The Rabbi, in the Library, with the Menorah

Quoting from the Manifesto Games writeup:

Rabbi Stone Has a Crisis of Faith

Before we go any farther, please notice the headline. When was the last time you heard a game described in remotely similar terms?

The Shivah is an old-style graphical adventure game by Davelgil Games. It’s your everyday “Rabbi questions his faith and becomes a murder suspect” sort of adventure game plot (which is to say, unlike pretty much any game plot ever).

If you’re an old-school PC gamer like myself, you’ll quickly be able to look past the dated graphics – in fact, they might even be a nostalgic throwback to the days of Lucasarts and Sierra adventures. And if you’re interested in works that explore the nature of faith, you’ll probably be hooked immediately by the game’s beginning. What other game opens with a film noir intro speech, follows it up with the Problem of Evil and a confession of lost faith, adds a dash of sarcastic dialogue and then throws in a murder investigation that includes a large donation to the Rabbi in the victim’s will (just in case the hero wasn’t conflicted enough for you yet)?

This is the part where I confess, I’ve only tried the demo. (I know, it’s a mere $5, but right now the only reason I stay within budget is by second-guessing every entertainment purchase I’m about to make.) I can’t speak about how good the entire game is yet. As best I can tell from the intro, the game seems both very knowledgable and respectful of the Jewish faith, but doesn’t whitewash the challenges of holding onto a faith when life starts to, well, suck. I like it.

Go give it a look. At the very least, it’ll get you poking around Manifesto Games’ site, which is jam-packed with all kinds of eclectic and indie PC games worth taking a look at. (I think the site is still officially ‘beta’, so if it crashes or explodes on you while visiting, don’t hold it against them just yet.)