indiegame.fan
Tornado: Research and Rescue header art

Tornado: Research and Rescue

Chase violent tornadoes across 1990s Tornado Alley. Read the forecast, deploy scientific probes, warn towns and upgrade your equipment as every procedurally generated storm pushes you closer to disaster.

Steam Page
Developer
Publisher
Release
May 29, 2023
3 years and 66 days ago
Steam Reviews
Very Positive351 reviews84.6%

Does this feel indie?

Vote based on whether this game feels indie to you. You can change your vote at any time. Results earn an IGF score after 10 accepted votes.
No votes yet
Vote on More Games
Game contextLatest: IGF Team
ContextThe evidence factors used to assess whether this game belongs on IndieGame.Fan.Status
Notes
Latest Contributor: IGF TeamEdit notes
Updated: Jul 16, 2026Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer.
Updated: Jul 16, 2026Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher.
Updated: Jul 16, 2026Publisher statusHow the game's publishing relationship is classified.
Search Google: How is Tornado: Research and Rescue and Sam Kennedy funded?FundingThe known source of funding behind the game.
Search Google: Who controls the creative direction and IP for Tornado: Research and Rescue and Sam Kennedy?Creative controlWho appears to retain creative control of the game.
Updated: Jul 16, 2026Release statusWhether and how the game has been released.

Media

6 items

About the Game

Tornado: Research and Rescue is a storm-chasing game set during the golden age of 1990s tornado research. Read the forecast, track violent storms across Tornado Alley, deploy scientific probes and warn communities before it is too late.

Every chase is different. Forecasts, road networks, towns, tornadoes and destruction are procedurally generated, forcing you to make decisions with limited time and incomplete information. Choose your route, position your equipment and decide how close you are willing to get as the storm evolves around you.

CHASE THE STORM

Use Doppler radar and visual clues to locate developing tornadoes, then navigate rural roads to intercept them.

Tornadoes can change direction, grow rapidly and become wrapped in heavy precipitation. What begins as a distant funnel can become a violent, debris-filled wedge cutting off your escape route. Getting close produces better research opportunities - but one wrong turn can place you directly in the path!

DEPLOY SCIENTIFIC PROBES

Place portable probes ahead of the tornado and attempt to capture measurements from inside the circulation.

Collect data including:

  • Wind speed

  • Pressure

  • Temperature

  • Dew point

Stronger tornadoes can produce more valuable readings, but reaching their path and escaping safely becomes increasingly difficult. A perfectly positioned probe could fund your next set of upgrades.

WARN TOWNS

Research is only part of the job.

When a tornado threatens a community, issue warnings and give residents time to reach shelter. Your decisions have consequences. A successful chase is not measured only by the data you collect, but by how many people survive the storm.

MANIPULATE THE TORNADO

Experimental atmospheric chemicals allow you to influence a tornado's behaviour.

Release different chemical types to alter properties such as intensity, width and movement. Each tornado responds differently, so every experiment requires observation, repeated sampling and a willingness to take risks.

You may weaken a dangerous storm - or accidentally create something far worse: tornadoes beyond an F5 rating are possible in this game!

UPGRADE YOUR EQUIPMENT

Sell research data and earn rewards from successful rescues to prepare for increasingly dangerous chases.

Improve your:

  • Storm-chasing vehicle

  • Doppler radar

  • Research probe

Better equipment allows you to detect storms earlier, collect more valuable data and survive conditions that would have ended previous chases.

BUILD YOUR STORM-CHASING CAREER

Begin with limited equipment and work your way towards the most extreme tornadoes the atmosphere can produce.

Each forecast presents a new combination of risk and opportunity. A quiet-looking day may struggle to produce a tornado, while an exceptional environment could create a violent outbreak capable of overwhelming entire communities.

Spend your earnings carefully, improve your research capabilities and decide whether the next chase is worth the danger.

CREATE YOUR OWN CHASES

Alongside the career experience, Sandbox mode allows you to configure custom storm-chasing scenarios.

Experiment with different environments, tornadoes and equipment without putting your career progression at risk, or create the most destructive storm you can survive.

You can also recreate historic tornadoes and experience them yourself in-game: the Bridge Creek/Moore 1999 tornado and the Jarrell 1997 tornadoes are included.

Forecast the storm. Deploy the probe. Warn the towns. Survive the chase.