Adrenaline-Pumping Tempest Reboot, Tempest 4000 Launches in July

Atari helped close last summer with a surprising reveal, a reboot for the classic arcade-shooter Tempest is in development. Legendary game designer Jeff Minter heads development at Llamasoft, ensuring Tempest 4000 faithfully adheres to what makes the original so beloved. The action-packed gameplay of the arcade days returns, alongside new features, and finally has a release date. Tempest 4000 arrives in digital and retail stores on July 17 for $29.99 USD.

As one of the first video games to employ 3D vector graphics, Tempest quickly cemented itself as pivotal to Atari’s legacy. Further evidence of this is apparent in its influence across popular culture, notable in works such as Ernest Cline’s novel, Ready Player One. Tempest’s impact, and that of arcade gaming, also manifests in the consoles of today. Jeff Minter, says of the reboot, “modern home consoles are the descendants of arcade gaming. We wanted to bring the classic arcade experience into players’ homes, so both franchise legacy fans and new gamers can test their mettle.”

“Much of Atari’s legacy is tied to console games, and we want to continue this tradition with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch of Tempest 4000,” said Todd Shallbetter, Chief Operating Officer of Atari. “The original Tempest is one of our most beloved titles, so it was only a matter of time before we brought this iconic arcade classic to modern consoles with today’s technology.”

Players control Claw, a spacecraft equipped to destroy the deadliest of creatures and overcome obstacles. With rapid-fire shots, players power Claw through 100 levels to slay every enemy as quickly as possible. The measure of success, as with any adrenaline-pumping arcade game, is weighed on leaderboards.

Tempest 4000 offers new features, too:

• Arcade Style Shooter: Hordes of enemies will test players’ reflexes in this fast-paced arcade style shoot ‘em up;
• Visually Stunning Graphics: Revamping the look of the original arcade game, Tempest 4000 features vibrant graphics in sharp 4K resolution;
• Multiple Game Modes: Three different game modes will push players’ skills to the limit, including Standard, Pure and Endurance:
  • Standard: Equipped with three lives, players battle through enemies until all lives run out. Players can begin their next playthrough from the last completed stage with their previous high score.
  • Pure: The classic arcade mode, Pure gives players three lives to start from the beginning and progress as far as possible.
  • Endurance: A brutal challenge, Endurance gives players just one life to survive as long as possible.
• Level Up: With 100 unique geometric levels to progress through, players must equip themselves with various weapons and power-ups, earning upgrades through bonus rounds;
• Global Leaderboards: Players can duke it out for the top spots on leaderboards for all three game modes in the quest to be recognized as number one;
• Retro Techno Soundtrack: In true retro space shooter style, the game features a thumping soundtrack inspired by early 1990s techno;
• Old School Gameplay: Nostalgia is here to stay with the traditional gameplay of the original Tempest with enhanced graphics on current generation consoles.

Tempest 4000 hits PC, PS4, and Xbox One on July 17.