90s-inspired Strategy Game, Tempest Rising, retains its core essence authenticity
In the realm of real-time strategy (RTS) gaming, Tempest Rising is poised to reclaim and refine the genre's memorable aspects, blending nostalgia with contemporary design. Developed with respect for the foundations laid by beloved titles like Dune, Command & Conquer, and StarCraft, Tempest Rising offers a fresh yet familiar experience.
The game's art direction and character design are carefully crafted to balance gritty realism with necessary readability. Concept art, key illustrations, and black-and-white versions of characters ensure units are easily distinguishable from each other, while unit designs feature realistic gear like red toolboxes and fuel tanks to enhance silhouettes without betraying the game's grounded aesthetic.
Tempest Rising is more than just nostalgia; it's about building upon the classics rather than remaking the past. The UI follows genre staples, featuring a sidebar for primary navigation, a mini-map, and production tools easily accessible via mouse, intentionally avoiding demanding mastery of hotkeys. This design balances accessibility with the depth expected by RTS fans.
The game's visual style is designed to feel both familiar and modern, using Unreal Engine 5 to update the genre without losing its classic appeal. Terrain colours and textures are designed to contrast against units, while lighting and particle effects serve both atmospheric and functional purposes. Each unit's Level of Detail version is modeled with the same detail as a triple-A shooter, and the same models are used in in-engine cutscenes and gameplay.
Narrative and worldbuilding in Tempest Rising embrace a moody, 1997-era aesthetic to evoke nostalgia, with briefings, stylized cinematics, and a gritty narrative centered on a mysterious resource called Tempest. While it forgoes overly dramatic characters like Kane or Yuri, it delivers mission variety (convoy ambushes, fortress sieges) and cinematic storytelling that fleshes out the conflict, capturing the spirit of classic RTS campaigns.
Tempest Rising prioritizes fun and clarity in its gameplay, not aiming to be a war simulator but a base-building, resource-gathering RTS. The game introduces gameplay innovations and quality of life improvements that refine the classic formula, including the flexible doctrine and armory systems for unit customization and strategic depth, as well as diverse mission pacing and layered objectives that enhance engagement. Support powers replace superweapons, maintaining balance while offering impactful tactical options.
Post-launch updates focus on expanding multiplayer with new maps, ranked 2v2 modes, adjustable population caps, lobby chat, and spectator modes, reinforcing the game's longevity and community engagement without straying from its core RTS identity.
Tempest Rising releases on 24 April. Visit the developer's website for more details. The development team faces the challenge of balancing realism and gameplay clarity, creating units with distinct silhouettes for easy readability. They draw inspiration from the limited resolution constraints of old CRT monitors, focusing on readability in map and level design. Overall, Tempest Rising is a modern RTS game that re-engineers the genre, echoing the style of Command & Conquer, StarCraft, and Warcraft, while offering a visually consistent yet distinguishable setting.
- The development team meticulously crafts the art direction and character design of Tempest Rising, maintaining a balance between gritty realism and necessary readability.
- Concept art, key illustrations, and black-and-white versions of characters are used to ensure units are easily distinguishable from each other in the game.
- The UI design of Tempest Rising follows genre staples, offering a sidebar for primary navigation, a mini-map, and production tools easily accessible via mouse.
- Using Unreal Engine 5, the game's visual style is designed to feel both familiar and modern, with terrain colors and textures contrasting against units.
- The narrative and worldbuilding in Tempest Rising evoke a moody, 1997-era aesthetic, featuring briefings, stylized cinematics, and a gritty narrative centered on a mysterious resource called Tempest.
- Tempest Rising aims to provide fun and clarity, refining the classic RTS formula with gameplay innovations such as flexible doctrine and armory systems for unit customization.
- Post-launch updates for Tempest Rising focus on expanding multiplayer, including new maps, ranked 2v2 modes, adjustable population caps, lobby chat, and spectator modes.
- In the realm of modern digital art, Tempest Rising re-engineers the real-time strategy genre, drawing inspiration from games like Command & Conquer, StarCraft, and Warcraft, while offering a visually consistent yet distinguishable setting.
