Note: This review specifically covers the multiplayer mode of Tempest Rising. Check out our thoughts on Story Mode Tempest Rising Single Player Campaign Review.
The problem with Tempest Rising’s Multiplayer is that recreating slices from the old Command & Conquer multiplayer with a new and interesting pair of factions is completely competent, but the slices rather than the whole pie. There are only the most basic options for customizing two factions, nine maps, and two or four player matches, and here we scream “minimum viable product”. Combining it with the fact that Tempest Rising doesn’t aim for anything more than a revival of C&C gameplay, there’s no incredible amount to be excited about. Each time a Veti Faction arrives, it can expand over time, but it is not very convenient until you are certain that there is enough harvested Tempest in the bank to complete a sufficient harvest, like a vehicle factory that is only half built.
You can try to comment on the balance of units, but as with fresh gated multiplayer games, what I say is almost certainly outdated. Perhaps thanks to their pack of self-replica drones, my anecdote experience with the community’s obvious preference for GDF over dynasty could be nerfed into patches within a week or proven completely wrong. I’m sure soon someone who is much smarter than me will understand the devastating counter of automatically shattering into foolish garbage stage strategies to reduce the seemingly unfair (and apparently rather cool) strategy of loading Skycrane Transport Helios with drone operation infantry.
So I leave it to people who are busy hashing the best build orders and counter strategies for the unique features of each faction. I’m a huge fan of dynasty scrap trucks. This will quickly deploy vehicle repair turrets anywhere on the map and begin to knock down structures that can be built in advance in the yard. Naturally, there’s no end to the opportunity to show off your micromanagement skills by skillfully controlling the transforming trebuchet tank, selecting targets for long-range artillery and aerial units, clearing paths of inflammation and armor, nullifying special abilities to disable groups of enemies, and to activate special abilities to maintain a vulnerable environment. Economy and high-tech tree climbing.
Due to the retro style of Tempest Rising and adherence to the time-tested technology tree, I quickly got to know it and found it easy to revert back to old habits. I enjoy going back to the classic Engineer Rush, where I steal enemy construction yards from under my nose, and a handful of infantry distract me from the other side. (It only works for a while after booting, so I’m getting as much troll thrill as possible.) If it worked with C&C, it probably works here.
There are several features that feel almost exclusively built for a hyper-competitive set, such as the Doctrine Technology Tree, which invites you to dump thousands of valuable Tempest credits into an upgrade. For example, increasing the health of my infantry by 15% is not so valuable until I have it Many Play infantry (rather than building more infantry). At my skill level, and perhaps most people who aren’t hardcore players, the majority of my game wasn’t long enough to build up the excess cash needed to invest in this kind of thing. However, I’m sure many people will find a use to gain an advantage in a particular build, so if you spend the time training, it’s good to know that there’s more depth to be mined.
But in your case teeth Competitive players looking for the next RTS fix know that Tempest Rising doesn’t have tons to play at the moment. For one, if ranked, there are only 1V1 matches available. Even if there is a 2v2 rank match (the developers are actively working on what they promise), there are only three maps available that support the team or four players freely. The 1V1 is not that good in that respect, but comes with just six options. That’s just two factions each time the VETI extension comes into play. This can be a while considering there are no public timelines – and it feels rather slim compared to many games that inspired it.
There’s nothing wrong with the maps here. Each is a symmetrical layout with high and low elevations, bottlenecks and alternating route regions, all dotted with trapped neutral structures that can give them “free” (for the engineer’s cost), constructing defenses and producing its general resources forward. It simply means nothing good or bad at all, and that gives it a very swampy standard. Without a large standout, it’s hard to argue that Tempest Rising has achieved quality over quantity.
