Tempest Rising
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''Tempest Rising'' is a real-time strategy video game developed by
Slipgate Ironworks Slipgate Ironworks ApS (formerly Interceptor Entertainment ApS and Slipgate Studios ApS) is a Danish video game developer based in Aalborg, founded in 2010 by Frederik Schreiber. History Interceptor Entertainment was founded in 2010 by manag ...
and 2B Games, and published by
3D Realms 3D Realms Entertainment ApS is a video game publisher based in Aalborg, Denmark. Scott Miller founded the company in his parents' home in Garland, Texas, in 1987 as Apogee Software Productions to release his game '' Kingdom of Kroz''. In the ...
and Knights Peak.


Gameplay

''Tempest Rising'' is a real-time strategy game that is reminiscent of the ''Command & Conquer'' series and other similar RTS games from the 90s and 2000s, in which players gather resources on a map in order to build up bases, and field armies in order to defeat opposing human or AI players. Base construction uses a similar structure to ''Command & Conquer'', in that players need to unpack a Mobile Construction Vehicle (MCV) to establish a base and construct additional structures - production sites for training units; tech sites for accessing advanced units and support powers; defenses; and utility sites for resource management and unit repairs - with power required to ensure the base operates efficiently. All structures are placed down in a grid layout with ability to rotate them before placement. Units are divided between infantry, vehicles, aircraft, and specialist units, with units having their own strengths and weaknesses, along with special abilities for use in combat. The game features playable factions, each with their own distinctive unit appearances and structure architecture: * The Global Defense Force (GDF), who specialize in mobilized and positional combat. The GDF rely on two forms of technology to provide advantages against opposing forces, as well as utilizing a secondary resource they can gather, which can be spent on unit abilities or new units and structures. * The Tempest Dynasty, who specialize in brute force strategies. The Dynasty can adopt one of three Plans to provide combat bonuses, upgrade structures to gain additional abilities alongside accessing higher-tier units, and overwork Power Plants to improve unit production and defensive structures. * The Veti, who operate with advanced alien technology. At present, they are not yet available except in singleplayer. The game features a single-player Campaign mode, which provides options to allow players to augment their forces before a mission begins, and learn more about the lore of ''Tempest Rising'' from the officers briefing them. Multiplayer and Skirmish modes allow players to engage against human and AI opponents respectively, over a variety of maps, using the available factions.


Plot


Setting and Characters

''Tempest Rising'' is set in 1997, in an alternate version of history in which the
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...
of 1962 was not resolved peacefully. Exacerbated diplomatic tensions from this event led to a Third World War, where the use of nuclear weapons led to significant areas of the Earth being irradiated. In the wake of the war's conclusion, fissures opened up in the Earth's surface in irradiated regions, with alien vines emerging that initially frightened the human populace, until the plants it spawned were found to produce a mysterious energy called Tempest that scientists saw as a means of rebuilding civilization and contending with a major energy crisis. Two superpowers, formed after the Third World War, saw Tempest as a benefit, but in differing manners: the Global Defense Force (GDF), an international military alliance of surviving Western governments, see it as a resource they can use to help with maintaining world peace; while the Tempest Dynasty, formed of many Eastern European and Asian nations struggling with nuclear fallout in their territories, see Tempest as their birthright. This resulted in a global conflict between the two over control of Tempest, with each side laying claim to vast fields of Tempest, over a period of three decades. The GDF is fundamentally led by a government coalition known as the Council of Directors, served by: Undersecretary Jacob Greene, a political advisor; Colonel Robert Fisher, head of the GDF's forces; and Doctor Lyssa Francis, head of GDF research and a Tempest expert. The Dynasty is led by Domovoy Molchalin, the alliance's founder who's neurological health declined, requiring specialized implants to be able to communicate, with his military led by his son Aleks, aided by chief intelligence officer Lieutenant Jelena Melnik.


Synopsis

In 1997, a Tempest Dynasty excavation in Iraq uncovers an ancient object that is not human in origin, with all findings passed on to the Dynasty's founder, Domovoy Molchalin. Meanwhile in Europe, his son Aleks orders his new Dynasty General to counter GDF forces within the Dynasty's territories in Eastern Europe. At the same time, GDF officer Colonel Fisher assigns a new GDF Commander to counter efforts by the Dynasty to hit their Tempest operations in Iceland, and later investigate their plans, leading to a major defense of a GDF position in Germany. During their operations, the Dynasty General finds themselves contacted by Domovoy, who reveals his concerns about the existence of a secret society called the Hawthorne Initiative, who he believes knew about Tempest before it emerged in the wake of the nuclear war of the 1960s. As both sides continue to fight against each other in Europe, Fisher is surprised when the Council of Directors orders GDF forces, led by the GDF Commander, to escort a team of archaeologists to the Dynasty's excavation site in Iraq. Domovoy, learning of this, orders the Dynasty General to transport a nuclear warhead to the site and detonate it underground, stating it will invite an "enemy of humanity". The GDF manage to gather enough information before withdrawing, moments before the warhead detonates, where in the wake of the blast, both sides witness the emergence of an alien force called the Veti, which indiscriminately attacks the GDF and Dynasty, spreading out quickly. Scientists from both sides determine the Veti were responsible for the creation of the plants that create Tempest, and had been in hibernation underground after they arrived on Earth ten thousand years ago, when they lost a war with humanity upon their arrival. Both the GDF and Dynasty mount attacks to counter the spread of the Veti, during which time Domovoy uses the alien force to help eradicate members of the Hawthorne Initiative from the Dynasty's ranks. As the conflict worsens, both sides focus on different plans: Fisher orders the capture of a weapon from the Dynasty in Spain to use against the Veti's main headquarters; while Domovoy orders a Veti temple in Italy be captured to secure its secrets. Both sides succeed in their missions, with the GDF's actions forcing the Veti to retreat back underground. In the aftermath of the conflict, Fisher commends the GDF Commander for their actions, though warns the Veti will likely return, while the Council privately contacts them with an offer. Meanwhile, Domovoy commends the Dynasty General for their efforts, hoping the data they stole from the Veti can help rebuild the Dynasty, though Aleks later privately contacts them to express distrust over his father's machinations in the shadows.


Development

Developer
Slipgate Ironworks Slipgate Ironworks ApS (formerly Interceptor Entertainment ApS and Slipgate Studios ApS) is a Danish video game developer based in Aalborg, founded in 2010 by Frederik Schreiber. History Interceptor Entertainment was founded in 2010 by manag ...
is based in
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
.
THQ Nordic THQ Nordic GmbH (formerly Nordic Games GmbH) is an Austrian video game publisher based in Vienna. Formed in 2011, it is a publishing subsidiary of Embracer Group. Originally named Nordic Games, as was the parent company, both companies were r ...
announced ''Tempest Rising'' in August 2022. A playable demo of the game was released in the following year. ''Tempest Rising'' was announced to be released on April 24, 2025, with advanced access for purchasers of the Deluxe Edition on April 17, 2025. However, due to a publishing error purchasers of the standard edition of the game also received access, and the following day the publishers retroactively declared April 17 the release day rather than correct the error.


Reception

''Tempest Rising'' received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to the
review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tempest Rising 2025 video games Alternate history video games Dystopian video games Indie games Military science fiction video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Multiplayer online games Post-apocalyptic video games Real-time strategy video games Science fiction video games Slipgate Ironworks games Unreal Engine 5 games Video games developed in Denmark Video games set in 1997 War video games set in Europe Windows games Video games about cults