A Review of Gate Zero
By Ricky DiMartino

A Review of Gate Zero

By Ricky DiMartinoYou can read the Bible. You can listen to the Bible. You can watch the Bible. And now you can even play the Bible. Sort of. The game is Gate Zero, "a Bible Exploration Video Game," as the Norway-based publisher puts it. And, evidently, it's not the only one on the horizon. Another game that takes players deep inside the Biblical narrative is also in the works from a German developer. Both games are slated for release in late 2024, but Gate Zero is the first to make a free demo publicly available. In talking with the development team on the game's Discord channel, the initial plans are to offer subtitles and user interface in the languages of French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Romanian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish. The spoken language in the game, at least for the time being, will solely be English.A screenshot from the demo of the game, Gate Zero. The depiction of first-century Jerusalem was impressive, as if one really has descended from the Mount of Olives. In light of this new development, IMS decided to review the demo to discern its worthiness as a possible Scripture engagement tool. With the rise of AI-assisted translation, it's not too much of a stretch to foresee a future where a game like this could be translated into many indigenous languages. Reviewing this game along with myself is our resident "video game expert" and 3D animator, Jeremy Walton. 

Positive Elements

The graphics and the music are two things that immediately jump out at you when you first begin playing. "It's a pretty game. The music was very beautiful," says Walton. The concept art is also very good, captivating the imagination. The attention to detail and the scale of the world really do make you feel as if you've been transported to first-century Jerusalem. On a technical note, the game does require a great deal of your PC's memory to accomplish the amazing scenery. If you find your PC lagging, you can alter the resolution scale in the settings, which does speed up the game. Based on this very short demo, there is "all kinds of potential," according to Walton.The game seeks to not only entertain but also educate gamers. At different junctures there are opportunities to learn about the Biblical environment your character finds himself in. The game also inserts Bible passages from time to time. Not-So-Positive Elements 

The game is still a long way from official release, but based on the very brief demo available to the public at the moment, it has a long way to go before it would be embraced by gamers. As it stands right now, the gameplay involves a lot of walking around and not a sufficient story driving the audience forward. "The player needs to have good motivation to continue the story, asking what comes next," Walton says. "The demo has a kernel of a story, but not enough to create incentive."

Furthermore, Walton adds, "They need to incorporate the learning aspect into the story better." It's simply not ideal to have players interacting with the game environment and then tell them, "Hey, look over here and read this Bible verse on the wall." In the words of Walton, "It has to have some showmanship." It has to entertain. Walton cited the film Ben Hur as an example to emulate. In the film the audience was enthralled with the character of Ben Hur throughout the story, and the encounters with Jesus occurred organically. In other words, learning about Jesus or the Bible didn't come across like a lecture.The game has potential for action and adventure. In this scene, your character must avoid detection by the temple guards.Conclusion

But it's time to get real about the plausibility of this game as a worthwhile means to engage with Scripture. In the final analysis, Walton remarks, "If you want to go the realism route, gamers will have high expectations." And those expectations better be met. Otherwise, gamers will just say, "I can spend my time on better games than this."

On the flip side, Walton notes it's hard to be too critical, as it is just a demo, and a very short one at that. He has high hopes the game could be something great. But, ultimately, it remains to be seen what direction the developers are headed in.