The Secrets of Jesus | PC Review

December 8, 2019 Tomas Becks

The Secrets of Jesus is a religious point and click adventure that takes a look at the story of Jesus after the crucifiction. Jesus did not die, but was rescued by friends and is now in hiding trying to escape the Romans. In order to do so, he must solve several problems and spread the faith around the Middle East in the 1st century. The game is developed by Amir Matouk and he calls it a “a real adventure with a lot of black humor and you decide at the end whether it’s a real story or a fake story.”

Oldest Story

I’m not a religious person at all, but I love a good story, and the story of Jesus is the oldest of them all. The game promises black humor and I always like that, so if this game can give me a good story and a few laughs, I’m up for it. It’s a classic point and click adventure game, where you walk around locations gathering stuff, talking to people and exploring the plot. Here, Jesus has to find the father of Mary, otherwise she won’t leave with you. This is your first priority, but obviously this isn’t as straightforward as it sounds.

Preacher Man

The game seems well-researched, and a lot of biblical mythology is integrated. If it comes across as a bit preachy, it’s because, well, Jesus preaches. A lot. He also doesn’t steal, so that makes acquiring certain items quite a challenge, and is a funny departure from adventure game tropes. Although, he does have a way with words to justify why he can take some items. This Jesus can be a cheeky chap sometimes, but he’s certainly a good guy trying to do the right thing and help others whilst doing so. The puzzles aren’t always easy, but that might also be because I’m not a religious person and some of the puzzles are based on Biblical mythology.

Not LGBTQ Friendly

Unfortunately, while playing The Secrets of Jesus, I also ran into religion’s less savory side. In the case of this game, there were two instances of remarks that were not LGBTQ-friendly. One is where Jesus quotes Leviticus and the infamous verse 22 “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”

As I said earlier, I am not a religious person and I consider myself an ally of the LGBTQ community, so this did not sit well with me at all. Had the game used this as an opportunity to comment on this off-putting side of religion, I would’ve welcomed it. It seemed to take it very seriously though, and I found it disappointing, and even offensive, that a game that has Jesus fart to solve a puzzle would choose to put this into the story (yes, it was funny). I personally have no relationship with the son of God, but I am pretty sure he preached love before all and had nothing against LGBTQ folks. I played for a bit more, but I had unfortunately lost my appetite for the game.

Conclusion

The graphics are simple but charming, and there’s a lot of text in the dialogue and descriptions, but it’s well-written. The gameplay is pretty straightforward and the music is good, as it sounds very era appropriate and isn’t too intrusive. It’s not a bad effort for a first game and it’s clear that a lot of love has been poured in. Had it not had flashes of homophobia, I probably would have finished the game. If you are looking for a game with a religious approach and a sense of humor, and you’re willing to ignore its stance on our gay brothers and sisters, then you will probably enjoy this. Alas, I can only conclude that this wasn’t a game for me.

This review is based on a copy of the game provided by Amir Matouk for review purposes.