Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Rising Lands offers a familiar yet satisfying real-time strategy experience, blending resource management, base-building, and tactical combat. Players collect three core resources—food, stones, and metal—to construct essential buildings, train units, and advance their technological tree. The interface is intuitive, allowing you to queue buildings and units with minimal micromanagement, although more advanced players will appreciate the hotkey system and quick-build options for speeding up production cycles.

What sets Rising Lands apart is its persistent campaign mechanic. Every decision you make—whether forging alliances, obliterating rival tribes, or prioritizing specific research paths—carries over into subsequent missions. This continuity creates a sense of consequence and ownership that many RTS titles lack. Peace treaties are honored in later scenarios, and technologies you’ve unlocked remain accessible, giving you both strategic flexibility and personal investment in your tribe’s long-term survival.

Combat itself is straightforward but rewarding. Infantry, cavalry, and siege units each have their roles, and the game encourages combined-arms tactics. Positioning archers on high ground, using cavalry flanks to outmaneuver slower infantry, and deploying siege engines to breach fortified settlements are all viable strategies. While there’s no rock-paper-scissors perfection, the variety of units and upgrade paths ensures that no two battles feel exactly the same.

Multiplayer versus mode is included, though it lacks the polish of dedicated online RTS giants. Matches can suffer from lag and occasional matchmaking imbalances, but for those looking to test their mettle against human opponents, Rising Lands provides a functional arena. For many players, however, the real draw remains the single-player campaign and its interconnected narratives.

Graphics

Visually, Rising Lands strikes a balance between stylized art direction and functional clarity. The isometric view is crisp, with detailed terrain textures conveying the post-apocalyptic setting—cracked earth, overgrown ruins, and scattered debris. Unit models are distinct enough that you’ll rarely confuse an archer for a swordsman even in the heat of battle.

The game’s color palette leans toward earthy browns and muted grays, punctuated by vibrant tribal banners and resource nodes that stand out clearly on the map. While it may not push the limits of modern GPUs, the result is a consistent aesthetic that reinforces the theme of a world rebuilding from catastrophe. Dynamic lighting effects during day–night cycles and subtle weather variations add atmosphere without overwhelming the core gameplay.

Animations are functional rather than flashy. Units move and engage with smooth transitions, though some siege equipment animations—like battering rams or catapults—can feel a bit repetitive after extended play sessions. Cutscenes between missions are presented in a comic-book style, blending static illustrations with animated panels. It’s an effective storytelling device, even if it lacks the production polish of fully 3D-rendered cinematics.

Performance is generally solid on midrange hardware. Framerate dips are rare, even with dozens of units on screen, and loading times between missions stay reasonable. The user interface is clean and well-organized, with clear icons for resources, unit types, and technology paths. Overall, the visuals support the game’s strategic depth without distraction.

Story

Rising Lands unfolds in a not-too-distant future where a devastating comet has torn civilization apart. In the aftermath, scattered survivors form small, warring tribes competing for dwindling resources. As the leader of one such tribe, you’re tasked with guiding your people from humble beginnings to dominance over a shattered world. The premise feels instantly relatable to fans of post-apocalyptic fiction, blending survival themes with the grand strategy scale of an RTS.

The single-player campaign shines through its narrative continuity. Early missions focus on establishing a defensible base and forging tentative alliances. As you progress, the story branches depending on your diplomatic choices: will you crush rival tribes in the name of supremacy, or forge a confederation to resist emerging threats? Both paths offer unique mission objectives and character interactions, encouraging multiple playthroughs to see all facets of the plot.

Characters are represented by tribal leaders whose personalities emerge through mission briefings and post-battle dialogues. While dialogue delivery is sometimes stiff, the writing captures the desperation and hope of a world struggling to rise from ruin. The sense of progression—watching your tribe evolve from foraging survivors into a high-tech nation—provides a compelling through-line that keeps you invested across a dozen or more missions.

Side missions and optional objectives further enrich the narrative, offering glimpses into neutral factions, hidden technologies, and moral dilemmas. Whether you choose to rescue stranded refugees or raid an abandoned research facility, these diversions add depth to the core storyline and reinforce the stakes of your decisions.

Overall Experience

Rising Lands delivers a solid RTS package with enough twists to stand out in a crowded genre. The persistent campaign system ensures that your choices carry weight, creating a sense of narrative cohesion usually reserved for turn-based strategy titles. If you value continuity and branching storylines in your strategy games, Rising Lands will resonate strongly.

While the game doesn’t break new ground in terms of graphics or AI complexity, it balances accessibility with strategic depth. Casual players will appreciate the straightforward resource model and clear UI, while veterans can dive into hotkey management and advanced tactics. The lack of overly punishing difficulty spikes makes the learning curve gentle without sacrificing challenge in later missions.

Multiplayer may not be the game’s strongest suit, but for those who prefer solo play, the campaign provides well over a dozen hours of engagement, plus replay value through different diplomatic and research paths. The post-apocalyptic setting is well-realized, and the gradual progression of your tribe offers a satisfying sense of growth and accomplishment.

In summary, Rising Lands is a commendable entry in the RTS space, combining reliable core mechanics with a memorable persistent campaign. Whether you’re a longtime strategy enthusiast or a newcomer drawn by the post-comet premise, this title offers an engaging journey from the ashes of disaster to the heights of tribal dominance.

Retro Replay Score

6.7/10