Rising Tide is a 2 player race against rising sea levels in which players must learn to work together to outrun their doom. The game was designed to explore climate change in a light way as part of a university project. The emphasis on teamwork reflects the importance of having to work together to solve climate change in the real world.
The game has players chopping trees to build platforms and bridges. Trees grow back if there are neighboring trees so players should be conservative in their chopping. In addition, there is an assortment of obstacles to impede progress up the sinking island's diverse biomes.