising feels as comfortable as slipping on my favorite, well-worn baseball glove.

This sense of nostalgia is no coincidence. The developers at Slipgate Ironworks deliberately set out to craft a real-time strategy (RTS) game that harkens back to the classics of the 90s and 2000s, while incorporating modern quality-of-life improvements. Set in an alternate 1997 where the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated into World War 3, Tempest Rising unfolds in a post-nuclear world where strange flowering vines, brimming with electrical energy, have emerged. These plants offer a new source of power for those brave enough to harvest them amidst the radioactive fallout.

Tempest Rising Screenshots

8 ImagesSince the build I experienced was focused on multiplayer, I'm eagerly awaiting the story mode, which will feature two replayable 11-mission campaigns, one for each of the main factions. The Tempest Dynasty (TD), an alliance of Eastern European and Asian countries hit hardest by WW3, and the Global Defense Forces (GDF), an alliance of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, are the factions available in the preview. A third faction remains a mystery until the campaign is released, as it's not playable in the preview build, the Steam RTS Fest demo, or at launch.

The Tempest Dynasty particularly captured my interest, not only for their quirky 'death ball' vehicle, the Tempest Sphere, which amusingly rolls over and squashes enemy infantry, but also for their strategic 'plans' system. These plans, activated through the Construction Yard, offer faction-wide bonuses in three distinct categories: Logistics, Martial, and Security. With a bit of extra power and a 30-second cooldown between switches, these plans add depth to the gameplay. The Logistics Plan speeds up structure construction and resource harvesting, while the Martial Plan enhances unit attack speed and provides resistance to explosives, with Machinist units able to sacrifice health for a 50% attack speed boost. The Security Plan, on the other hand, reduces the cost of units and buildings, improves repair functions, and extends Radar vision. I found a strategic rhythm by cycling through these plans, optimizing my resource gathering, building phases, and combat effectiveness.

This flexibility extends to other aspects of the Dynasty's gameplay. Unlike the GDF, which requires a Refinery to harvest nearby tempest fields, the Tempest Dynasty uses mobile Tempest Rigs. These rigs can drive to resource-rich areas, harvest until depletion, and then relocate, making my favorite 'fast expand' strategy more accessible than ever. Sending these rigs to distant locations allowed them to harvest undisturbed, generating steady income without alerting my opponents.

The Dynasty's Salvage Van is another fun unit, capable of repairing nearby vehicles or switching to Salvage Mode to destroy any nearby vehicles, reclaiming resources for the salvaging player. Sneaking up on inattentive opponents and using the Salvage Van to dismantle their forces while boosting my resources was particularly satisfying.

The Dynasty's power plants can switch to 'Distribution Mode,' which boosts the construction and attack speed of nearby buildings, some of which can be upgraded with cannons. This mode, though, causes damage to the buildings while active, but automatically deactivates at critical health to prevent self-destruction.

While I gravitated towards the Tempest Dynasty, the GDF has its own appeal with a focus on buffing allies, debuffing enemies, and controlling the battlefield. The GDF's Marking mechanic, where certain units can 'mark' targets, leads to dropped Intel upon defeat, used for advanced units and structures. With the right Doctrine upgrades, marked enemies suffer various debuffs, enhancing the GDF's strategic depth.

Tempest Rising3D RealmsApr 24, 2025 WishlistBoth factions offer three tech trees to explore, allowing players to specialize in different aspects of their faction's strengths. The Dynasty's 'Plans' tree, for instance, enhances their unique gameplay mechanics. Additionally, constructing specific advanced buildings unlocks powerful cooldown abilities, adding strategic layers and flavor to each faction's approach to battle. While both factions can use area damage and spawn extra troops, the GDF can also deploy spy drones, create remote building beacons, and temporarily disable enemy vehicles.

The Dynasty's fewer but upgradable buildings make losing one to an enemy Engineer particularly painful. To mitigate this, the Dynasty can use the Lockdown ability to prevent takeovers, albeit at the cost of temporarily disabling the building. The Field Infirmary ability, allowing me to deploy a stationary troop-healing area anywhere on the map, complemented the Dynasty's focus on both infantry and mechanized units.

There's much more to explore in Tempest Rising, and I'm excited to delve deeper. The full launch will include Custom Lobbies for playing with friends against the game's intelligent AI bots, known for their hit-and-run and harrying tactics. Until then, I'll continue to enjoy squishing my bot enemies with swarms of death balls, eagerly anticipating what's next in this nostalgic yet fresh RTS experience.