The game is a prequel to 1997's Dark Reign: The Future of War and its 1998 sequel, Dark Reign: Rise of the Shadowhand. It features Earth in its 26th (and final) century with a large schism between the Jovian Detention Authority (JDA), its bubble-encased cities containing inhabitants who were willing to bend to the will of the dictatorial JDA, and the Sprawlers, those inhabitants left behind outside the protection of the cities to face the excessively polluted wasteland due to their unwillingness to submit to the JDA. The game implemented a 3D engine, although most aspects of fighting were not affected by the terrain and were still fought in the traditional 2 dimensions of land strategy; a few units, however, would move faster when going downhill and slower when going uphill. While the graphics were good for when it was released, it was generally written off by critics as a clone of other successful franchises, such as Command & Conquer.