Bible Adventures
Encyclopedia
Bible Adventures is a Christian video game by Wisdom Tree
and not sold through video game retailers, first released in 1991
for the NES
, and re-released in 1995
for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis
. It contains three different games: Noah's Ark
, Baby Moses
, and David and Goliath, all of which are based rather loosely on stories from the Bible
. The gameplay
of these games is sidescroller style similar to that of Super Mario Bros. 2
for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
The game was a collection of three games based on stories contained in the Old Testament
:
In Noah's Ark, the player must round up animals and food—sometimes by knocking animals out
with an object that resembles a barrel or catching fruit thrown by a monkey—and carry them onto the Ark. Noah's health is recharged when the player reads Bible verses that are scattered around the four levels. Snakes seen on the trees are decoys, the real snakes the player has to capture are inside of a cave.
In Baby Moses, the player controls Miriam, Moses' sister as she tries to save her brother from the Pharaoh
's decree that all male Hebrew children be killed. In order to do this, the player carries Moses from one end of the level to the other, in a manner quite similar to the way in which characters in Super Mario Bros. 2
carry vegetable
s. Moses can be thrown around without harming him, but enemies cannot be harmed in any way. The adversaries attempt to throw Moses into the Nile. If the player completes the level without Moses, the game says "Good work, but you forgot Baby Moses." and the level must be restarted.
In David and Goliath, the player starts out controlling David as he herds sheep and avoids predators such as lions and bears. Acorns can be used to stun the beasts. The player then obtains a sling
and goes on to dodge guards, scorpions, and stones before he fights Goliath's shield bearer and ultimately Goliath himself, whom the player must strike once in the head to defeat.
The game has been criticized for being overly didactic (e.g., gameplay is broken up by Bible verses), for being highly derivative of Super Mario Bros. 2
, and for generally bad gameplay. It also has been criticized for its recycling of its other levels; each level basically has the same gameplay and same style of gameplay. Nevertheless, it sold reasonably well in Christian
bookstores.
Wisdom Tree
Wisdom Tree is an American manufacturer and distributor of unlicensed Christian video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, PC, Mac, and Sega Genesis, headquartered in unincorporated Pima County, Tucson, Arizona, United States...
and not sold through video game retailers, first released in 1991
1991 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Microprose creates Civilization, Sid Meier's most successful game .*Electronic Arts releases James Pond 2 and Road Rash for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, starting a series of games that were popular in the 1990s....
for the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, and re-released in 1995
1995 in video gaming
-Events:*May 11 – Introduction of trade magazine GameWeek *May 11-16 — The 1st annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Los Angeles, California...
for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
. It contains three different games: Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
, Baby Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, and David and Goliath, all of which are based rather loosely on stories from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. The gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
of these games is sidescroller style similar to that of Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2, often abbreviated SMB2, is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1985 game Super Mario Bros. The game was also remade as part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection for the Super Nintendo Entertainment...
for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Gameplay
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
:
In Noah's Ark, the player must round up animals and food—sometimes by knocking animals out
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...
with an object that resembles a barrel or catching fruit thrown by a monkey—and carry them onto the Ark. Noah's health is recharged when the player reads Bible verses that are scattered around the four levels. Snakes seen on the trees are decoys, the real snakes the player has to capture are inside of a cave.
In Baby Moses, the player controls Miriam, Moses' sister as she tries to save her brother from the Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
's decree that all male Hebrew children be killed. In order to do this, the player carries Moses from one end of the level to the other, in a manner quite similar to the way in which characters in Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2, often abbreviated SMB2, is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1985 game Super Mario Bros. The game was also remade as part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection for the Super Nintendo Entertainment...
carry vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s. Moses can be thrown around without harming him, but enemies cannot be harmed in any way. The adversaries attempt to throw Moses into the Nile. If the player completes the level without Moses, the game says "Good work, but you forgot Baby Moses." and the level must be restarted.
In David and Goliath, the player starts out controlling David as he herds sheep and avoids predators such as lions and bears. Acorns can be used to stun the beasts. The player then obtains a sling
Sling (weapon)
A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone or lead "sling-bullet". It is also known as the shepherd's sling....
and goes on to dodge guards, scorpions, and stones before he fights Goliath's shield bearer and ultimately Goliath himself, whom the player must strike once in the head to defeat.
Criticism
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2, often abbreviated SMB2, is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1985 game Super Mario Bros. The game was also remade as part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection for the Super Nintendo Entertainment...
, and for generally bad gameplay. It also has been criticized for its recycling of its other levels; each level basically has the same gameplay and same style of gameplay. Nevertheless, it sold reasonably well in Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
bookstores.