Chicken Assassin: Reloaded
Chicken Assassin: Reloaded
Game
Game2018
Tempest 4000
Developer Llamasoft Ltd.
Tempest 4000 is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Llamasoft and published by Atari, Inc. It is a modern reimagining of the classic arcade game Tempest, which was released in 1981. In Tempest 4000, players control a spaceship and navigate through a series of increasingly challenging levels while fighting off waves of enemies. Tempest 4000 was released for Atari VCS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows and… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
180 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 24, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
68
Fresh
110 positive · 52 negative
95% range 60–75%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 110 | 52 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 9 | 2 | 5 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
120 of 175 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
68% recommend · 111 yes, 53 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 164 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mixed (138 of 199 positive).
Players praise the game's visuals and soundtrack, calling it a worthy successor to Tempest 2000. [1][2][3] Many reviewers note technical issues, including poor mouse and keyboard support and problems with high refresh rate monitors. [4][5][6] Some players feel the controls are sluggish or unresponsive, especially without a controller or spinner. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [15]
Tempest 4000 has been somewhat of an enigma in the gaming scene. In 2015, Jeff Minter, best known for developing Tempest 2000 released an obscure PS Vita game called TXK, which was a remake of Tempest 2000 but without the Tempest name. Tempest 2000 was not only known for being an amazing update of an arcade classic, but also the shining gem of a console most people today only know because of an angry gamer making a …
- [7]
Controls and Music ruin it. Lack of mouse controls is not great. But on top of that the joystick controls seem to have an annoying inertia to it in order to kinda poorly emulate fighting against a trackball's inertia. But you never get the precision of a trackball or mouse, so clearly that doesn't work out. The visuals are generally pretty great and the gameplay is pretty timeless. It doesn't stray too far from the …
- [4]
Buyer beware -- there are known problems with those using 144 Hz monitors, as well as botched mouse/keyboard support, while it is cheaper on here than the console versions. I've not had any major problems other than the botched keyboard controls, but it's best to consider your specs before deciding to purchase this. Consider also if you have a controller, as it's currently the only comfortable way to play this. I'm …
- [2]
Tempest 4000 is amazing. The visuals are stimulating, the sounds intense, the gameplay thrilling, and it is alot of fun. The wait was definitely worth it (4 years give or take). Yak and Giles really outdid themselves this time. However, despite how good this game is, it still has some flaws: 1) You need a controller to play this game. Using keys feels weird, as you use the A and B keys, like you would use the A and …
- [1]
Despite hardly no time in this game, I am already familiar with the man who created it: Jeff Minter (The Yak!) of Llamasoft fame. I strongly advise everyone to look up his company and the man himself. He is a legend and is very eccentric to say the least. The visuals are stunning, with colors flying everywhere in all the glorious pixel explosions! Christmas lights everywhere and a pulse thumping, heart throbbing …
Summarised from 34 of the 182 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Tempest 4000 sits at 68% positive across 162 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Reactions
60 of 180 · most liked firstTempest 4000 has been somewhat of an enigma in the gaming scene. In 2015, Jeff Minter, best known for developing Tempest 2000 released an obscure PS Vita game called TXK, which was a remake of Tempest 2000 but without the Tempest name. Tempest 2000 was not only known for being an amazing update of an arcade classic, but also the shining gem of a console most people today only know because of an angry gamer making a video about how much of a flop it was. Atari took legal action, and it only…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They made a Tempest game that does not support a mouse or spinner control. I repeat: They made a TEMPEST GAME....that does NOT support a MOUSE... or a G0DD@MN SPINNER CONTROL!!!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →UPDATE: A patch with new resolution support, keymapping, and more was released in November 2018! Read [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/688140/allnews/]HERE for a more-comprehensive list of items patched (specifically, the box containing the news entry dated November 8) If newer patches exist, I haven't yet made note of them in this review, but you'll find them by clicking [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/688140/allnews/]that link (also copied to these words), which goes to the main T4K…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I waited so long for this game, I'm almost afraid my expectations are too high. It was of course a day one purchase for me, and I do believe in showing my support for Jeff Minter a.k.a. YAK. However, in the decade of waiting for a PC version of the classic Tempest 2k, there was Dave Theurer's most excellent freeware version of the game Typhoon 2001 (done with permission from YAK). And while Tempest 4k is obviously an updated version, in many ways it feels like a downgrade from Tyhpoon 2001.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Buyer beware -- there are known problems with those using 144 Hz monitors, as well as botched mouse/keyboard support, while it is cheaper on here than the console versions. I've not had any major problems other than the botched keyboard controls, but it's best to consider your specs before deciding to purchase this. Consider also if you have a controller, as it's currently the only comfortable way to play this. I'm a fan of the original Tempest, and I play that game on Atari Vault using a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Despite hardly no time in this game, I am already familiar with the man who created it: Jeff Minter (The Yak!) of Llamasoft fame. I strongly advise everyone to look up his company and the man himself. He is a legend and is very eccentric to say the least. The visuals are stunning, with colors flying everywhere in all the glorious pixel explosions! Christmas lights everywhere and a pulse thumping, heart throbbing musical score to accomplish all your mushroom induced dreams - w/o the need to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been able to enable the use of a SpinTrak rotary controller that I've built myself and through some tinkering and trial and error I've been able to get the claw speed as fast as I like AND as responsive as I like, The spinner feels very connected to the claw and let me tell you a spinner can make all the difference on whether or not this is a fun game to play because being able to move the claw where you want it AND when you want it with no effort at all makes this game my all time…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tempest 4000 is amazing. The visuals are stimulating, the sounds intense, the gameplay thrilling, and it is alot of fun. The wait was definitely worth it (4 years give or take). Yak and Giles really outdid themselves this time. However, despite how good this game is, it still has some flaws: 1) You need a controller to play this game. Using keys feels weird, as you use the A and B keys, like you would use the A and B buttons. Also, Left Bumper is P, and I haven't quite figured out what Right…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Controls and Music ruin it. Lack of mouse controls is not great. But on top of that the joystick controls seem to have an annoying inertia to it in order to kinda poorly emulate fighting against a trackball's inertia. But you never get the precision of a trackball or mouse, so clearly that doesn't work out. The visuals are generally pretty great and the gameplay is pretty timeless. It doesn't stray too far from the original formula, doesn't offer multiple modes of various modernity like some…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If I hadn't played Tempest 2000 I'd probably love this. While this looks and sounds awesome - the whole thing just feels sluggish and is really not helped by the momentum placed on the controls. It just feels 'wrong' to be honest. Get Atari 50 instead and play 2k.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No resolution selector and on 144 HZ monitors game runs too fast. The only fix is to drop your screen refresh rate to 60hz. Also on Ultrawide monitors the game does fill the screen as it should but any text like the high score table or the instructions and credits the text is all overlapped making it impossible to read. I would hold up on this game and wait until it's finished.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →PEAK Minter, no other shooter comes this close to audio and visual psychedelia and no drugs were taken during the course of any playthrough, I swear. I have been a lifelong Minter fan, I used to buy games from his mother via mail order a very long time ago and played everything the great man has ever produced so it goes to say that T4000 is without exception, and so far, the best game from his quirky gaming stable. 11/10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game does NOT work on Steamdeck! Even though valve says playable.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wouldn't normally write a review of a game so early into playing it, but there's stuff I want to say. First of all, I never played Tempest 2000 when it came out. I missed out on the Jaguar altogether, and played TxK on Vita first. And I really liked TxK, played it through to the end, and pushed my score on Classic Mode until it was in the top 10. (I think it's dropped out by now). So my main reference point for the game is "new TxK" rather than "new T2K", and I think that's different from…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game, but lots of technical issues. But the launcher is a mess. Can only select resolutions op to 1680x1050 on a 4k@120hz monitor. And the input options are weird. Also, whatever remains of atari is basically a troll.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Visually it does the job and I want to love it, but it's basically unplayable with normal controllers. If you have some kind of paddle/spin knob that grants you precision control, it might be more fun.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I do not recommend this game at $20, but I recommend the game on its own. Visuals are great, gameplay is smooth and fun, and has the original awesome rave/breakbeat soundtrack. TxK is still better and I think there should be a mashup version between this and TxK as both have great visuals and soundtracks. I would NOT label this game as Steam Deck supported. Getting this to work took me like 15/20 minutes of trying to see what works and what doesn't. These are the steps I used to get it to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yes, there is a better version of this game on Vita called TxK. However, this is still the best game available on the PC where you play as a croissant. And a strong contender for the best looking game ever made. Pop this baby into 4K and watch your eyes melt in real time. That said, I would personally opt for the superior (and cheaper) Polybius if you're after some Jeff Minter action, but of course you'll be wanting to get everything he's ever made anyway.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disastrous Port, even after the last patch the game doesn't run smoothly at correct frames (60 hz) and the key mapping crashes on startup. PC gamers, play either emulated Tempest 2000 or Typhoon 2001 instead.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am not sure if it has been patched since the other reviews, but for me the controls are great and just like Tempest 2000 on the Jag or Sat or PS1 (or 3000 later on PS1 or Nuon). I am a huge fan of this game series with psychedelic visuals and beautiful irreverent humour and sheep and Llama love like no one else but Minter can do. For those who have never played any of those games, it’s an update to an old Atari arcade game where you had to frantically shoot aliens down a tube or pit whom…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We all know that Atari is an abomination. But Llamasoft, and Jeff Minter; Divine manifestations of gaming godhood. Tempest has been a "flagship" game since the original coin-op arcade game entertained us in the 1980s. Tempest 2000 for the 64-bit Atari Jaguar console improved upon the original, and blew us away. Now, we see the latest incarnation supporting 4K resolution, and it looks/sounds awesome. Tempest 2000 players will recognize some of the soundtrack straight away. The trip down…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Post a random game from your collection Saturday! Today is Tempest 4000 for Xbox One! I like Tube Shooters and I think I got this for $5. One day I'll open it...
positive · AI labelView post →I was a little concerned after reading some of the other reviews, but turns out the game is fantastic. I was a big fan of TxK on the vita and T4k feels like a real improvment. The controls (imo) are great, the grahics have really improved and the new enemies and increased difficulty level really add to the formula. Having paused mapped to L1 is a little weird though. Great game 9/10!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is without any joy I echo the other negative reviews for this game. I love Tempest, Tempest 2000 and Tempest X3 and as it stands this is not a worthy successor to any of those titles. Gaijinking covers it pretty effectively so I won't retread too much of what has already been said and focus on a couple key points for me. The pace feels off, in large part because the controller's analog controls which can not be remapped makes movement feel clumsy and inexact in a game that should be…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There were some modern Ataris there as well, like the Game Station thingy, The 400 Mini™️ and a VCS800 or whatever they called that Windows PC in the VCS-like box that I didn't get picture of. Tempest 4000 was not fun. Sorry.
negative · AI labelView post →Great game, Captures the feeling of the original, just beautiful work. Didn't know they sold spinners, will look into getting one if they add support. If its not in there would also dig an 'old school' mode to be able to go to pure vector look now and again, but as it is now it satisfies just like the original.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For the love of sheep - buy it! Buy everything from llamasoft, really. Just do it already. Minter is a mastermind and deserves all your money, honey.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quite simply the best trance out shooter ever. Dave Theuer once said "I want to design it for a guy who's totally frazzled by his job and needs a way to temporarily escape. There's a certain class of games... where you just get into a trance when you're playing them. As long as you're in this trance you'll do fine." Llamasoft have transcended this into something that would blow his mind now. BUY THIS GAME
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No. I'm sorry. Even for four bucks, this isn't worth it. I've played the heck out of Tempest 2000 for Jaguar and Tempest X on PS1, even played a lot of Space Giraffe years ago. This is worse than all of them. The game speed feels slow, the controls have a momentum that is immediately annoying and feels imprecise, and the BIGGEST FLAW of all, when you die it doesn't clear the board before you respawn!! So if you've got like five of those red X enemies up on the rim of the tube, they're all right…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow , this is an amazing version of Tempest. Don't let the minimalist screenshots fool you, the game explodes into a eurphoric visual orchestra of color and sublime visual effects. The effects are perfectly balanced to escelate just as it did in Tempest 2000, as you blast further into the game and further into more intense gameplay scenarios. This is Llamasoft at the top of their game, can't wait to play more.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best Tempest game thus far. And the best bit is you don't have to go out and buy an Atari Jaguar / PS Vita to play it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Picked up Tempest 4000 on sale on my #Nintendo Switch 2 - now @stinkyox.bsky.social can buy more snacks for his adorable animals! It's a great game!
positive · AI labelView post →Absolutely lousy excuse for a Tempest game. No music, terrible key mapping, and the in game button prompts don't even match up with the controls you've assigned. I bought this on sale and I still feel ripped off. Refunded.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't get the hate. It's a perfectly adequate, and in my opinion improved port of TxK. Plays and looks great. Has that 'loud' neon Minter aesthetic and is a decent, better-looking followup to his other Tempest (and adjacent) efforts. Flaws: that it doesn't default to the new/TxK OST, instead playing the same T2K tracks we've heard millions of time since 1994, is kinda lame. The new tracks also aren't quite as good. Mouse/spinner support is SORELY lacking even though that would probably…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Plays beautifully at 90 fps on Steam Deck. Still not as good a game as TxK on the Vita.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My skills seem to have erroded with age, but it's still a fantastic tube shooter by Minter. VR owners: Play this game on a giant virtual screen (BigScreen or Virtual Desktop) and thank me later. It may not be native VR support, but it's still an amazing assault on the senses. Between the game taking up your entire view and the gorgeous OLED colors and blacks, it's the most definitive version of Tempest ever made. No spinner mode sucks, but I guess they don't wanna deal with the hassle of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Let me worry about 3AM EXTERNAL ...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome game. Sound and Graphics are usual Minter stylee. Gets visually crazy on later levels. Its an updated port of TxK on SonyVita. If you want an updated T2000 your out of luck just emulate it or play the freeware version. Currently it doesn't like widescreen monitors or refresh rates over 60hz. The keyboard controls are weird. and no mouse control. But plays great with an Xbox Pad. You can't currently remap keys or graphic settings. Ignore everyone who only has 0.4 hrs playing the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It really is the best combination of the things Llamasoft does well and the classic arcade gameplay experience of Tempest.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm sorry. As a Tempest fanatic who can rip through the original version in Atari Vault (I played it in the arcades back in the early 80's and owned the arcade machine into the early 2000's) I have to say this is nothing like the real one. The enemies move lethargically, the controls are nothing like using the original spinner. This is so removed from the original game that its only tie is the name. I like Gridrunner from Llamasoft but this is sad. If you're a Tempest fan, avoid this game.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What?!....How can you not have spinner (mouse/trackball) support on a TEMPEST PC game? Just plain lazy disregard to the original Arcade classic. This is what I get for blind buying this thing assuming I would be able to use my spinner. I originally almost bought this on my XBONE but went for the Steam version. Because of course the PC version will have mouse support. Cause um it's a freaking PC right?..... I know most people play games on gamepads but c'mon. There is a large retro…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While looking for casual/arcade games I found Tempest 4000. Not being familiar with Tempest or Llamasoft I dismissed it at first but after watching two levels of gameplay I suspected it might be a game I'd like. My first hour of playing the game was filled with regret and yours might be too. T4k is an awesome game but difficult at first, with a different way to control the claw than it's predecessors and it will take time to learn how to play the game properly. Also the gameplay and visuals…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm sorry I just can't recommend this game. To me the controls feel really wonkey and I wish you could remap the buttons on the controller or keyboard or what a lot of people already stated use a spinner controller.. Tho I like the music and overall the game looks pretty. I didn't had any problems with frame-rate whatsoever or have experienced bad stuff with the refresh rate of my screen. I did had 2 crashes while I was playing but this seems to be rare among other players. I guess I'm just…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game could have been so much fun! My problems with Tempest 4000: Display framerates and sizes break the game (had to change resolution and Hz), often no or hardly visible powerups, spongy controls, no editable keybindings and bad keyboard support, no spinner or mouse support, no manual or guide. ....and much much more. Tempest 4000 feels like a hastily released beta version and just isn't fun for me! So exactly the opposite of what Atari games should do. For me, Tempest 4000 is a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are people that complain about flashing lights, posh monitors and the fact that, all of a sudden, they can't play games with a controller that's been around for roughly 20 years... Download this game and blast for a couple of hours and you'll notice something odd happens... you zone out. Yes, Minter's done it again, made a game where you completely flatline. I played it for a bit and when I came out of my hypnotic trance, summer's were hot, England played football really well, the UK had…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The review by gaijinking nails it. Ultimately the controls feel off and are no where as tight as they were in the Jaguar Classic or the PS1 version. It's too "floaty" and you constantly miss the sections of the web you intend to shoot down. It's like playing the arcade original on MAME which was clearly meant for a dial controller. I really feel that this needs mouse support. I love the visuals though and although I love the iconic tune, I would much prefer some more new ones and/or an…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing Game, amazing heritage I still play the original but this follows it's DNA perfectly. Jeff Minter is the man and Atari also need credit for allowing TxK to become T4k. Can't recommend enough. A+++
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If the OG Tempest's the dad everyone respects, T2K's the popular older sister everyone loves, T3K's the middle child everyone forgets... Tempest 4000 is definitely the obnoxious younger brother no one really cares about. It's still a decent game and all, but get it on sale. This is REALLY a game that you've gotta work with to enjoy it, but I still had fun. A controller is an absolute must, though, and it's still ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that there's no spinner support despite Minter's devs playing with one.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →heck yeah TEMPEST 4000 is $4 on GOG if you want it (i already triple dipped on all my systems already) www.gog.com/en/game/temp...
positive · AI labelView post →I liked playing previous versions of this game since they worked fine with a keyboard; this version does not work very well with a keyboard. Since it does not work with a keyboard, I returned the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decent version of the classic Tempest. However, it would have been nice if Atari enabled dial spinners. Come on Atari. Regardless, still a decent version of the game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love his game so much I bought it twice (physical on Xbox One and just recently on PC). I was a huge fan of Tempest 2000 on the Jaguar and T4K takes that game up a few thousand notches. Easily my fave shooter of all time and I'm currently - for the first time in my life as a gamer - sporting a killer blister on my thumb from playing it. Of course, that could be down to the sharp edges on the new Xbox controller! Highly recommended but you'll need to give it time. Initially I took one look at…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tempest without SPINNER (or Mouse) support? YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Would be a GREAT game with built in mouse/spinner support. As is, it's basically worthless, unplayable eye candy. DON'T BUY until the author adds mouse/spinner support. Go get a copy of MAME and play the real TEMPEST (won't cost you a dime).
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ah - Tempest....the closest experience you can get to doing LSD (uh, at least according to a, um, friend of mine. I'd never do illegal substances) or finding out what it feels like to have something seriously wrong (but groovy!) with how your brain perceives reality. The responsive reflex gameplay! The funky mindblowing graphics! The pounding, pulsing soundtrack! Yes - that was the bomb back in the day, and I thought I'd get me some of that good ole nostalgia vibe. And, well....the problem…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played Tempest in the arcades in the '80s. Played Tempest 2000 on the Atari Jaguar. Played Tempest X on the Playstation 2. Now I am playing Tempest 4000 on the PC. If you like Tempest and Jeff Minter then you will know what to expect. This is Minter Tempest and... well that's it really. That's all it needs to be. I like this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This has been on my wish list for a while. I was surprised today to see it had already been released - I expected to see it featured (or some press coverage). Anyhow, I'm a big fan of TxK on the Vita - getting in the zone with that game is a unique experience. I must admit, when I first played this game - I was pressed for time and had only 15 minutes to give it a quick play. My first impression what that it wasn't as good as TxK. I was annoyed by the blue meteors that looked like enemy…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been a fan of Llamasoft since the 8-bit days and had been looking forward to having TxK on the PC for some time. The screenshots and videos here don't really do T4K much justice - playing the game with the monitor dialed in is an awesome experience! The only gripe I have is with the inability to customize controls. I'm just using joy2key to map the joypad; analog sticks make maneuvering feel too imprecise. The FC30 and PowerA Fusion controllers work beautifully. This is an outstanding…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Can't remap controls, can't use PC spinners. Really, a game that is designed to use a spinner but you can't use a spinner. Very disappointed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Looks beautiful but that's it. No options to set gamepad as a controller or change screen resolutions. The keyboard controls are extremely unresponsive making it unplayable. The game feels rushed and unfinished. Had real high hopes for this game as always been a massive fan of the Jaguar version, but this is a shockingly poor effort. DO NOT BUY UNTIL A MAJOR UPDATE IS RELEASED I suggest people keep pestering the developer @llamasoft_ox on Twitter to make some fixes to this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been playing Minter games since Gridrunner on the Vic 20 and have always loved his "play the game to learn the game" ethos. I've heard a few peeps complaining about the floaty controls. Really? The controls are simply emulating the run over on a spinner controller hence adding another dimension to play and an additional skill to learn. My review of T4K is simply summed up in one word ... "Sublime" Join the revolution and May The Yak Be with You !
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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