The player takes the role of Richard Burton, the nineteenth century explorer. The game begins with a cinematic sequence showing what happens to Burton after he has died – how he comes to enter Riverworld.
Riverworld is a real-time strategy game, similar to Microsoft's Age Of Empires. Although Burton is the central character, it is seen from a third-person perspective, and other people within the game can be moved and controlled.
In 1998 the GSC Game World studio tried to introduce itself to the Western video gaming market by making its first real-time strategy game. For that, the developers decided to make their own sequel to Warcraft II, using their own engine that would be used later for the Cossack games.
You're about to engage in galactic war like there's no tomorrow. Fail and there won't be one. It's just you against the Donanji Marauders, the most lethal aliens in the universe. But if you take them on too soon, you can kiss your little Alliance good-bye. Better get your ships together. You've got planets, moons, space stations and bad manners to conquer. Crucial resources are spread over 21 uniquely designed missions. The good news is you decide your own path.
Rising Lands takes place in a not too distant future, where earth has been devastated by a comet. The survivors have formed small tribes, and as the leader of one of these tribes, the player's mission is to guide their people to become rulers of the post-apocalyptic earth.
The game takes place in the 21st century, when different armies are fighting with each other to get hold of a Life Evolution Drug, shortly called L.E.D.