
Last week, we were invited to a press event where developers showcased a live match of Tempest Rising to a handful of press. The presentation ended with a Q&A session during which we got some cool, new information about the game and came out highly impressed. Command and Conquer is a franchise that has been long forgotten and while we got many similar titles after it, Tempest Rising looks promising enough that it may fill this massive gap for fans awaiting something similar. Developed by Splitgate Ironworks and co-published by 3D Realms and Knights Peak, Tempest Rising is an upcoming classic RTS set on Earth which is recovering from a devastating nuclear war. This is our preview of Tempest Rising on PC via Steam in which we battle across three unique maps and crush some infantry with our tanks.
If you played classic RTS titles like Red Alert 2 or Tiberian Sun in the past, you would have no problem getting started with Tempest Rising because it is as simple as deploying your Mobile Construction Unit, slapping down some structures, and begin churning out an army strong enough to destroy everything in your path. The gameplay is straightforward and there are no complexities of any sort. The demo gave us the option of trying our Skirmish and Multiplayer games in three different locations. The full version will include more maps and a full campaign as well. However, for the time being, the demo provided us with enough content to enjoy the basic mechanics of the game both in offline and online modes.
The gameplay of Tempest Rising is a classic RTS one and if you have been playing them, you will not find it any different. You will use the mouse’s right button to give commands to your units and the left click will allow you to select. You can also rotate the camera and zoom in and out if you want to check out the small details. The units are designed very well and we quite often just zoomed in to check them out in detail. There are also some keyboard shortcuts that you can use for various functions in the game like deployment, switching between tabs, and more. The UI is simple and effective and one of the best that we have seen in RTS titles. It really gives that classic RTS vibe.
The demo offers two complete factions, the Tempest Dynasty, and the Global Defense Force, or GDF for short. They appear somewhat inspired by GDI and Nod of Tiberium Wars and we are not complaining. Despite taking inspiration from the best RTS, the factions featured in Tempest Rising bring their unique flavor to the game. The Global Defense Force takes a more strategic approach to combat with units based around support and buffs/debuffs while Tempest Dynasty goes towards larger numbers with smaller hit-n-run focused vehicles and some bigger tanks thrown in the mix. Each of the two factions follows their unique ideology but the main resource stays the same, which is Tempest.
Tempest is a harmful resource but for our base-building, we must harvest as much as possible to dominate the competition. Apart from Tempest, GDF also requires another resource called Intel which can be acquired by marking enemies. This resource is unique to the GDF. How you build structures is unique to each faction as well and it provides a good change of pace if you switch sides after a lengthy battle with one faction. During Skirmishes, the AI did prove itself as it tried to outflank us and went after our least defended areas. In nearly all our matches, the AI first approached us with recon units as it was trying to scope us out and find potential weak points before sending in its full army with a powerful attack. Each attack comprised multiple infantry and vehicle units but one thing we noticed is that the AI did not use Air units. This was common with all difficulty units. Even at Easy, the AI gave us a good match but at Hard, the AI becomes absolutely a beast to handle.
The unit movement is flawless as well. Once you give them a command, they do not get stuck behind structures or other units. If you select a unit inside a group, moving it outside the group does make every other unit move out and give it way but sometimes it just moves over other units. Friendly units are not destroyed but heavier units can crush opposing units if they drive over them including small vehicles and infantry. You can assign groups of enemies to hotkeys and there is also a handy list of advanced commands like Attack Move, Guard, and more. I liked that if you give the Attack Move command, the units focus on enemies that are attacking back and do not just start attacking enemy buildings while taking damage from attacking enemies. Each map features a different number of Tech buildings like bunkers, fortifications, radars, and more as well which can aid you in different ways.
One unique aspect of Tempest Rising is the introduction of Doctrines. This mechanic serves as a tech tree for each faction that costs time and resources, and you can purchase different Doctrines to unlock buffs, bonuses, and more for your faction. Apart from managing your base and army, you are required to research these Doctrines and upgrade your army in different ways to make yourself powerful. No matter how good of a player you are, you will need these Doctrines because they provide some vital upgrades and buffs to your units and even structures. This brings an interesting mix in multiplayer matches because even if two players are playing the same faction, they will have unique advantages because of their unlocked Doctrines.
The Multiplayer mode features a Ranked Mode and a custom game mode where you can create your own games or join any games created by another player or your friend. We did get into a few Multiplayer matches during a short window that allowed us to go head-to-head against the developers and other previewers of Tempest Rising. The servers were quick to join, and our matches went smoothly without any issues. There was one time when our game was disconnected, however other than this odd scenario, we were able to try out a few quick matches for this preview. The gameplay is smooth during online matches and depending on your internet connectivity, the match should go perfectly. We tried with a 20 MB fiber connection, and it was smooth sailing for us. We will jump into the Multiplayer mode once the demo goes live for everyone because it will show how strong the servers are once players from around the world are playing it as well.
One great addition to the game is that Frank Klepacki is one of the composers for Tempest Rising and if you played CnC titles, you would recognize this name instantly. We grew up listening to his compositions and now he is returning for Tempest Rising as well. The demo did feature a Jukebox in the pause menu where we were able to change music and listen to a decent number of tracks already added to the demo. Having a separate music menu is going to thrill players who love listening to their favorite soundtrack during battles.
Overall, the factions seem to be in a decent spot, and they seem well-optimized for gameplay. We did not feel that one faction is overpowered, or the other one is underpowered. Both factions provide enough units and technology to annihilate the other one and it all boils down to your strategy. Red Alert and Tiberian Sun featured pretty much similar factions with the same economy concept and unit building. The actual game that featured properly unique factions was World at War and I like that Tempest Rising features the best mechanics of all of these epic factions and is bringing them into one game. This is still an Early Access demo so we cannot be certain of the full game because it will bring a third faction into the mix as well. Only then, we can compare them with each other and see how balanced the factions are.
Tempest Rising is a promising classic RTS and so far, we loved every minute in it. We will be playing it more in the upcoming week to test out its multiplayer some more. However, our final verdict will arrive at its full release which is later in April 2025. We cannot wait to see its third faction, additional maps, and more importantly, its campaign which promises two sides of the story and between-mission cutscenes as well. Tempest Rising arrives at an important point for the genre, and it may be the game that makes or breaks it. So far, we are loving it, and we strongly recommend you try it out as well. If you loved playing classic RTS titles during the 90s and early 20s, you should give its new demo a shot because we know that you are going to love it. Look out for our final impressions when Tempest Rising launches later, on April 24, 2025.