Tempest Rising Review

RTS games have seen a resurgence in recent years, though they've never quite regained the mainstream popularity they once enjoyed. While quite a few new titles continue to captivate dedicated fans, the genre has struggled to find a large player base in the modern gaming landscape.

This is partly due to the rise of MOBAs like Dota 2, battle royales, and faster-paced games that appeal to a more casual crowd. Still, RTS games maintain a loyal following, with players drawn to their depth, strategic complexity, and the thrill of real-time tactical decision-making. Some would say the genre's whole archetype begets a smaller audience.

Lately, most games have had a mixed reception. While Age of Empires IV didn't quite hit the mark for some fans, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition has remained the fan favorite, continuing to thrive with regular updates and a loyal community. 

Homeworld 3 has generated excitement with its space strategy elements, and Age of Mythology: Retold has successfully tapped into nostalgia, rekindling the magic of the classic with modern enhancements. Other games, like Frostpunk 2 dips into newer ideas to bring something fresh. Despite some ups and downs, the RTS genre still holds a special place, and Tempest Rising looks to carve out its niche with its modern take on the tried-and-true mechanics that fans have been craving.

Tempest Rising is a real-time strategy game developed by Slipgate Ironworks and published by 3D Realms and Knights Peak Interactive. Set to be released on April 24, 2025, the game is a love letter to fans of classic RTS titles while carving out its own distinct identity in a genre that often struggles to evolve.

From the first moment you boot up Tempest Rising, it's clear what kind of game this wants to be. It's not chasing trends. It's building on the legacy. This is a true RTS at heart. You have the general things, from base-building and resource management to faction variety, unit counters, and tech trees. It doesn't dumb things down for mass appeal, but it doesn't throw players into the deep end, either. It's smart about its systems and respectful of your time.

You start a match with just your main base: the Construction Yard. As expected in an RTS of this pedigree, your first task is to establish an economy. There are two main resources: Credits and Power. Credits come from harvesting Tempest, a volatile red mineral that grows on nodes throughout the map. Power is generated via Power Plants and is essential to keeping your structures and some unit abilities running.

Both factions, the Global Defense Force (GDF) and the Tempest Dynasty, approach resource gathering differently. GDF builds refineries that spawn harvesters to extract and return Tempest to base. Dynasty, on the other hand, has a mobile rig that deploys mini harvesters to nearby Tempest nodes and converts resources on the spot. This asymmetry is one of the game's great strengths. It doesn't just reskin the same faction twice. Each side plays uniquely, with the economy mechanics that inform how you expand and defend territory. 

The gameplay elements of the harvesters are also important, as resources are somewhat limited. You see, the Tempest you collect slowly depletes the nodes, and it takes a while before they regenerate, so you can't just stick to one place and camp, making mobility integral.

Building and recruitment in Tempest Rising uses a clever drain mechanic. Rather than just paying a cost upfront, both processes consume credits over time while sometimes paying a smaller upfront fee. If you run out mid-way through construction or training, progress pauses until your economy catches up. 

It's an elegant system that rewards good economic flow and makes credit shortages feel tense without being punishing. It also makes pacing more readable; when your income dips, you feel it, but you can adapt. Admittedly, it does take some time to get used to, coming from someone who might've had a few early games where they were left befuddled as to why my credits weren't going up (I spammed like 10 units to be recruited and forgot about them).

This really makes keeping up with things important, as you don't want to get to a point where you basically can't generate any more credits. Thankfully, even if you make a few mistakes, Tempest Rising lets you remedy them by either turning off the power of structures or selling them entirely.

The core gameplay loop is classic but tight: expand your base, build power and economy, scout, skirmish, tech up, and eventually field elite units and deploy massive support abilities. Tech progression is smooth and purposeful. You start with basic infantry and vehicles, and by mid-game, you're accessing heavier vehicles, air units, and powerful doctrines. 

Doctrines function like tech trees, letting you pick one of three playstyle-enhancing paths per match. The GDF has Comms, Intel, and Mobility as their three trees, for instance. Each has unique upgrades and units tied to it.

Doctrines are not all equal, however. Some paths feel clearly stronger or more versatile, while others look good on paper but falter in practice. Balancing here could use some tweaking, but the system is promising and gives you something to experiment with each match. The doctrine mechanic also adds replayability; being able to play the same faction with a different doctrine meaningfully changes how you engage.

Multiplayer and skirmish modes support a wide range of strategies. Rushes and cheese builds are viable, and even the AI leans into them sometimes. That said, AI behavior isn't perfect. Units occasionally path awkwardly, get stuck, or walk through enemy fire despite being given an attack-move command. 

The devs have mentioned this, though, and a lot of this will hopefully be fixed with a day-one patch after release. Formation control is limited, and units don't always respond well to stacked commands or quick follow-ups. These are the moments where the game's otherwise slick experience stumbles slightly.

Still, the moment-to-moment battles are dynamic and satisfying. Combat rewards smart positioning, vision control, and army composition. There's a real rock-paper-scissors flow to engagements, and massing a single unit type won't get you far. So, no stacking 50 tanks.

Some units can switch between combat modes, have alternate stances, or have special activations. The Riot Soldier, for example, has a shield and baton mode and an EMP grenade mode, making it one of my favorite units to use, especially in tandem with certain other units.

Hero units exist, too, more grounded as specialists with unique abilities and limited numbers that can swing a fight if used well. They're not overpowered, but they are memorable. They are also a bit niche, as only one of them feels like something I'd use all the time, and it's mostly because of that accent.

Tempest Rising's campaigns are where the world-building really shines. You get two full campaigns—one for the GDF and one for the Tempest Dynasty. The missions are varied, well-paced, and packed with solid writing. There's a great sense of escalation in both arcs. The campaign slowly introduces you to each faction's mechanics before ramping up into full-scale war. By the time you're in the final missions, you're commanding diverse armies and dealing with multi-objective scenarios that keep you on your toes.

While the campaign structure is fairly linear, it doesn't feel restrictive. Story beats are compelling and occasionally surprising. Without spoiling much, the reveal of a third unplayable faction midway through is an excellent narrative moment—and an exciting setup for a future DLC. While everybody probably saw something like this coming, it is definitely not unwelcome. They're not playable now, but their inclusion adds depth and keeps the world feeling alive.

That said, not every campaign moment hits. In the GDF campaign, there's a late-game arc involving the Tempest Dynasty that feels like a missed opportunity. The player doesn't get to ally with them, even when it narratively makes sense. The in-game characters acknowledge this, which is a clever bit of writing, but it doesn't quite take the sting out. It's a rare moment where gameplay and story diverge in awkward ways as you basically play two factions at the same time, but it's not implemented well enough.

Outside of campaigns, the game offers standard skirmish mode with AI or human opponents. The netcode has held up well in limited multiplayer testing. Matches run smoothly, and the ping hasn't caused any major desyncs or bugs. The only real gripe here is the map design. Now, here's the thing: The maps aren't bad at all. There's also a good variety of them, with locations all over the world allowing for a visual distinction.

While the game boasts a decent number of maps, not all of them feel equally inspired. Some are visually distinct but functionally flat. Beyond terrain height and choke points, there's a lack of interactive or tactical map elements. A few more standout landmarks or map-based hazards would've gone a long way. 

There are also some neutral structures that one can take over and put to use, which vary a lot map-to-map and make a lot of the maps feel nicer. The variety allows for different strategies and keeps the game fresh, especially in PvP settings where every advantage matters.

There are a few small but really helpful quality-of-life features. Holding ALT to make units move in formation is a great feature. But there's no order stacking, no real formations, and unit behavior under pressure can be unpredictable. In multiplayer, especially, players might wish for more transparency. 

Some tooltips are too vague; statements like "effective against infantry" would benefit from actual numbers or at least damage types for clearer counterplay. Unit control is serviceable, but RTS veterans will notice some gaps. That being said, they are still miles ahead of many other games.

UI is clean and functional, and a lot of it pays homage to its predecessors in the genre. There are small differences, more than just color, between the Dynasty and the GDF, which makes things better. My favorite part is how they pop up when loading. Speaking of loading, the loading screens are also great and worth mentioning because it's really cool how it looks like you're an actual commander looking at a feed.

The art direction is pure 90s/2000s throwback, with modern polish, of course. Units are distinct and easily readable. The two factions have clear visual identities: GDF is utilitarian and grounded, while the Dynasty is organic, alien, and just a little bit unhinged. Explosions are punchy, structure animations are great, and the battlefield feels alive even before the fighting starts. 

Environmental details like blowing dust, reactor hums, and dying Tempest fields create a sense of immersion that lasts beyond the immediate action. The environment overall is very immersive; there are clever bits of world-building that really sell the post-Cold War sci-fi-ness of this.

Sound design deserves a callout, too. Every unit has unique, fitting voice lines. Impact sounds are meaty. Weapon audio feedback is crisp, from the thud of artillery to the whine of laser fire. The soundtrack slaps. It's high-energy and fits the pacing of missions, especially during big push moments. There's a mix of heavy guitar riffs, electronic pulses, and orchestral swells that give each faction's campaign a distinct vibe. If you've got a good headset, Tempest Rising sounds good.

What really elevates the experience is how well the whole package comes together. Tempest Rising doesn't reinvent the RTS wheel, but it doesn't have to. It refines it. It brings modern sensibilities to an old-school formula without sacrificing depth. It's fun, intense, and full of micro-decisions that reward skill. It wears its inspirations proudly but doesn't rely on nostalgia alone. It really is an RTS game that many will like.

Sure, it's not perfect. Unit AI needs polish. Doctrines could use some balancing. And there's room to grow when it comes to map interactivity and formation control. But those feel like post-launch fixes—not core flaws. What's here already is well-crafted and offers a ton of replayability. With future patches and maybe an expansion or two, Tempest Rising has the bones to become a modern RTS staple. Tempest Rising doesn't just imitate the classics. It joins them.