Left Behind trailer on Gamespy

We finally get a look at the evangelical Christian RTS Left Behind: Eternal Forces. There is no look at the actual gameplay, but the audience is clear here. The missionary zeal of the people behind the book series has not dampened one bit. The artwork looks a lot like a cross between The Sims and Republic, and the use of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet as misplaced as you can possibly imagine.

I will admit to being mostly unfamiliar with the books themselves, if not the message therein. The whole Rapture/Evil World Government/Jesus's Wrathful Return are staples of religious programming and much of the evangelical movement.

I've often said that I wanted a game with a message, and it looks like Left Behind could wear its message on its sleeve. This will be religious edutainment and might point the way for other developers. Will it work as a game, though?

It will be interesting to see if the option of playing as the forces of the Antichrist persecuting Christians will be a viable choice for the player. I somehow doubt that it will attract the same outcry that cop-killing has in games, though I would somehow think that religious persecution of the one true faith ranks pretty high in evil.