Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling

Now this is a game I truly never expected to see here. Unlike N-Lightning's prior game -- Catechumen -- Ominous Horizons seems to never have found a cult-like following. Which is bizarre to me due to just how inherently more playable Ominous Horizons is. The frame rate was (relatively) stable, enemies don't race and skid around like they're auditioning for a seat at the Toretto family table, and there's some nice variation in the level and enemy design. This game is more toned down and focused than its predecessor. The weapon pool was skimmed of floaters, leaving only three weapons but eight ammo types. There's still the occasional bug, such as stacking audio tracks that threaten to blow up your speakers, and I've had at least one crash. Do make sure to use the quick save. I'd say the level design is more confident; it's less a hodgepodge selection of rooms and disparate locales as it is an organized labyrinth of rooms and intentionally disparate locales. Compared to Catechumen, it has more polish, sanding down some rough edges But then again, those goofy edges and the jank are what most everyone remembers about Catechumen. So possibly in the attempt to make a more 'mass market' and 'professional' game we 'lost what was unique' and 'should have still had Roman Centurions' talk about having 'gas' from that 'lousy food.' Thankfully we do still have a sword that shoots projectiles, and this time it has Little Wings (where my Gormley fans at?) on the cross (or Cross?) guard. Returning as well is the Staff of Moses, although with a design overhaul and functionality. The Bible may say that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but apparently a stick can have a glow up. Jokes aside, this game, along with Catechumen, were arguably my first introduction to horror. The statues in the Egypt level got me so good I had to wait until I had friends over before mustering up the courage to play again. We then, in our infinite maturity, formed the Statue Hunters International Team. Emboldened by our wit we found some truly creative ways to 'it belongs in a museum' these statues, resulting in a lifelong love of trying out weird things in games to see if they work. While unintentional, the opening village has an uncanny quality. After staring into the white, blank eyes of the village woman who kept wishing me a 'Good day' I was expecting Gollum to pull me out and chastise me for following the lights. I was expecting the Possession Machine from Catechumen to be under the streets though, ngl. Unfortunately Satan himself has taken a step down from his more majestic, biblically accurate form to a big red guy with sharp teeth, so obviously that's a sin. But maybe after the absolute frame destroyer of a thrashing we gave him in Catechumen he got some work done? Or maybe this isn't a direct sequel, and more of a multiverse situation? I'll have to email Ralph Bagley. The bottom line is, I loved this game. Possibly more than it deserves, but that's the type of love reserved for a Paladin and his Calling.

Deus Vult. Put on the Whole Armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-18 The Whole Armor of God 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our[a] struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these,[b] take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.

A total nostalgia trip. The mechanics are of the era and despite everything it's wildly entertaining. I used watch my dad play this when it came out so it's been nice to finally play myself after all this time.

LITERALLY UNPLAYABLE: On a whim, a friend was reminded of this game and we were amazed to find it on steam. However, I kid you not, we made it through the tutorial, made it to the world selection room, and was immediately hard locked when we jumped into the portal was a large message in yellow text saying we had to "purchase a legal copy of Ominous Horizons" after having just bought it. Absolutely wild.

👍🏻👍🏻

I like this game, i've played this many years ago. Thanks authors for this remaster. ps. Egyptian statues still freaking scary.

SEE COMMENTS ON GRAPHICS AND PLAYABILITY BELOW I used to play this game before it was released on Steam and was excited to find that it had been re-released. While this game doesn't crack my top 10 of all time, I have a special place for this game since it was one of the first shooters I played. The game plays much like a Christian version of Doom, having a few different weapons and abilities you can switch between as you make your way through multiple levels. Nothing about the game is particularly groundbreaking, with a limited enemy pool, large areas that can sometimes lack clear purpose, and a very minimal storyline. However, the gameplay is enjoyable with the controls and design being easy to grasp. Personally, I enjoy the Christian themes in the game (even though they are a little forced for story purposes), but the references can be very heavy handed given that this game was one of the Christian shooter games of its day. If you are looking for a quick, fun, low pressure shooter game, then this game is a solid choice and I would recommend the game. GRAPHICS AND PLAYABILITY: This is an older game and cannot *usually* just be dropped in and played. You will want to take a look at some guides on how to get the game running well. I used a combination of Riva Statistics Tuner, dgVoodoo, and windows compatability mode.

Extremely buggy. If you try to turn down the game music it turns down all of the sound. In the later levels i was crashing literally ever minute for awhile. It was frustrating but i finished for nostalgia sake.

What an amazing nostalgia trip. I remember getting this game as a 9 year old Christian boy and finding it too difficult and complicated to finish but seeing it again now I'm far more impressed for how good it plays and looks for something from 2001.

00년대 하나포스자료실에서 데모판으로 접했던 게임임. 당시 시대적 배경을 생각하면 아주 좋은 그래픽이고 지금은 그리 먹히지않지만 예전엔 진짜 공포에 떨면서 게임했던거 생각남. 그 브라운관 모니터를 눈깔빠지게 바라보며 했던게임이 스팀에 출시됐다니, 감개가 무량합니다. 처음 하는 사람들은 좀 무서울수도있고 퍼즐요소가 가득하며 첫번째는 원주민들이 살고있는 어느 성채 두번째는 이집트 세번째는 영국인지 스코틀랜드인지.. 네번째는 일본 다섯번째는 중남미 유적 여섯번째는 마녀의집 뭐 이렇습니다. 양옆에 잘리는거 빼곤 ㅆㅅㅌㅊ Do you have any thoughts on a sequel, or even a remake? I have a huge thirst and dizziness for a sequel to this game.