Slipgate Ironworks and 3D Realms surprise drop a teaser for classically-styled RTS Tempest Rising

Remember the glory days of the real-time strategy genre? If you do, then you’re going to want to check out sci-fi RTS Tempest Rising.

Enemy sighted

While it’s fallen into differing stages of irrelevance since, the real-time strategy genre used to be a blockbuster back in its heyday. The 90s and early 2K’s produced some massive series and spawned franchises that are still rolling today, though some in a decidedly not RTS manner. Now developer Slippage Ironworks is eyeing a return to the 90s for the genre… literally.

Set for release on the PC, Tempest Rising is a military/sci-fi strategy game set in an alt-history version of 1997. In the game’s timeline, the Cuban Missile Crisis of the 1960’s went very hot, resulting in a global shift, and the spawning of a new form of plant life dubbed Tempest.

It’s in that world that players will take up the role of commander for one of three factions. Spread out across two campaigns, they’ll fight for dominance in a radically changed world.

Tempest Rising seamlessly merges the classic action of real-time strategy (RTS) games from the ‘90s and 2000s with modern production and performance standards. Encounter a battle-scarred 1997 in an alternate timeline where the Cuban Missile Crisis went nuclear. In the fallout from the war, a strange red electrical vine known as Tempest started spreading across the planet and changed the course of history. Experience the story of three highly different factions across two campaigns with deep and rewarding gameplay that keeps the focus on strategy and skill, with built-in customization options that allow players to approach the game in their own way in both single-player and multiplayer.

3D Realms press release

As mentioned, Tempest Rising is a classic RTS, and that means different factions to play as, base-building, and fast action. It’s not completely retro in style though, as the game will also offer up plenty of customization, secondary resources to manage, and very different play-styles that depend on which army you’re fielding. That’s all on top of online multiplay too, a staple of the genre no matter the era.

Along with the reveal, 3D Realms has also dropped a playable beta on Steam. The playtest isn’t open, so you’ll have to request access, but fortunately the option for that can be found right on the game’s Steam page, here. Act fast if you want in though, as the Steam preview is only going on through the 28th of this month (August).