CD-i Spotlight: Moses: The Exodus

A little disclaimer before we start. I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m not a religious type at all. However, I do find religious games to be very interesting, mostly because they’re very peculiar at times. Whether it’s the knockoff baby blue cartridges for the NES or the equally bizarre Super Noah’s Ark 3D, I’m intrigued by the fact that games like this even exist. Unfortunately for us today, this game is more of an edutainment game instead of a platformer or FPS. Does this game part the sea of mediocrity, or is it plagued with issues? Let’s take a look.

Moses: The Exodus is broken up into 5 sections, with 3 of them not really containing interactive content.

The major focal point of Moses: The Exodus is the Exodus short film. It goes into a little detail about the story of Moses, from being cast into the river all the way to freeing the slaves. It isn’t anything glamorous; in fact, I would rather watch the Ten Commandments film starring Charlton Heston.The animation during The Exodus is pretty spotty as well… when there is animation. Half of the time it’s a voiceover over a still image. It’s just kind of weird when certain parts have animation and others don’t.

While the animation is lacking, the artwork is pretty good. I mean, it’s consistent with other CD-i games that I’ve played, especially the ones that fall in the kids game category. I will say there are some interesting details that the artists added to certain images, like the plague images.

The Exodus segment is only about 14 minutes. That’s probably long enough for a kid’s attention span, but I feel like they could have added a little more. Especially because it just ends right after Moses escapes the Pharaoh. I guess you have to play the sequel to get the rest of the story… and yes, there is a sequel.

But, is that it? Just a short film about the story of Moses. Nope! There’s also a point and click maze game called Pyramid Pursuit.

I might have missed something when I started Pyramid Pursuit, but I wasn’t aware of what the point of the game was until I finished it. Apparently, you’re a slave that gets trapped in the Pyramid around the time that Moses leaves with the slaves. You have to navigate your way through the complicated maze without going the wrong way.

Pyramid Pursuit starts you off in different sections of the Pyramid every time you lose and come back. I’m still not entirely sure that there is a logical path that you can follow in order to escape the maze. Sometimes certain rooms appear in the same sections and sometimes they don’t. It’s also really easy to lose by clicking on the wrong door or direction.

There’s also a narrator that tries to guide you by keeping you on the godly path… but he doesn’t always say which path that is exactly. Even when he drops subtle hints, they’re not always right. Couple that with the odd religious metaphors and it’s a recipe for disaster.

You also can’t go back from the way you came which leads to more confusion. The narrator’s dialogue is useful, but isn’t always helpful. I feel like a better game would give better hints or more direct nods on where to go, especially if you don’t always start at the same spot when you begin the game. At the very least there could have been a map.

There are also distractions throughout the maze. Some benefit you and some don’t. It’s easy to decipher most of the requests, but others are flat out confusing. In addition, the random people you encounter don’t animate in any way. It’s just more voiceovers. These scenes would have greatly benefitted from some type of animation given what is shown on screen.

The main game is actually pretty hard when it gets down to it. I’d say one strategy to escape the maze is to get out a pen and paper, but given the start point changes it’s hard to map. At least there are other things to do within the game

Once the player beats or gets bored with the Pyramid Pursuit, they can select one of many other activities located on the home menu. For those that want to bone up on their Bible verses, the Bible icon is where you’ll want to go

If you’re looking for more animations and voiceovers, the Tell Me More section will definitely fulfill that need. There are 9 different animations to view, each featuring different subjects. The subjects range from Moses to miracles to even God himself.

If you’re looking for more games to play, then you’re in luck. The Playroom has a variety of mini-games for the player to try out. Connect the dots provides a mindless activity to keep you busy for a few seconds.

The player starts out on a specified dot. The next dot that you need to connect to is highlighted. If you player connects the dots, we hear a voice cheer. If you don’t, the voice says “Whoops!” or “Nope!” Once you complete a picture, you’re taken to the drawing mini-game. You can select pictures to draw from the Playroom menu, but I guess the developers figured you wouldn’t want to stare at a completed connect the dots drawing after you completed it.

There’s also a selection of slide puzzles with varying difficulties and a karaoke section. If there’s one thing I hate, its slide puzzles. If you’re subscribed to my channel, you may have seen the Moses songs I uploaded back in December. All of those songs were from this game. My personal favorite is the Moses and Me song, but they’re all pretty good.

Well, that’s about all this game has to offer. If you’re interested, there’s an “about this game” section that details why the developers made this game. Basically, they created this game to help kids receive wholesome children’s entertainment.                  .

Overall, this game is just okay to me. I appreciate what the developers were trying to do by creating an interactive way to learn about the Bible and the story of Moses for kids, but there are certain aspects about the game that fell a little flat. The artwork looks nice, but the animation leaves a lot to be desired… When there is animation. I will say, the narrator is really good though.

Moses: The Exodus does attempt to teach lessons about being a better person, so that’s always a good thing. I’m torn on how to rate this game/experience. As a game, it’s more of a collection of games and the collection is bare bones at best. As an interactive experience to learn more about God and Moses, it does okay.

I don’t know what kid would be interested in having their video game talk to them for long periods of time. A better game would have incorporated those lessons throughout the Pyramid Pursuit game. You know, the main game. Or it could have strove to have another game that taught those lessons. Overall, It’s an decent experience. The clear standout features of this game is the artwork, short films, narration, and the karaoke song Moses and Me.

I’m giving Moses: The Exodus gets 3 idols worshipped by many out of 5.

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