When we reviewed Tempest Rising previously, we called it one of the best recent strategy games, and we still stand by that opinion. It reminded us of the good old days of Command & Conquer and Red Alert, when we spent countless hours building enormous bases and assembling ridiculous armies. The insanely talented team at Slipgate Ironworks managed to recreate much of that experience while introducing enough modern improvements to make the whole thing feel fresh. With The Veti’s Wrath, we’re returning to a devastated Earth to command an ancient civilization that has zero interest in sharing the planet with humanity.
Old Enemies, New Problems
The expansion introduces an eleven-mission campaign dedicated to the Veti. They, as you may recall, are the mysterious third faction from the original game. These ancient beings once ruled Earth, but their civilization eventually collapsed, leaving the survivors scattered and weakened. Following the events of the Tempest Wars, the Veti are attempting to reunite their forces, recover their technology and reclaim their former home. The story is an important part of the experience, and we strongly recommend playing through the campaign before jumping into multiplayer or skirmish battles. We enjoyed learning more about these creatures and experiencing the conflict from their perspective. It was such a refreshing change after spending so much time commanding the two human factions over the past year or so.
Gameplay follows the familiar Tempest Rising formula of constructing bases, gathering resources, producing military units and sending them into battle. The Veti, however, have some rather disturbing methods of strengthening their armies. Certain units can transform fallen enemy infantry into mindless servants. These so-called Enlightened can then be sacrificed to improve our units and structures, providing valuable bonuses during combat, such as repairing damaged machines or replenishing ammunition. Yes, the irony of killing enemy soldiers, bringing them back from the dead and then sacrificing them again doesn’t escape us. Such is the way of the Veti, using and reusing everything as cannon fodder. As far as military recruitment goes, it’s a particularly unpleasant arrangement, but we certainly can’t complain about the benefits. From a gameplay perspective, it adds an interesting tactical element and makes us think more carefully about how we use our units.
An Army like no Other
As far as base construction goes, the Veti rely on flying units called Caretakers. With their help, we can establish building areas and pave the way for strange structures known as Ascension Anchors. These can be connected to nearby buildings to improve their capabilities. Sacrificing the Enlightened strengthens these Anchors and, in turn, increases resource production. If needed, they can also allow us to produce more experienced units. Refineries can be constructed directly on Tempest fields, while our mobile construction capabilities are great for establishing additional positions across the map. There’s quite a bit to manage, but we feel it’s well worth maintaining a healthy economy in this way while preparing for the next enemy attack.
Speaking of fighting, Wardens are useful against groups of infantry, Subjugators are excellent at dealing with vehicles and aircraft, while Phantom Artillery bombards the hell out of enemy positions from a distance. You absolutely need to check out the enormous War Ender. This bad boy looks appropriately terrifying and packs some serious firepower, which we can’t wait for you to discover and giggle over with excitement. Every unit has its strengths and weaknesses, so we really need to put our thinking caps on when deciding how to assemble our armies. Sending everything we’ve produced straight towards the enemy sure looks impressive, but it’s also a dumb-as-a-doornail move. It rarely ends well. The additional sacrifice mechanics are cool, but they require a little lot more attention during combat. This is a DLC for veterans, for gamers who have already finished the main campaign. Otherwise, we’re afraid you might feel a bit overwhelmed by everything you need to manage. Pulling all the strings and taking full advantage of our units’ abilities can be rather demanding during larger battles.
We completed the campaign on Normal difficulty and thoroughly enjoyed our time with it. The eleven missions gradually introduce the Veti’s abilities, with plenty of opportunities to experiment with different units, abilities and tactical approaches. We also have the familiar Doctrine and Armory systems, allowing us to further customize our forces. The presentation remains one of the game’s strengths, with detailed environments, impressive explosions and wonderfully designed alien structures and machines. The Veti look and behave differently from the human factions, and their strange technology fits nicely into the established world. It’s a great DLC, reminiscent of the good old expansions from days long gone.
Worth Returning For?
The Veti’s Wrath is a DLC well worth your time, particularly if you’re interested in another single-player campaign. The faction itself is available for free in skirmish and multiplayer, so you don’t need the expansion to experiment with its mechanics. The Veti take some time to learn, but their unusual abilities and powerful units are such a joy to discover. We certainly enjoyed having another eleven missions to play through, and we hope Slipgate Ironworks isn’t finished with Tempest Rising just yet.
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