Eternal War: Shadows of Light

Shooter Action Fantasy Science fiction

February 16, 2003

Released 8473 days ago

PC (Microsoft Windows)

About

Eternal War: Shadows of Light is a Christian-themed first/third-person shooter running on a modified Quake engine. Eternal War expands upon the gameplay formula of Quake by introducing additional features and playing modes.

Mike's journey spans 17 levels, which can be completed either in single-player mode or in co-op with other players. There is also another game mode called Flood, which involves fending off waves of demons and sealing the gates through which they come. This is primarily a multiplayer mode, but it can also be played with friendly bots.

The game's setting has strong medieval fantasy motives. The eight weapons at the player's disposal either come from a medieval arsenal (dagger, crossbow, sword) or are various holy spells like Smite and Trinity Blast which are powered by manna. Essentially, most weapons function similarly to those of Quake. However, each also has an alternate firing mode that can be toggled at any time. Alternate attacks deal more damage at the cost of increased ammo consumption.

The monsters also have medieval fantasy designs, sometimes reminiscent of Heretic or Hexen. These include zombies, levitating necromancers and various humanoid fighters in medieval attire. Many of the enemies have special abilities and alternate attacks, making them even more dangerous.

One special feature unique to Eternal War is the player's ability to pray, which allows Mike to regain full health. It is not possible to fight while praying, but the player is surrounded by an aura that will banish any demons that might try to attack him.

Storyline

The story of Eternal War is centred around a deeply troubled teenager called John Coronado, who is nearly driven to suicide by his inner "personal hell". John calls to God to save him, and the game's protagonist called Mike, endowed with holy powers, is sent into John's mind to purify it from inner demons and save the youth's life. It is implied in the intro that Mike is an angel, but not stated outright. The game manual simply calls him a friend.