left behind by the humans to control the weather. In Chota's fortress, a human hydroelectric dam, Rif, Okk and Eeah outwit their enemies, and Chota and the Orb are presumed lost. They return to the Known Lands, where Rif convinces the Tribes to work together, so that they will no longer need the Orbs to make their lives better. The Forest King takes his advice, promotes Okk and Eeah, and releases Rhene. However, the Orb of Storms was not destroyed, and is preparing to initiate Chota's final command to begin a long drought, awaiting input on the ending date of the drought. Game theme A background theme of the game is the fate of the humans. According to the game's introduction and manual, the humans created the Morph from their constituent animals, and then mysteriously disappeared sometime later, with nearly all information about human civilization and technology lost or passed into legend. The Rats, the most educated tribe, are the only ones who believe in the humans' existence, due to their exploration of human ruins. Most of the human relics are in the third area of the game. On the North Island, the player explores ancient human ruins of hydroelectric dams, airports, and solar observatories, with clues indicating that the humans were struck by a sudden disaster. David Joiner, one of the game's developers, said in an interview that humanity was eradicated by an airborne biological weapon, a scenario inspired by the Alistair MacLean novel The Satan Bug. This is alluded to in the game's opening sequence, which shows a tapestry depicting humans fleeing from a giant microbe. The developers also explored the idea of humans living in a lunar base, alluded to in-game. Webcomic The story of the video game is continued in the official webcomic, Inherit the Earth, which takes place ten months after the events of the game. The webcomic is drawn by Allison Hershey, the game's original art designer, and co-written by Joe Pearce, the owner of Wyrmkeep Entertainment. Reception Computer Gaming World in August 1994 rated Inherit the Earth 2.5 stars out of five. While praising the graphics' "storybook charm" the reviewer stated that the game had too many mazes and fetch quests "tacked in order to extend its limited game play". He reported an "abrupt", incomplete ending and concluded that the game's "puzzles were given the least amount of attention". The game was reviewed