Tempest Rising | Tested the successor to Command & Conquer

We tried the free demo of Tempest Rising, the new real-time strategy video game heavily inspired by the legendary Command & Conquer series by Westwood Studios.

The free trial, available on Steamallowed us to take a first look at this new title developed by Slipgate Ironworks and published by 3D Realms, proving to be quite classic in its formula, but solid in its mechanics.

The World of Tempest Rising

The game is set in an alternate future where Earth has been devastated by a cataclysm that has created a new essential resource called “Tempest”. From this discovery, three factions arise: the GDF (Global Defense Federation), la Tempest Dynasty and another one shrouded in mystery.

If you have played Command & Conquer, you will have realised that the story also takes a lot of inspiration from the well-known strategy title: the Tempest replaces Tiberium, while GDI and NOD become GDF and Tempest Dynasty. Their resource control motivations aren’t too different from the original C&C ones either, making it quite nostalgic for fans of the genre (but also maybe a little too similar).

The true heir of Command & Conquer

The story is not the only reference to Command & Conquer; even the cutscenes, the music and some stylistic elements of the franchise created by Westwood are strongly taken in different ways, from the war map to the voices of the units.

The gameplay is no exception. Tempest Rising features traditional RTS mechanics such as resource gatheringbuilding bases and managing military units. We have a game structure designed to combine classic elements with some modern innovations, such as the ability to select a doctrine before each game that allows you to obtain bonuses or evaluate upgrades to use before each mission.

Each faction has unique units, buildings, and abilities that require different tactical approaches.this improves the variety of the game and offers more solutions during the matches. Since the units we have tried are only a small part, we cannot already express an opinion on the balance, which will still require the unlocking of the third faction to have a clearer idea.

For the rest, the gameplay convinced us: it is fluid, immediate and simple. There are no revolutions in the genrebut it’s clear that the developers wanted to create exactly this without daring too much.

On the graphics side, however, we are more cautious. Technically the product is solid and it is already very well optimized. Even visually it has left us amazed on more than one occasion, thanks to convincing particle effects and an environment rich in details. However, we have doubts about the stylistic sector and the art design, everything seems quite anonymous and we would have preferred clearer diversifications. In short, it lacks that quality that in Command & Conquer was decidedly more perceptible.

Summing up

Slipgate Ironworks, known for working on games like “Ion Fury”, is looking to revive the RTS genre with a title that celebrates the classics, the influences of Command & Conquer and other similar games are evident but Tempest Rising promises to bring its own identity to the strategy game landscape. The game has piqued interest among RTS fans thanks in part to its nostalgic references and the promise of an immediate gameplay experience, the community hopes that it can contribute to a revival of the RTS genre that seems to be in a somewhat “dormant” state.