If, like me, you started your real-time strategy journey with the classics from Westwood Studios, Tempest Rising needs to be on your must-play list. Other than the excellent Command and Conquer Remastered Collection, EA – the owners of the C&C intellectual property – have done very little with the iconic franchise. Sure, they recently cash-grabbed with mobile game C&C: Rivals, but for actual fully-fledged RTS experiences, Command and Conquer is all but dead in the water. We have covered a lot of Command and Conquer clones on these pages in the last couple of months. Battlefall: State of Conflict and Dying Breed show clear inspiration from the original C&C and Red Alert games from the nineties, whilst Mass Conflict: Ignition has CnC Generals vibes; but Tempest Rising dares to be different. It has taken the original mechanics and gameplay experience of Command and Conquer and enhanced it with modern technology and new features. Tempest Rising looks to be a spiritual successor to Command and Conquer.
I was lucky enough to play the recent demo of Tempest Rising and it feels very Command and Conquer. If C&C was released never released 30 years ago and was released now, Tempest Rising is what we would get. It stays true to the formula we are all familiar with. Base building is intrinsic to the experience. Different buildings produce infantry and vehicles. Defensive structures can be placed to protect your base. Refineries collect tiberium Tempest which is turned into credits which is turned into units which are used to dominate sections of the map and acquire more Tempest – and importantly – deny this to your enemy. The parallels between Tempest Rising and Command and Conquer are obvious and faithful, and they don’t stop there.
The Global Defense Force (GDF) and Tempest Dynasty, the two factions in the demo, bear more than a passing resemblance to C&C’s GDI and Brotherhood of Nod. The GDF excel in gathering intel and their unit design takes clear influences from modern military units. Main Battle Tanks and Sentinel Scout Vehicles would look right at home on any 2024 real-life battlefield. The Tempest Dynasty are not a clone of the GDF. They have flamethrower infantry and mobile refineries allowing for a more aggressive playstyle. Units and structures have different and often interesting secondary abilities, but nothing feels as if its just been added for the sake of it. The GDF, for example, can put down a temporary beacon allowing for a rapid expansion to another part of the map. There are so many quality of life touches which would have made Command and Conquer a much better game had we had the technology back then to implement them. And that’s my real take away from the demo. It’s Command and Conquer, if Command and Conquer was a better game.
While the demo only scratches the surface, it’s clear that Tempest Rising is a game built by RTS fans, for RTS fans. The visuals are sharp, with modern lighting and effects that enhance the nostalgic feel without sacrificing clarity. Units are distinct, and the battlefield remains easy to navigate even in the heat of battle.
The development has not been without it’s challenges; it was initially slated for release in 2023 and has faced delays, but the developers are keeping people involved over on their Discord Server and through the occasional demo release. Tempest Rising is listed as ‘coming soon’ on Steam, and is available to be added to your wishlist.
For those of us wishing for a return to the golden age of RTS, Tempest Rising is shaping up to be the answer. At launch the game promises two asymmetrical factions with another planned post-launch, two narrative campaigns as well as skirmish, custom games, and ranked multiplayer matchmaking. As an RTS fan, Tempest Rising needs to be on your high on your most-anticipated list. With over 29,000 people downloading the Tacticon demo, it has the potential to be the next Command and Conquer game we always wanted.
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