Left Behind Eternal Forces Review (PC)

Left Behind Eternal Forces is a Christian-themed game based on the Left Behind series of novels. The storyline could make for a good Sci-Fi RTS game but ultimately the game fails at the most basic level of what a game should be. Fun.

Pros

• Interesting concept/storyline

Cons

• Cumbersome interface and buggy code.
• Missions not engaging, often confusing.
• Very average graphics.
• Eye rolling stereotypes.

Storyline, Game Play & Graphics

Left Behind Eternal Forces is Christian-themed game based on the Left Behind series of books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. The game follows the storyline found in the books where most of the world's population of Christians have vanished. Those few Christians left behind have banded together under the Tribulation Force to fight off the rise of the Global Community Peacekeepers controlled by the Antichrist.

Dismissing Left Behind Eternal Forces as non-sense or propaganda is easy, but completely disregarding it would be quite unfair. Criticism and controversy are nothing new to video games, and many of the most controversial games also happen to be some of best and the most innovative. Looking at it strictly as a video game however, Left Behind Eternal Forces, is not one of these.

The main objective in the single player mode of Left Behind Eternal Forces is to convert as many non-Christian believers as possible. These converts are then used to build up your faction in anticipation of a final conflict between the forces of good and evil. Converting non-Chirstian or neutral units is done through your missionary or disciple units by building up the neutral unit's Spirit Rating.

Left Behind Eternal Forces follows the same basic concept of collect resources, construct buildings and raise armies seen in most RTS games. Your civilization or faction relies heavily on "worker" units to construct buildings and collect recourses. In Left Behind it is through these units that your Christian forces will grow and prosper. One element that adds a little twist and can cause some forced micro management is that you must pay close attention to your unit's Spirit Rating, if it drops too low the unit can be lost.

The concept and story behind Left Behind Eternal Forces could make for a good Sci-Fi RTS game. The story, game-play and interface however are so unappealing that it's hard to play for any length of time. The game's interface and controls are downright frustrating. The most commonly used task of converting neutral units becomes tedious as most commands don't seem to function correctly unless repeated multiple times. In addition to the buggy interface and game code, the graphics leave much to be desired, most units look average at best with many using the same character models.

Overall the buggy game-play, un-engaging missions and very average graphics make for a less than impressive combination. Some of the stereotypes, voice overs, messages, and music will make most roll their eyes but putting all that aside, the game fails at the most basic level of what a game should be. Fun.