CEDAR FALLS - Fans of video games like "Halo," "Call of Duty" and "Resident Evil" likely have never heard of Phantom EFX, but CEO Aaron Schurman thinks that's a good thing.

On Tuesday, the Cedar Falls-based company will release "Darkest of Days," a first-person shooter its designers hope will raise the bar for future releases in the popular genre.

"The cool thing is we're not an EA, we're not an Activision, we're not an Atari, which have company directives dictating how to develop a game," Schurman said. "We're so far out of the cookie cutter realm, and that's what's getting people excited, because it's something they've never seen before. The story is the deepest you've ever seen."

Playing as Alexander Morris, a soldier scooped up amidst the carnage of 1876's Battle of Little Bighorn, gamers travel back and forth through time, taking part in some of history's bloodiest battles. Since the advent of time travel, someone's been messing with events of the past. It's your job to set the record straight by saving key individuals, thus preserving the future.

"Darkest of Days" will be available wherever games are sold for Windows-based PC and Xbox 360 systems. Retail values are $39.99 and $49.99, respectively.

The game - which includes scenes from the Civil War's Battle of Antietam and World War I's Battle of Tannenberg - is attracting national attention, said Schurman, "Darkest of Days" creator. Hollywood already has come calling for rights to the story and, within its first week online, the project's demo scored 100,000 user downloads.

"Your average game has about 25,000 downloads of its demo over its lifetime," Schurman said. "The beautiful thing about it is: If you like sci-fi - you'll love it. If you like history - you'll love it. It you're just a gamer - you'll love it."

"Darkest of Days" includes 20 to 25 hours of gameplay, and is a joint venture by Phantom EFX and its Cedar Valley sister company, 8monkey Lab. At the height of production, roughly 30 people worked on the project. The game took about three years to create, said designer Bryan VanDaele, a Phantom employee who helped test the product.

"It's truly like nothing I've ever played before," he said. "The storyline, the concept, everything."

"Darkest of Days" is powered by Marmoset. Unlike mainstream engines, such as Unreal, the 8monkey hardware can accommodate up to 300 opponents as users battle using historic and futuristic weaponry.

"In video gaming that's huge - nobody's ever been able to put more than 15 or 20 enemies on the screen at the same time," Schurman said. "But to do Little Bighorn, to do Antietam, you need to be able to do that."

"Darkest of Days," which some reviewers have likened to the "Quantum Leap" concept, is recommended for users 17 and older and includes blood, violence and strong language. Following its North American release, the title will be introduced to overseas gamers.

"We're in Iowa and we're competing with global companies," Schurman said. "We're an indie that pretty much put everything on the line to produce a game we believe in."