Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling

Lore & Background

Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling was developed by N'Lightning Software Development, a studio based in Medford, Oregon, focused on Christian video games. The game was in development by March 2001 and was initially scheduled for mid-2001, later aiming for a Christmas release. The development team, led by lead game designer Chris Perkins, modified the Genesis3D engine to improve upon Catechumen's artificial intelligence, gameplay, level design, and graphics. The game went gold on August 10, 2001, and was released on September 1 with CenturionSoft as the distributor. A demo released in August 2001 via N'Lightning's website and mirror sites attained more than 200 downloads per hour on average.

Reader's Guide

Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling is significant as the most expensive Christian video game of its time, with a budget of $1.6 million, and as N'Lightning Software Development's last release. It received negative reviews, with criticism directed at its game engine, gameplay, level design, animations, dialog, and voice acting. Only the enemy designs and music were received positively. The game sold 50,000 copies by July 2005, making it among the bestselling Christian video games alongside Catechumen. Its legacy lies in its attempt to combine Christian themes with the first-person shooter genre, though it was seen as a poor attempt by critics, who noted it was aimed at a player base unlikely to play FPS games while being uninteresting for regular FPS players.

Did You Know?

• The game's budget of $1.6 million made it the most expensive Christian video game.
• The player can collect Bible verses to restore health.
• A demo released in August 2001 averaged more than 200 downloads per hour.