Play Tempest Online

Summary

Tempest is a striking shooter built around stark wire‑frame graphics, where each level—called a Wireway—presents a tangled network of lines that dictate both the player’s and the alien’s paths. I stay on the outer rim, firing inward while the foes crawl toward me; any that manage to breach the perimeter become instantly lethal, forcing me to guard my limited movement corridor. Some enemies slide sideways, so I have to anticipate their trajectory and factor in the travel time of my shots before committing to a move. Although Atari never shipped an official 5200 version, the original programmer Keithen Hayenga completed a prototype that resurfaced on AtariAge in 2009, giving fans a rare glimpse of what could have been.