Page 105 - Pure Life 11

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104 PURE LIFE, Vol.11.No.4, December. 2017 (Rabīʿ Al-Thānī 1439. Azar 1396)
Unlike other religious themed games which tend to
incorporate preaching of their own gospels and morals,
The Shivah does not preach the player to the Jewish faith.
1
Rather, it is a typical adventure game with a Jewish twist.
While the game lacks in visual splendor, the game
makes up for it by strong and memorable storytelling. It
also features a most unique protagonist. Russell Stone, the
player character, is a rabbi. Rabbi Stone is going through a
crisis: his synagogue is losing members, his faith is
dwindling, and he is nearing bankruptcy.
To top it all off, he is now the primary suspect in a
seemingly random coldblooded murder of Jack Lauder, a
former member of his synagogue.
The reason for the rift between the victim and the rabbi
appears to be thinly veiled, with several hints and
suggestions, but nonetheless esoteric.
Obviously, it is up to Rabbi Stone to get the bottom of
this mystery and unmask the killer behind this crime. The
Shivah has received largely positive reviews. The A.V.
Club awarded it a B and stated that "The Shivah fits a
compelling moral conscience over a tight decision tree,
and compared to sillier interactive fiction like Phoenix
Wright: Ace Attorney or Hotel Dusk: Room 215, its
2
rewards are subtler, and more satisfying", while
FaithGames stated that it is "not only an excellent indie
adventure game, but also one of the best examples of
portraying faith through a game that I've ever seen" .
3

1. http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/reviews/842, September 16, 2017.
2. https://games.avclub.com/the-shivah-1798211167, September 16, 2017.
3. https://faithgames.wordpress.com/2006/11/02/review-of-the-shivah,
September 16, 2017.