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The world's best-selling book has not done too well in the field of video games

Being a Bible-believing Christian, I find it interesting how the Bible has not translated well into the field of video games. Since it is a book of vast knowledge, you would think that trivia games would be the best fit for the Bible, but don't forget that the Bible is also a very exciting book, full of war, political intrigue, murder, genocide, and tons of awesome miracles. My point is, a good action Bible game is possible, but has sadly not happened. For this Retrospective, we're going to look at Bible-based games on consoles only (no computer games, and there's quite a few of those). Many of them are terrible, some are decent, while others are aimed at kids, being extrememly simple in nature.

Perhaps you've heard of the company Wisdom Tree, an infamous developer that's known for selling their games on the NES without licensing permission from Nintendo. This is ironic since Christians are known as people with high morals. Wisdom Tree was a subsidary of Color Dreams, who decided to sell religious games in non-gaming stores due to Nintendo's strict policy. Christian bookstores started selling Wisdom Tree games, and the company pushed out six Bible-centric games for the NES within five years. Since those days, not very many Bible-themed games have been made for consoles, and the few that have been are not very good. This is a shame, considering the Bible is the greatest book ever written, and there is plenty of good material in it to make a solid game.

Today we're going to look at nine Bible video games. If you're not familiar with Bible stories, then get ready to learn some of them, mostly Noah's ark and the story of Jesus. After analyzing these games, I'm going to state in my opinion how a developer could make a good Bible game and what stories and genres would be best for it. Feel free to give your own insights and opinions concerning this interesting topic.

Bible Adventures (1991)

Developer: Wisdom Tree

Publisher: Wisdom Tree

Systems: NES, Genesis, PC

                                    That's no way to carry a baby!!!

In the very first of the Wisdom Tree Bible games, you can play one of three games: Noah's Ark, Baby Moses, and David and Goliath. In Noah's Ark, you must guide Noah in finding the animals, picking them up, and bringing them into the ark (this is not according to the Biblical account, of course, in which God brought the animals to the ark). In Baby Moses, you play as Moses' mother as she tries to carry Baby Moses safely to the river, all the while avoiding guards and other hazards. In David and Goliath, you are tasked with helping David to defeat lions and bears while keeping the sheep safe (I'm not sure if you ever fight Goliath, but you must given the title). The same mechanic is used in all three of these games: picking up and throwing objects. What a shame it's a bore.

Exodus: Journey to the Promised Land (1991)

Developer: Color Dreams

Publisher: Wisdom Tree

Systems: NES, Genesis, Game Boy, MS DOS, PC

This one is a maze-like game similar to Pac Man in which Moses must collect bags of money. He can shoot some kind of energy out of his rod in order to break blocks in his path and defeat enemies. Story-wise, the game makes no sense because Moses is on his own, the Children of Israel are nowhere to be seen, and why does he need all that money? However, the game uses the engine from one of Color Dream's earlier titles, Crystal Mines. It just doesn't seem to fit with a huge group of people fleeing from another nation. There are trivia questions about Exodus between levels (have to keep it educational for the kids), and the game is two player, but if you choose that option, you and a friend will have to take turns. There's also a Sound Test, but you wouldn't want to listen to the repetitve and annoying themes longer than necessary. This game is a good effort, but once again quite boring.

King of Kings (1991)

Developer: Wisdom Tree

Publisher: Wisdom Tree

System: NES

The third Wisdom Tree game focuses on platforming. There are three games you can play: The Wise Men, Flight to Egypt, and Jesus and the Temple. The Wise Men is similar to Super Mario Bros; you control one wise man on a camel as you make your way through deserts and such terrain. Along the way, you can answer trivia questions for bonus points. Flight to Egypt is by far the worst of the bunch. You simply move a donkey (carrying Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus) to the right, avoiding hazards and answering trivia questions along the way. The scenery is just a bunch of random colors and the hazards repeat, so this one is complete donkey doo-doo. Finally, in Jesus and the Temple, you play as Joseph as you search for your son. Despite the title, there is no Jesus or temple. Joseph has managed to get lost in the jungle as he jumps down waterfalls and avoids deadly snakes. It seems that this one was inspired by Super Mario Bros. 2; you can even jump on logs as they float down waterfalls. Overall, this game is better than the previous ones, but still very boring and frustrating. The controls are quite loose and it's easy to die. Baby Jesus may be safe on his own, but Joseph isn't!

Joshua (1992)

Developer: Wisdom Tree

Publisher: Wisdom Tree

Systems: NES, Genesis

Okay, this one is just lame. It's a clone of the Exodus game! Instead of Moses, you play as Joshua as he walks around collecting treasure. He can shoot musical notes at enemies to defeat them (is his singing that bad?). As usual, there's trivia questions between levels, so I hope you know the book of Joshua. Also, no music plays during the actual game. What's worse, annoying music, or no music? They're both bad! So Joshua is a very average (if not good) game that is just like Exodus. In other words, it was a cheap cash-in.

Spiritual Warfare (1992)

Developer: Wisdom Tree

Publisher: Wisdom Tree

Systems: NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, PC, Mac

Far more ambitious than any previous Wisdom Tree game, Spiritual Warfare is a zelda clone, but a pretty good one. You play as a boy in a modern world. Nothing is explained at first and there are creepy dudes walking around the park with knives. Right away you'll get your first weapon: pears (fruit of the Spirit) which you can throw at enemies. When hit, enemies will either start praying (they get saved) or a demon will come out them (I guess they died and went to hell). I like that small detail which they could have easily left out. You can move around and explore, eventually finding out that you can't get out of the park until you find the belt of truth. You must acquire all the peices of the armor of God before you can finish the game. 8-bit versions of hymns will play as you explore your surroundings. I must say, this is a pretty good fit for Christian themes, and is definitely the best of the Wisdom Tree games.

Noah's Ark (1992)

Developer: Source R&D

Publisher: Konami

System: NES

This Konami-published platformer was released only in Europe. Unlike all the Wisdom Tree games, this Bible-centered game was actually approved by Nintendo. It's a platformer starring a very spry Noah as he searches for animals to rescue before the flood happens. The controls are loose and it's very easy to die. Water is always present at the bottom of the screen. Noah travels to seven different continents in order to rescue these animals (he must have a private jet or something). The most unique part of the game is the transformations; Noah can transform into an angel (to help him fly), a fish (so he can swim), and a statue (so he can walk on spikes and other hazards without being hurt). The level design is not that interesting and the bosses are a little bizarre, but overall Noah's Ark is a pretty good game. If anything, it's not boring like many of the Wisdom Tree games.

Sunday Funday (1995)

Developer: Color Dreams

Publisher: Wisdom Tree

System: NES

This one is actually based on a previous Color Dreams game, Menace Beach, but is put into a Christian setting. Your teacher is waiting for you to get to Sunday School, so she instructs you to jump on your skateboard and get there as soon as possible. Along the way, watch out for bullies and other hazards that will hurt you. This game is extremely frustrating, complete with annoying springs and switches that will throw you into pits. Sunday Funday also has two other things: Fishfall (in which you control a hand trying to catch fish as they fall--super weird, I know) and 4 Him: The Ride, which isn't a game, but a song that plays (in terrible 8-bit quality) while you read lyrics. Wisdom Tree must have thought that the simple main game was too little for a whole cartridge (and they were right), but what was added is complete garbage--weird, boring "things" that don't add anything to the experience.

The Bible Game (2005-06)

Developer: Crave Entertainment

Publisher: Crave Entertainment

System: Playstation 2

This is a party-style game that involves Bible trivia and mini games. Up to four players can play at once, feeling like Mario Party with Christian values. The trivia is pretty simple, but the mini games are quite creative. These include running across a parted Red Sea, jumping across rocks to collect manna, shooting snakes with powerful rods, and throwing stones at Philistine targets. The game is obviously aimed at kids since the main characters are all kids wearing different outfits. The simple style and atmosphere all have a charm of its own. The game actually looks quite fun, which is more than I can say for half the games on this list.

The Story of Noah's Ark (2010)

Developer: South Peak Games

Publisher: South Peak Games

System: Nintendo DS

This recent DS exclusive is aimed at young children. It's filled with beautiful story book animations, allowing the player to interact with things on the pages as the story of Noah's Ark unfolds. Education and entertainment are both the main focus. For education, coloring, spelling, and the alphabet are all utilized. For entertainment, the game has several mini games, including Chop and Catch (catching chopped wood in a basket), Two by Two (finding the mate of the corresponding animal), and Feeding Time (giving the right food to the right animals). Overall, the game is beautiful and relaxing, which is a little funny considering it's the story of a world-wide flood that killed all of mankind except for one family.

How Do You Make a Good Bible Video Game?

Not all of these games are bad, but we have yet to see a truly awesome Bible game. This is a shame because the Bible is full of exciting stories. What stories would best fit into a video game? What genre would best accomplish those stories? I'm ready to give you a couple of my ideas.

First, a third person action game similar to No More Heroes starring Samson. Yes, the strongest man in the Bible could be in his very own game. He can fight Philistine scum with his bare hands, or use weapons such as swords, spears, and even a donkey's jawbone (gotta' have that part!). Done right, this could be a very awesome game!

Another idea is a strategy game revolving around David. It could start with him as a young man fighting Goliath. After that, we jump to him becoming king and he leads the charge against his numerous enemies (Philistines, Amorites, etc.). Just like Advance Wars or Fire Emblem, you can station your troops across the map and fight your enemies strategically. There's a lot of Bible material to use here, and Bible stories can play out throughout the game as well. It's a perfect fit for some of the most exciting Bible stories in the Old Testament (and some of my personal favorites).

A good Bible game is possible, but unlikely. This is sad but true. There's a lot of educational Bible games on computers, but the consoles have almost been left behind completely. Here's hoping that some developer will be brave enough to step out by faith and give a Bible game a chance on a home console or handheld.