Review: Interactive Parables CD

Interactive Parables from Graceworks Interactive
(yeah, we carry it!)

Tim at Graceworks is perhaps most famous for his dedication to the Christian Game Developers Conference held annually in the Pacific Northwest. In 2007 he created Interactive Parables CD. Honestly, when I first saw it, it was raw. But to Tim's credit, he was committed to improving his first release, -something other developers seem less willing or able to do. He adopted a couple of my suggestions and when we started to test the game with our customers, they liked it. Sales have since done pretty well, - a testament to both Tim, the game's appeal, and the fact that the game fills an empty niche on the shelf: parables.

Overview:
In Interactive Parables CD, you select from one of 24 Jesus parables to learn and be quizzed about. You learn and play them in a 3d game maze. You can select the style of 3D MAZE to play in (over a dozen maze choices). In order to win the game, you must find your way through the game maze and answer questions correctly about the parable. The questions appear as multiple choice text and True/False.

Details:
You begin by reading the Bible story, then you enter a maze of rooms. Each room is filled with pop-up questions to answer, keys to find, things to jump over, run from and otherwise avoid, plus game objectives to complete, and bonus points to claim. Challenges include chasms, moving floors, barrels to jump, power-up stars to collect, and traps to avoid. Nothing scary... just challenging and fun. (See my note below about the need for better story graphics and interaction.)

In each game you'll meet "Mr. Green Jeans" (pictured right) -a young lad who is confused about the story. You must answer his questions with the correct response in order to receive gems that allow you to complete the level. This is one of my favorite features in the game... it really gives it some "content." Maps and inventories of each level are at your fingertips, though they are a bit obtuse.

On first glance, "gamers" might think the game environment a bit dated, and it is. The game engine is decent, but not as robust as some other 3d engines. The graphics are good but not great. "Better looking" games exist, and some of them are quite good. But IP has a key factor: it's fun to play and it has lots of action. There are better looking games that bore you.

What we'd like to see in a future version:

• Better Bible story graphics. They're rudimentary in this early release. Hire a graphic artist Tim!


• More game play options, such as, "a short game" ...so that kids who only have 20 minutes in a Sunday School class can play a parable. Currently, a parable takes about 40 minutes to play for a 5th grader. This is a great example of a KEY feature which would make the program even more marketable.


• More varied level environments. Most have a basic warehouse or square rooms look. Would be nice to see levels tailored to the story itself. Studying the Sower's Parable? Make the level a farm theme. In games, the visual environment should reinforce the story.

Now here's the cool thing: Tim would like to see some of these improvements too. Many developers play their cards close to their vest. Many never get to version 1.2 or 2.0. And I can tell you from OUR sales of IP, that Tim should be able to afford to continue to improve the game.

Note to game developers:
IP is a good example of a modest game engine with modest graphics (compared to today's 3d extravaganzas), but appealing game play. Tim includes 24 parables and tons of game options, which is good example of "Less could have been More." He could have put in HALF the parables and level options and nobody would have noticed them missing, -then he could have spent more time on making the story content itself, and graphics, a little more interactive. And he could have released a second CD with the other 12 parables. Not that we're complaining... the 24 stories are a blessing of abundance.

Check out the game at www.sundaysoftware.com/image/interactiveparables

Windows only, as are most Christian software computer games.