Tempest is available for just $15 and it scratches an itch few other games do. It’s a capable, if somewhat buggy, pirate adventure that offers up challenging combat and an open world to explore. Customization and late-game challenges courtesy of legendary ships and mythical monsters help round out the title, making it worthwhile if a little frayed around the edges.
"Tempest" is a mystery-filled open world game set in a society trapped in a time loop, where the inhabitants' overflowing memories are causing the world to deteriorate. As the player, you must explore and uncover the past to resolve the future in this atmospheric walking simulator/interactive fiction game. It offers good game mechanics, visuals, and stellar music, but be prepared for grinding and some bugs in this 20-30 minute single-player or cooperative experience.
Engaging naval combat with a variety of ships and customization options.
Open world exploration with multiple factions and quests to complete.
Good graphics and sound design that enhance the pirate atmosphere.
Clunky and unintuitive user interface that makes navigation and management frustrating.
Repetitive quests and grinding mechanics that can lead to boredom.
Numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, including issues with quest progression.
story
362 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
77%
11%
The game's story is described as lacking depth and coherence, primarily consisting of repetitive fetch quests and missions that often suffer from bugs and poor tracking. While there are entertaining elements and a variety of factions, many players find the quest system frustrating due to vague objectives and a lack of clear direction, leading to a grind rather than an engaging narrative experience. Overall, the potential for a rich pirate adventure is overshadowed by technical issues and a disjointed storyline.
“The storylines are entertaining and interesting and worth the pursuit.”
“I also like the story and faction missions; it gives the player a sense of adventure and not knowing what will happen next in the story.”
“Tempest is a great pirate action RPG that brings you into a world with a quest-filled adventure with ships lurking on the ocean floor.”
“There is no mission log, nor any other means of tracking quests/missions; the only way to see what missions you have accepted is if you go to the port that you picked the mission up at. Outside of the port you picked the mission up at, there is nothing, and I mean nothing.”
“Most of the (very limited) story comes from quests that you get from each faction, but they're terribly buggy and many of the triggers won't work without restarting the game each step of the quest.”
“The story itself just throws you into the world.”
gameplay
188 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
65%
11%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the fun and immersive naval combat mechanics, ship management, and questing, while others criticize the clunky controls, inadequate tutorial, and confusing user interface. Many feel that the game lacks depth and polish, often comparing it unfavorably to more established titles like Sid Meier's Pirates. Overall, while there are enjoyable elements, the gameplay experience is marred by bugs and simplistic mechanics that can detract from the overall enjoyment.
“Great fun, enjoyable story and mechanics.”
“Fun pirating game with good sailing and fighting mechanics.”
“The overall gameplay is pretty good, factions, quests, rewards for doing things, getting better ships.”
“In the end, the graphics are simple, there's no flow to the gameplay, everything is a confusing mess and navigating it is clunky.”
“The tutorial is very badly laid out, very buggy, and only scratches the surface on many of the mechanics.”
“The gameplay feels like it was designed for a mobile device.”
graphics
183 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
48%
7%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the stunning visuals and detailed environments, particularly the water effects, while others criticize them as outdated or lacking polish. Many comments highlight a disparity between promotional images and actual graphics, with some describing them as decent but not exceptional, and others noting issues with user interface and gameplay flow. Overall, while the graphics are appreciated for their artistic style and smooth performance, they are often seen as needing improvement to match modern standards.
“The graphics are stunning and the characters are very well designed.”
“Tempest is a beautiful game featuring richly detailed textures and artworks.”
“The graphics are surprisingly good, especially considering the small size of the game itself.”
“It's not the best graphics-wise, and anything done away from your ship is a 'floaty' chore.”
“The graphics are just ugly, and trees and bushes just spawn 10 meters away from you. If you walk away from them, they disappear.”
“The graphics aren't too great; the water looks amazing, but when you zoom in to dry land while talking to someone on a quest, it is horribly blobby and blurry.”
stability
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting a variety of bugs and glitches that affect gameplay, including issues with quests, combat mechanics, and overall performance. While some players note that the game is not completely broken and can be enjoyable at times, the prevalence of bugs—especially in the tutorial and mission progression—detracts from the overall experience. Many recommend waiting for patches or sales before purchasing due to these ongoing stability issues.
“At least it isn't buggy.”
“Almost bug-free (one flotsam in deep sea is still not functioning).”
“In general, great graphics, no glitches, fun maneuvers.”
“It's a very buggy port of a mobile game.”
“The mission progression is buggy.”
“The game is buggy as shit, system crashes, can't resume original plot/position, re-install won't waste my time.”
music
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
35%
9%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players praising the soundtrack as fantastic and atmospheric, effectively enhancing the pirate experience. However, some users express a desire for more variety and specific elements like sea shanties, noting that the repetitive nature of certain tracks detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, there are calls for improvements and additional content.
“The soundtrack itself is fantastic, bringing a fine blend of fantasy magic with an age of wooden ships and iron men.”
“This is a casual, fantasy, pirate sailing game that's fun and relaxing, and not too difficult, with some great music and impressive explodey action.”
“Soundtrack is magnificent!”
“The music is decent, though I wouldn't say it justifies a soundtrack release, unfortunately.”
“- no sea shanties dammit, there's music yes but what's a pirate game without sea shanties?”
“The background music leaves a bit to be desired as it's a single track that replays over and over based on the occasion (exploration versus combat, etc).”
grinding
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, often requiring repetitive tasks to earn enough currency for upgrades or new ships. Many reviews highlight an imbalance in the game's economy, where the time investment needed to progress feels disproportionate to the rewards, leading to a sense of exasperation. While some enjoy the lore and ship management, the overwhelming consensus is that the grinding detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“Grinding faction or money through these endless battles is not fun, I'm hanging this game up :(”
“It's needlessly tedious, takes a lot of the fun out of the game.”
“The only thing to do in this game is to roam around the map, repeating the same missions over and over again, constantly grinding to build reputation for a faction.”
atmosphere
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
29%
14%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, effectively capturing the essence of pirate life with engaging naval combat, diverse factions, and atmospheric sound design. While some players note that the overall experience can feel dull or reminiscent of mobile games, many appreciate the detailed graphics and the sense of being at sea, especially during storms. Overall, the game is considered to have a strong, unique atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
“What really shines is the atmosphere - there are lots of factions, quests, many ships and upgrades you can use, some big monsters in the ocean attacking you... artifacts are a nice addition - and what is most important, the developers are constantly working on adding more content.”
“It has a sense of atmosphere that brings the world to life; in my opinion, it's one of the best pirate games out there.”
“The overall presentation really stands out as a stylish, extremely well-crafted piece of work that oozes a dark, yet jolly 'piratey' atmosphere.”
“The entire atmosphere, mechanics, and handling of the game is comparable to a mobile game, rather than a PC game.”
“It probably gets a bit better with time as your skills increase, but there still is no great atmosphere; it is just dark and dull, slow, and not agile at anything it does.”
“- Removal of the over-the-shoulder camera for in-person play doesn't feel natural and ruins the atmosphere, along with making in-person battles ridiculously harder than they should be.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it entertaining and funny, particularly during missions that elicit genuine laughter. However, some reviews note that the humor can wear thin after a few hours, and while the game has its comedic moments, it may not sustain that level of amusement throughout. Overall, it is described as a lighthearted experience that can be enjoyable despite its flaws.
“Let's face it - this is certainly not a corsair, but a very, very funny toy.”
“First: this game is really funny and entertaining.”
“It's a very funny game (=.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
12%
38%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews; while some players report significant performance issues, particularly in multiplayer, others praise its stability and graphical quality, even on older hardware. Overall, it appears that the game is still in early access, with some users expressing satisfaction with its current optimization, while others highlight the need for improvements, especially in multiplayer functionality.
“This game has a good optimization, very stable and has excellent graphics!”
“Worth mentioning is that the game is very well optimized already and looks really nice even on older machines.”
“It kills the computer; it's not an optimized game at all.”
“I understand that maybe they still want the performance since the items can be acquired elsewhere.”
“As it is in its current early access state, I declare myself more than pleased with this game’s performance and entertainment value.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn mixed reviews, with some players finding it enjoyable despite its limitations, while others criticize it for excessive advertisements and a lack of new content. Although it is considered more worthwhile than typical cash grabs, the game's graphics do not match the promotional material, leading to disappointment.
“As with many Steam games, following this the last few years has just been an avenue for the publisher to post advertisements.”
“There's nothing new to this game, but only advertisements for other games.”
“Actual graphics are much duller (cheaper) than in its ads, 2560x1600 max all.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Players highlight the high replayability of the game, noting its extensive content and engaging faction system that keeps the experience fresh. Many reviewers rate the replayability positively, with scores around 8/10, and appreciate the value offered, especially in multiplayer modes.
“Replayability 8/10”
“The amount of content and replayability, not to mention multiplayer, for such a low price is ridiculous.”
“Tempest does incorporate an abundance of content allowing for enormous replayability.”
“The game is replayable without getting boring due to the faction system.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is lacking, as players report a deficiency in well-developed characters, making it difficult to form any meaningful emotional connections.