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The Shivah (Wadjet Eye Games)
There are not many Rabbi-solving-murder-mystery adventures out there to date, but then neither are there many point and click indie adventure games with such a gripping well thought-out story, great voice acting, and great price. Point and Click adventure games have been around for years and The Shivah is a perfect example of what we loved most about them - the story.
The game starts with the protagonist, a Jewish Rabbi named Russel Stone, contemplating his work, his beliefs, and himself. The Rabbi has become more and more cynical and frustrated. Membership to his synagogue is extremely low and the temple itself is old and in a state of ruin. His financial situation is bleak and not only is money scarse but Rabbi Stone doesn't even have enough to pay the electrical bill. Just when he thinks things can't get any worse, a strange visit from a police detective turns the Rabbi's world upside down. His faith, beliefs, what he thought he knew, all come into question when he learns that a former member of his synagogue has been murdered and has left Rabbi Stone a large sum of money. Rabbi Stone doesn't understand why he has been left this money, but as a result of his inheritance, he has become a key suspect in the murder case.
I don't want to give too much away and spoil the story but that's basically how the game starts, and the game is played by taking control of the Rabbi and his actions on his quest to investigate this murder mystery and find justice, peace of mind, and ultimately his faith and confidence he once had in himself.
Gamers will notice right away that The Shivah does not use state-of-the-art technology for its visual presentation. The old fashioned graphics, for instance, are very reminiscent of the classic point-and-click adventure games. It should be noted that there is a heck of a lot of style in this game. Clearly, a considerable amount of work and detail has been put into the artistic presentation considering the limitations of the graphics engine software that is used. Every backdrop and location, each of the characters and their animations, look as though they were handled with care so that the gamer could feel like they are part of the game while progressing the story rather than focussing on how dated the graphics might look. If this title had been released during the mid 90's when point and click adventures of this kind were at their peak, the graphics would definitely be superior.
Sound in The Shivah is actually above par even when you consider the nostalgic quality of the game. The midi (synthasized) music is very well done and suitable for a classic sound and feel. And if the music is very good, then the voice acting is down right excellent! Even by today's standards, the voice acting is by far some of the best I've come across (in both mainstream and indie games) within the past few years. Each character is voiced with real emotion and isn't melodramatic. Strong dialogue plays an important element throughout the story, and The Shivah is only benefited by such quality voice acting.
Gameplay will be very familiar to those who love and enjoy the oldschool adventure games. Controls are very simple. There is no button mashing or typing in illogical phrases to progress to the next chapter of the game. All you need is a mouse (and a keyboard is handy for saving your game). But aside from that, you'll be pointing and clicking your way through this mystery just as God had intended, or at least Wadjet Eye Games had intended for just such an adventure game. Exploration and observation are your tools to investigating this murder. Throughout this mystery Rabbi Stone will also enounter other characters which he will need to dialogue with. Players are given a handful of choices regarding what they'd like to say to other characters or even how they'd like to say it. Depending on your choices, people may become more or less co-operative, but ultimately you'll need to make the most logical choices if you want to proceed and gain any trust or useful clues. Paying attention to detail has always been a huge part of adventure games. The Shivah is no exception. As simple as the gameplay might be, it's all brilliantly held together by its interesting and truly engrossing story.
The Shivah is a short yet well rounded adventure. Upon completion of the game you also get the ability to listen to a sort of "the making of" developer commentary throughout the game. This certainly makes for an interesting feature which hasn't been used very much in adventure games and warrants extra replay value by those interested. Although It might only take a veteran gamer a couple of hours to complete The Shivah, a more casual gamer may take a little longer. Even though the game is brief in comparison with oldschool classics, the price of admission, just under $5 dollars US, is less than that of a Feature Film! You honestly couldn't go and see a movie at the theater (especially a good one) for such a reasonable price.
Fans of classic adventure games should pick this one up right away, and gamers who love a great story or mystery would also do well to check this title out immediately. Currently there are no other recent titles that give such a fine example of classic adventure gaming today than The Shivah.
Presentation
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A
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Gameplay
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A
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Graphics
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C
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Sound
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A+
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Innovation
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B
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Overall Score: A
August 29, 2007
