Saints of Virtue
A 1999 Christian first-person shooter set in the human heart.
Saints of Virtue is a 1999 first-person shooter set in a medieval 3D environment. It was created by Shine Studios and released through Cactus Game Design. As one of the earliest Christian-themed FPS titles, it helped inspire a series of similar games set in medieval or ancient periods.
The story unfolds in a world that serves as an allegory for the spiritual condition of the human heart. The player takes on the role of a Christian who journeys into their own heart to fight against spiritual temptations, aiming to become a true "Saint of Virtue."
Development began in October 1997, initiated by three individuals seeking to enter the Christian video game market. The project took 16 months to complete, and the game launched in July 1999, sold in Christian bookstores. It sold roughly 15,000 copies. Dave Slayback, a former Sierra programmer, handled the programming. Michael Ulrich, now on the art team at 2K Sports, designed the game. Bud Gillian worked as a teacher.
Gameplay consists of four levels, each representing a different spiritual hurdle on the path to sainthood. Enemies appear as floating masks that symbolize negative moral choices. Players must destroy them using the Sword of the Spirit, which fires blue bolts. Power-ups include the Shield of Faith, which lessens incoming damage, and "Spiritual health," which increases the player’s health bar.
After years of support, Shine Studios discontinued the game in 2014, around the same time its website (saintsofvirtue.com) expired. The game is no longer sold digitally, and physical CD copies are becoming increasingly hard to find.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Saints of Virtue
- Developer
- SHINE Studios
- Engine
- 3D Gamestudio
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
- Released
- July 1999
- Genre
- Action, first-person shooter
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Saints of Virtue was first conceived in October 1997 by three people who wanted to tap into the Christian video game market. Development wrapped in 16 months, and the game was released in July 1999 in Christian bookstores. The programmer was Dave Slayback, a former programmer at Sierra. Michael Ulrich designed the game, and Bud Gillian was a teacher.
The game takes place in a world allegorical to the spiritual aspects of the human heart. The player represents a Christian who enters his own heart to do battle with spiritual forces of temptation and to become a true 'Saint of Virtue.' Gameplay features four levels, each representing a spiritual obstacle. Enemies are floating masks representative of negative moral choices, destroyed using the Sword of the Spirit, which fires blue bolts. Power-ups include the Shield of Faith and 'Spiritual health.'
Reader's Guide
Saints of Virtue holds significance as one of the earliest Christian first-person shooter games, released in 1999 at a time when the Christian video game market was nascent. Its development by Shine Studios and publication by Cactus Game Design targeted a niche audience seeking faith-based entertainment. The game's allegorical setting—the human heart—and its moral-themed enemies and power-ups distinguished it from secular shooters. Despite selling only around 15,000 copies, it influenced the release of other medieval/ancient FPS games of the same style. The game was discontinued in 2014 when its website expired, and it is no longer available for digital purchase, making physical copies increasingly rare. Its legacy endures partly through community patches like SaintsX, a Windows 64-bit patch and runtime environment, which allow continued play on modern systems.
Did You Know?
- Saints of Virtue was one of the first Christian first person shooter games.
- The game was developed by Shine Studios and published by Cactus Game Design.
- It sold approximately 15,000 copies.
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