I Am Jesus Christ Review (PC)

Weirdly, I admire Space Boat Studios for splitting the seas between conventional RPGs and biblical fantasy. Scratch that — I applaud the studio for treading in an area where others have often struggled to lay anchor.. I’m dumbfounded, really, that such a concept hasn’t been unraveled before. There’s God for a Day, true, but there’s nothing that on the ark that truly captures the narrative and, more importantly, transforms it into a fully playable experience. Again, I love that Space Boat has taken matters into its own hands. It’s how it executes said narrative, sadly, that makes its songs of praise come across as a janky orchestral serenade.

For the record, I Am Jesus Christ is an incredibly odd game, even though it does make for a convincing love letter to Christianity and biblical stories. Don’t get me wrong, it captures the spirit of the Bible—the iconic scripture, the apostles and the stepping stones that led to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, for example. But, to call I Am Jesus Christ a well-polished video game just wouldn’t be an accurate description for it. Of course, the game itself was made by a mere team of five developers, and so, we have to give credit where it’s due and give high praise for their devotion to the gospel. However, there’s a lot here that sadly merges serious scripture with comical compositions. The fact that everyone has wide eyes that bulge out of their skulls, for example, is but one of the few signs that it isn’t quite ready yet. But more on that later.

I Am Jesus Christ doesn’t aim to retell the tales from the Bible with the intent to make certain events feel more unnaturally gamified. Of course, there are some parkour-based gameplay mechanics — but that’s a small exception that, frankly, doesn’t really matter here. No, what matters, really, is that it keeps to the text, with all of the same people, events, and miracles that Jesus Christ once performed. It doesn’t beat around the bush with unnecessary jargon; it sets it ablaze and keeps to the point, all whilst cozying up to the original details that outlined the Bible. The only problem is, it doesn’t really translate that well in a video game format. It doesn’t translate, mainly due to the fact that everything in its world is either bogged down by wooden puppet characters or janky controls. And that’s barely scraping the tip of the iceberg, sadly.

Again, I Am Jesus Christ is a passion project that was built by a rather small team, and so, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that a lot of its assets are either broken or a little half-baked. That being said, there does come a point where you can’t forgive bad habits, and where you have to accept the fact that, loyalty to the Bible aside, certain things shouldn’t be broken. And when it comes to I Am Jesus Christ, there are a ton of things that could be a lot better. The world, for example, is unnecessarily large, and the missions, which primarily consist of performing miracles and volleying back and forth between apostles, are about as dull as you could imagine. And then there are the smaller details—the animations, expressions, and general clunkiness of the mechanics, for example. Sadly, there’s a concerning about here that just feels out of place. It isn’t that it’s a bad concept; it’s that it doesn’t represent the source material in the best way.

To call I Am Jesus Christ is a boring game might be a bit of an overstatement, because clearly it has some good elements. But I can’t justify calling it a fun game either, as it’s more or less an A-to-B experience that primarily involves speaking to apostles, unlocking new passages from the Bible, and working towards the crucifixion. But that’s all that it is. There are no major twists or turns or filler tasks to complete; instead, you have a simple walking simulator that instructs you to bolt back and forth and perform miracles in a world that’s a little larger than most story-driven sims. You walk, you talk, and you unlock more passages from the Bible. Really, that’s about it. It isn’t a game-game; it’s an educational tool that caters to some minor gamification factors.

If you can accept I Am Jesus Christ for what it is, and not for what you want it to be, then you might be able to scrape some joy out of its relatively short journey. If you’re expecting an extraordinary adventure with vast genre-defining properties and puzzles, however, then you might be sorely disappointed by the lack of detail and depth here.

Verdict

I Am Jesus Christ has the potential to represent the Bible as an informative piece of playable art, yet sadly lacks the proper gamification to convey the message in a way that feels plausible or even appropriate. It isn’t a bad idea, and I have to give credit where it’s due and say that, for a small team that has actively chosen to enter a realm that no other has ever been to, it does make for a unique experience. However, due to its severely broken facets and the general shoddiness in its gameplay department, I can’t help but feel that it’s missing a lot of important elements. A bit of extra time in the oven might help here, but I’m not sure.

With all of the above said, what you see is what you get: a seemingly faithful ode to biblical teachings that doesn’t bend the scripture, but gamifies it in an effort to appeal to the broader community. I can’t bring myself to say that it’s a good game, but it is a surreal one that touches on all of the right aspects of the Bible. We’ll let you decide whether or not that’s worth the price of admission. Personally, though, I’d stick to good old-fashioned Bible study and the original scripture. That is, of course, if you are looking for a way to scratch that “Jesus” itch.