Left Behind Games is giving away free copies of its Left Behind: Eternal Forces RTS game absolutely free – sort of.
The Left Behind Games website is giving away both the boxed and downloaded versions of the game, a $24.95 value, for only the cost of shipping or a $4.99 “digital download convenience fee.” The free game offer is first come, first served based on limited quantities, with only one million copies of the game being given away.
Released in November 2006, Left Behind: Eternal Forces is based on the Left Behind books, a series of evangelical Christian novels that depict the events of the Rapture. While the game has been criticized as being intolerant of non-Christians as well as promoting religious violence and warfare, some sources, including IGN, Wired and Ars Technica, have countered that viewpoint, saying that while the game is unavoidably pro-Christian, it is neither particularly violent nor hateful toward other religions.
As a game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces was not well-received, earning a Metacritic score of 38 and a 44 percent aggregate rating at GameRankings. Complaints about the game ranged from mediocre gameplay and dated graphics to its use of “astonishing stereotypes” as in-game characters, although The Escapist’s Russ Pitts was more charitable toward the game’s multiplayer component.
A demo version of Left Behind: Eternal Forces is available for download at www.eternalforces.com, while the free version of the full game can be ordered directly from Left Behind Games.
