Tempest Rising Review – Bold Return to Base-Building Warfare

Tempest Rising on PC

Few genres demand loyalty like real-time strategy. For years, fans have been craving something that captures the old magic of base-building, resource harvesting, and tactical skirmishes without overwhelming complexity. Tempest Rising steps confidently into that void. Developed by Slipgate Ironworks and published by 3D Realms, it’s a full-bodied throwback to the golden age of late-90s strategy that is polished enough to feel fresh, yet comfortably familiar.

Set in a post-nuclear future where two superpowers vie for control over a mysterious energy source, Tempest Rising thrives on clarity. Every unit, structure, and upgrade has a purpose, and every battle is a tug-of-war between precision and panic. It doesn’t waste your time with fluff; it just gets you back to building bases and commanding armies like it’s 1999 all over again.

Strategy That Hits Hard

There’s a clean rhythm to how Tempest Rising plays. The Global Defence Force favours high-tech precision and mobility, while the Tempest Dynasty leans into raw aggression and brute force. Both factions feel distinct without overwhelming players with mechanics.

Combat is satisfyingly deliberate. Positioning matters, line of sight matters, and the most minor tactical blunder can unravel an entire offensive. Special abilities for specific units add a much-welcomed layer of tactical manoeuvring as well. While it never reaches the deep systemic chaos of more modern RTS titles, the focus on tight encounters and readable unit design gives each battle a rewarding flow as you build up your forces for the inevitable showdown.

That said, the AI can occasionally stumble, where it can get too passive on easier settings and be prone to predictable aggression on harder ones. The difficulty curve, while fair, doesn’t constantly adapt well between missions. Still, the satisfaction of seeing your carefully assembled army crush an enemy base remains intoxicating.

Building Nostalgia with New Tools

Visually, Tempest Rising impresses with crisp unit detail and believable destruction. Explosions kick up dirt, energy beams light up the fog of war, and infantry chatter breathes life into the battlefield. It’s nostalgia modernised, it’s not flashy, but it is handsome in its restraint.

The game’s pacing feels carefully tuned. Missions are compact, rarely overstaying their welcome, and the gradual tech progression ensures every new building or weapon feels earned. Base management, too, has weight. You’ll often find yourself juggling expansion risks with defending choke points, a hallmark of classic RTS tension.

Still, not every addition lands perfectly. The streamlined economy means there’s less room for long-term strategic planning, and the late-game occasionally settles into predictable attrition. But it’s hard to deny that Slipgate Ironworks understands the bones of what makes this genre tick.

The dual campaigns are robust, spanning more than twenty missions combined. They’re packed with varied objectives — sabotage runs, base defence sieges, and convoy ambushes — each smartly escalating the stakes. Cutscenes carry a no-nonsense military tone and channel the good old days, they are more serviceable than memorable, but it never get in the way of the action.

Skirmish and multiplayer modes add longevity, with time allowing for more content to be added, providing players with a greater variety of options to enjoy. The multiplayer is stable and growing, with additional maps and modes enhancing it. There’s real potential here, but it still largely depends on community support and developer updates to sustain momentum.

The Storm’s Edge

If Tempest Rising falters, it’s in ambition. For a game that so proudly wears its heritage, it sometimes plays too safe. A third faction, or more experimental mission design, could have pushed it from a strong revival to a modern classic. Likewise, the lack of mod tools or a map editor is a missed opportunity for a genre built on community creativity.

But for what it sets out to do — resurrect classic RTS gameplay with polish and passion — Tempest Rising delivers. It’s lean, satisfying, and refreshingly direct, proof that the genre’s pulse still beats.

Tempest Rising is a sharp, confident callback to the golden age of strategy. It doesn’t revolutionise the genre, but it doesn’t need to. What matters is that it plays beautifully, respects its roots, and invites both veterans and newcomers to rediscover the thrill of commanding from the top down.

Tempest Rising is now available on PC.