Settling down for a quiet evening of Command and Conquer back in the day was brilliant – well, it still is brilliant, in truth – but playing your friends or other random players online was where the RTS game really shone. It paved the way for competitive strategy games, and now you can (briefly) get a taste of that magic all over again with the new multiplayer demo for Tempest Rising, the upcoming strategy game that is as close to a new C&C game as you’re going to get.
Set in a World War 3 situation where three factions are engaged in a global battle, Tempest Rising draws a lot of its inspiration from Command and Conquer and many of the other excellent RTS games of the 1990s and 2000s. It’s honing in on the base building and unit variety that has become less of a focus for so many new entries in the genre, but as the game’s lead designer told us last year in an interview, it’s looking to make its own innovations alongside throwing things back to the good old days.
Tempest Rising has already given players a taste of what to expect with a single-player demo earlier this year. The game will have two 11-mission campaigns to play through at launch, and this first demo allowed RTS heads to dip their toes in the waters. Now though, it’s time to experience Tempest Rising’s multiplayer for the first time with a new demo that adds 1v1 and 2v2 modes into the mix.
Coinciding with Steam’s Real-Time Strategy Fest which has just kicked off, Tempest Rising’s new demo is available for the next two weeks. It features three unique multiplayer maps in which you can battle against other players: The Alps, Oasis, and Altitude. The Alps is a 2v2 affair, allowing you to team up with another player to take on a rival duo, while Oasis and Altitude are straight-up, 1v1 head-to-head maps.
However, developer Slipgate Ironworks is still offering some PvE content for those that don’t feel like getting competitive. For the first time, Tempest Rising’s Skirmish mode is going to be playable, and it’ll be against AI opponents.
The new multiplayer demo for Tempest Rising is live right now on Steam and will be available to play up until Monday, February 3.
The launch of the new demo also coincides with pre-orders finally going live for the game, so if this has been sat on your wishlist for a while, you can now lock in a copy. Alongside the standard edition of the game, there’s a deluxe edition that’ll grant you a week of early access, a digital artbook, and the full soundtrack, which features Command and Conquer composer Frank Klepacki. Anyone who pre-orders either edition will also be gifted the Commander Pack DLC for free, which contains “a variety of exclusive in-game cosmetics, including bonus player icons, skins, cursors and more.” Tempest Rising’s full Steam release date is planned to arrive on Thursday, April 24, and you can secure your pre-order here.
For more great games like Tempest Rising, check out our best strategy games list. Or if you’re just a fan of tanks and global battles, head over to our guide on the best war games.
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