Tempest Rising Review - Bringing Both the Command and the Conquer Back
God, it has been a long time between drinks for Command & Conquer fans. 2008 was the last time we got a good game in the franchise (notice I said good, C&C 4 clearly doesn’t count), and since then, it has been almost dead silent. Sure, we had the EA dodgy mobile game treatment, but no one is counting that. What’s worse is, there hasn’t even been anything that has come along that has filled the gap. There have been a couple of noble attempts by indie studios, but none have matched the pitch-perfect feel that Command & Conquer always had. That is, until now. 3D Realms clearly knows that there is a fan base that is aching for a new game in the franchise, and considering EA won’t hand over the rights, they have done the next best thing. Welcome to Tempest Rising, the C&C sequel we always wanted.
The setup for Tempest Rising is remarkably familiar. It is 1997 in an alternative timeline, the Cuban Missile Crisis went full-on nuclear, and the world has been drastically scarred as a result. From the ashes rises a new resource that is growing in the ruined wastelands, and two competing factions, the Global Defence Force (GDF) and the Tempest Dynasty, are competing for its control. That sure does sound like the story behind Command and Conquer, doesn’t it? But who cares, because this game is absolutely wearing its inspirations on its sleeve and it is doing it in a way that comes across as a homage, not a cheap copy.
The two competing factions play as you would expect. The GDF have the more traditional, big industrial complex type units, while the Dynasty are the more ragtag, experimental style of faction. This leads to the classic C&C type clash with a host of fun strategies coming from the different strengths and weaknesses that each faction has. Personally, I was more of a fan of the GDF’s high-tech approach, but really, that is probably because I am a more traditional type of RTS player who loves the classic strategies. Those who love to experiment will certainly appreciate the Dynasty’s more varied systems and units.
As for the gameplay, this is an early 2000s RTS at its best. All the classic scenarios are here, the scissors-paper-rock dynamics of battles are in full force, and even the cheesy mission briefings make a return, though this time they are in-engine cutscenes, not hammy (yet brilliant) FMV sections. It isn’t all just a nostalgia hit, though, as I said before this acts like a true sequel to the legacy it is honouring. There are some fantastic new additions to the gameplay that can really shake things up. The first is faction upgrades and how they relate to the mission briefing. After each mission, players can use earned experience to purchase faction improvements and upgrades, but only a limited number of these upgrades can be used at once. This then makes the mission briefing something that players will want to take note of because it will affect which of these upgrades they should activate for the next mission. For example, if a mission is all about using air units, upgrades that boost this approach are what is needed. It is a nice new addition to the formula, and one that brings some cool strategy along with it.
The other great addition I found in the campaign was the mission types. Sure, the traditional RTS mission types were there; get a lone soldier through a hostile zone, capture an enemy base, build an overwhelming force, you know the ones, but there are some super interesting new additions to this as well. A range of new mission types and some of the unique abilities force a rethink of how people will approach these missions. For example, one mission for the GDF involved me destroying a convoy that came in waves along a specified route. This, combined with the GDF’s ability to launch a special unit that allows buildings away from a base, turned this mission into a spin on a tower defence game. Instead of just sending a swarm of units at the convoy, the smart move was to build turrets and defensive structures along its route. It was a wonderful mission that really twisted my expectations.
On the tech side of things, this game looks fantastic and plays beautifully. I found no issues with the game at all, just a wonderfully solid, glitch-free experience that works well on a range of systems. From my gaming rig to my ROG Ally X (please note: the game does require a mouse to play), I had no issues getting the game running smoothly. On my high-end system, it looks fantastic with excellent attention to detail and interesting unit design shining through. I also have to note that one of the true wonders of modern gaming is playing an RTS on an Ultrawide monitor, which Tempest Rising supports perfectly. About the only thing on the presentation side of things that is a bit off is the cutscene characters, which all seem a bit wooden, and the animation feels just a little off. In the grand scheme of things, this is such a minor thing that it really shouldn’t influence you one way or the other.
As for multiplayer, well, things work much the same way as they did in the early 00s. That is, I log in to multiplayer, get almost ready to attack my opposition, only to find I have been 5 minutes too slow and subsequently get annihilated by an almighty tank rush. I joke, but there is a serious problem here for newcomers. I can’t think of a genre that is as unwelcoming to newcomers as RTS titles (though one-on-one fighting games would be a close second), and Tempest Rising does nothing to improve that at all. It is brutal going up against seasoned vets, and I can’t see many new players breaking through on the multiplayer side of things. It is a shame because with some thought, I am sure there would be a way to ease newbies into things and perhaps gain new fans of the genre in the process.
The bottom line is, though, if you are jonesing for some classic RTS action, Tempest Rising is easily your best bet. It takes the classic Command & Conquer blueprint and makes some smart improvements along the way, bringing it into the modern era without sacrificing the nostalgia kick that genre fans are looking for. There is perhaps a missed opportunity here for onboarding new players, especially on the multiplayer side of things, but the core experience is one that genre fans are going to relish. This is a fantastic effort, and I sincerely hope that it is a huge success so the humble RTS can once again be a force in the gaming world.
Tempest Rising was reviewed on PC with code kindly supplied by the publisher.
