by The Shivah opens with a question, simultaneously straightforward and cosmic: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Lead writer and designer Dave Gilbert attempts to answer it with fuzzy pixel art, a jazz soundtrack, and the restrained and cynical story of Rabbi Russell Stone, who takes it upon himself to investigate the murder of a Jewish businessman. Gilbert is well versed in noir-tinged mysteries, but The Shivah is understated and realistically grounded when compared to Wadjet Eye’s science fiction games (like the great Gemini Rue). The Shivah dispenses with many of the adventure genre’s more cumbersome traditions, too, leaving room for investigation to drive the plot forward instead of awkward, arbitrary puzzles.
The quest’s defining mechanic is that Stone always has a “rabbinical” response on hand (i.e., answering a question with another question), a useful skill for an aspiring detective. Noir fiction is almost always about asking questions and getting answers, and the plot gives Rabbi Stone the room needed to be both hard-nosed and philosophical as he searches for answers about the dead man and the nature of human suffering. The premise is a touch hard to swallow — indeed, the murdered man’s widow is skeptical of Stone’s interest and ability to solve the case — but it makes for a surprisingly elegant point-and-click adventure. Stone’s character combines nicely with the noir plot and the game’s mechanics, and The Shivah moves briskly and naturally as a result.
Wadjet Eye’s only misstep here is the voice acting. It’s not bad, but it is out of step with the rest of the game’s text-heavy, lo-fi aesthetic. Rabbi Stone’s voice work pegs him as gruff and uncaring, which is a shame since The Shivah offers several endings and various approaches to each conversation or scenario. There’s room in this story to play Stone as you see fit, but the voiced character limits that freedom.
