Tempest 4000

The games industry can be a strange place at times. Just ask Jeff Minter, who found himself on the wrong side of a lawsuit when he went to port his PS Vita hit TxK to other consoles. Atari alleged that the retro-styled shoot 'em up was too similar to Tempest, and even used my review as evidence. Seriously. But in twist I certainly didn't see coming, the lawsuit made way for a brand new, official, sequel called Tempest 4000. And while part of me still wants to hold a grudge against Atari for using my words as a weapon, I have to admit that this brilliant shooter is one of the best games I've played this year.

From the moment you press start, there's no mistaking that this is a Tempest game. It has the same vector-style look, uses some the same music and even offers up a lot of the same level designs. Jeff Minter and his team at Llamasoft didn't set out to reinvent the franchise or give it a brand new facelift, but rather to create the craziest and best-looking Tempest game yet. And let me tell you, they've certainly accomplished that. I doubt you'll find a faster and more chaotic shooter released in 2018.

The structure is almost exactly like that of TxK. The game is broken up into one-hundred bite-sized stages where we guide the Claw spacecraft along the side of a whole bunch of differently-shaped geometric prisms. Along the way, players will pick up power-ups that boost their fire rate, allow them to jump and even create a helpful AI droid, all in a desperate hope to clear the stage of every bad guy and move on to the next shape.

Of course, none of this is as easy as it sounds. The 100 stages are filled with many types of enemies, each with their own deadly attacks. The early enemies will do their best to grab hold of you and drag our yellow hero down the 3D tube into the dark emptiness of space. On the other hand, later enemies include bull heads that launch their horns and flower blooms that create spikes. We'll run into enemies that split into two when killed, as well as foes that electrify one entire lane of the tube. There are too many types of enemies to list here, but players will need to memorize the patterns of every one if they intend to complete this lengthy shooter.

Although I keep referring to the tubes in each stage, the truth is that many levels do not feature traditional tubes. There are plenty of levels that are a flat line or take the shape of the letter "U." Many stages will move around, changing shapes right in the middle of a tense firefight. The levels in Tempest 4000 shake, rotate, expand and morph into different designs, all in the hopes of messing the player up.

Click For the Full Picture Archive

And messing the player up is definitely what they do. There are chaotic shoot 'em ups, and then there's Tempest 4000. Between the bullets, explosions, particles and the outer space-themed backgrounds, there's a lot coming at you at once. It's incredibly easy to get distracted or confused by everything going on, especially when the game starts messing with the art style. A lot of the game is about focusing on your character and doing everything in your power to tune out the rest of the clutter. That's not always easy to do, and the newer, deadlier enemies are there to make things even tougher.

It's also fast. Blindingly fast, at times. It doesn't take much for our yellow guy to whip around the level, no matter the size. Your first instinct may be to recklessly spin around the edge of the tube, constantly shooting and hoping for the best. But as satisfying as that is, it won't get you very far. Even with the action moving so quickly, precision is paramount when it comes to staying out of trouble. And while jumping may seem like a great way to avoid nearby enemies, that too is fraught with peril. The only thing that will help you is a steady hand and learning to pay attention to every inch of the stage.

Much like the past sequels (official and not), Tempest 4000 throws you into a brief mini-game between levels. This is one of the only things I disliked about this game. On the PlayStation 4, you use tilt and turn the controller to aim for the targets, which I found to be hard to position correctly. The transitions and bonus rounds have never been good in Tempest, so it's shame they couldn't figure out something more compelling for these in-between bits.

Click For the Full Picture Archive

I think you could also make the argument that Tempest 4000 isn't all that different from TxK. Don't get me wrong, there are different levels and enemies in this new game, but everything else is practically the same. The same power-ups, moving stages and one-hundred level structure. There isn't anything here that makes the game feel dramatically different, which may frustrate fans looking for the series to evolve. Personally, I think there is a good mix of new and old, and it's just nice having an official Tempest sequel on modern consoles.

Although the fast-paced gameplay and chaotic levels may look daunting at first, Tempest 4000 ends up being ridiculously exciting shooter that is accessible and easy to get into. It has a frenetic energy that kept me glued to the screen, even when the game introduces the tough new bad guys. And while it doesn't break new ground or evolve the formula in any meaningful ways, it does give us the best looking and playing version of Tempest we've seen yet. I sincerely hope we don't have to wait another eighteen years for Tempest 5000.