Super 3D Noah's Ark
Encyclopedia
Super Noah's Ark 3D is an unlicensed video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
and for DOS
. It was released by the biblical
video game producer Wisdom Tree
in 1994, and was the only commercial SNES game that was not officially sanctioned by Nintendo. In order to bypass the Super Nintendo's lockout chip, Wisdom Tree devised a system whereby the player had to insert an officially licensed SNES game into a cartridge slot in the top of Super Noah's Ark 3D. The cartridge thus resembled a Game Genie
.
, with altered graphics and sounds; furthermore, Wolfenstein's subliminal morse code tappings permeate the game. The level layouts, weapons, and enemy behaviors in the SNES version are identical to Wolfenstein 3D, but the graphics were changed to reflect a non-violent theme. Instead of killing Nazi
soldiers in a castle, the player takes the part of Noah
, wandering the ark
, using a slingshot to shoot feed at angry animals who want Noah dead, mostly goats, in order to knock them unconscious. The animals behave differently: goats, the most common enemy, will only kick Noah, while the other animals such as sheep, ostriches, antelopes and oxen will shoot food at him from a distance. Goats are also unable to open doors, which the other animals can do.
The gameplay is aimed at younger children. Noah's Ark includes secret passages, food, weapons, and extra lives. There are secret levels, and shortcut levels as well. The player eventually comes across a slingshot
, and flings coconuts and watermelon at the larger bosslike animals, such as Ernie the Elephant and Carl the Camel.
that id Software
, angered with Nintendo of America's censorship in the SNES version of Wolfenstein 3D, gave the source code for that game to Wisdom Tree as part of a kind of "revenge" for them to make an unofficial clone to mock them. However, the legend is not true: Wisdom Tree was an ordinary technology licensee, though id Software knew that this game would be an independent "rogue title" and not officially licensed by Nintendo. The game was not a commercial success, suffering from the lack of major marketing common to other Wisdom Tree titles. It was most commonly found in Christian bookstores.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
and for DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
. It was released by the biblical
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...
video game producer Wisdom Tree
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...
in 1994, and was the only commercial SNES game that was not officially sanctioned by Nintendo. In order to bypass the Super Nintendo's lockout chip, Wisdom Tree devised a system whereby the player had to insert an officially licensed SNES game into a cartridge slot in the top of Super Noah's Ark 3D. The cartridge thus resembled a Game Genie
Game Genie
The Game Genie is a series of cheat systems designed by Codemasters and sold by Camerica and Galoob for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Mega Drive/Genesis, and Sega Game Gear that modifies game data, allowing the player to cheat, manipulate various...
.
Gameplay
The game itself is a straightforward modification of Wolfenstein 3DWolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D is a video game that is generally regarded by critics and gaming journalists as having both popularized the first-person shooter genre on the PC and created the basic archetype upon which all subsequent games of the same genre would be built. It was created by id Software and...
, with altered graphics and sounds; furthermore, Wolfenstein's subliminal morse code tappings permeate the game. The level layouts, weapons, and enemy behaviors in the SNES version are identical to Wolfenstein 3D, but the graphics were changed to reflect a non-violent theme. Instead of killing Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
soldiers in a castle, the player takes the part of Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
, wandering the 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...
, using a slingshot to shoot feed at angry animals who want Noah dead, mostly goats, in order to knock them unconscious. The animals behave differently: goats, the most common enemy, will only kick Noah, while the other animals such as sheep, ostriches, antelopes and oxen will shoot food at him from a distance. Goats are also unable to open doors, which the other animals can do.
Slingshot
A slingshot, shanghai, flip, bean shooter or catapult is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame held in the off hand, with two rubber strips attached to the uprights. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket which holds the projectile...
, and flings coconuts and watermelon at the larger bosslike animals, such as Ernie the Elephant and Carl the Camel.
Connection to id Software
There is an urban legendUrban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
that id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
, angered with Nintendo of America's censorship in the SNES version of Wolfenstein 3D, gave the source code for that game to Wisdom Tree as part of a kind of "revenge" for them to make an unofficial clone to mock them. However, the legend is not true: Wisdom Tree was an ordinary technology licensee, though id Software knew that this game would be an independent "rogue title" and not officially licensed by Nintendo. The game was not a commercial success, suffering from the lack of major marketing common to other Wisdom Tree titles. It was most commonly found in Christian bookstores.
See also
- Christian video gamesChristian video gamesChristian video games were first marketed successfully by BibleBytes in the early 1980s on several different microcomputer platforms and in the late 1980s for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Wisdom Tree. Now they are made by many different developers...
- Wisdom TreeWisdom TreeWisdom 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...
- id softwareId SoftwareId Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
- Chex QuestChex QuestChex Quest is a non-violent first-person shooter video game created in 1996 by Digital Café as a Chex cereal promotion aimed at children aged 9 and up...
- H.U.R.L.H.U.R.L.H.U.R.L. is a nonviolent video game aimed at children that was released in 1995 by a publishing house called Deep River Publishing. It is a first-person shooter , and is part of the wave of nonviolent FPSes that followed closely on the release of Doom and other games such as Wolfenstein 3D in the...
- Wolfenstein 3DWolfenstein 3DWolfenstein 3D is a video game that is generally regarded by critics and gaming journalists as having both popularized the first-person shooter genre on the PC and created the basic archetype upon which all subsequent games of the same genre would be built. It was created by id Software and...
- Noah's Ark NES gameNoah's Ark (video game)Noah's Ark is a platform game for the NES produced and published in 1992 by Konami. It was officially only released in Europe. Unlike most other games based on biblical content, this one was officially approved by Nintendo.-Gameplay:...