The Shivah: Kosher Edition

 PC
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. RPG Fan
    Jan 2, 2014
    78
    Despite its shortcomings, Shivah is a worthwhile exploration into religion and one's convictions.
  2. PC Gamer UK
    Feb 1, 2014
    72
    A short but sweet adventure game. Bears the wrinkles of age but it's still with spending your time on. [Feb 2014, p.90]
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  3. The Digital Fix
    Dec 5, 2013
    70
    The Shivah turns out to be an extremely short game, completable in between one or two hours, and this includes the time taken to see all three possible endings.
  5. Destructoid
    Nov 24, 2013
    70
    Despite its short length, The Shivah is worth playing for its story and to see how far adventure games have come in the last few years.
  6. PC PowerPlay
    Feb 3, 2014
    60
    The puzzles don't hold up against Wadjet Eye titles, but the writing remains strong. [Feb 2014, p.85]
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  7. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 23, 2014
    60
    A cool remaster of an unique and very offbeat adventure game. It’s short but worth the modest price. [Issue#238]
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User Reviews

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User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 16
  3. Negative: 2 out of 16
  1. vorgbardo
    Apr 22, 2017
    3
    Got this because I very much enjoyed the Blackwell series by the Wadjet Eye Games. I was baffled when this turned out to be one of the worstGot this because I very much enjoyed the Blackwell series by the Wadjet Eye Games. I was baffled when this turned out to be one of the worst point-and-click adventure games I've ever played.

    Good:
    - The setting is promising, having a rabbi as a main character felt very intriguing beforehand.
    - Price was cheap.
    - Voice acting was well done.

    Neutral:
    - Graphics are OK, got the job done, but did not offer any aesthetic pleasure.
    - Music fit the mood, but was repetitive and monotonous.

    Bad:
    - The story made zero sense. The protagonist's actions made no sense, the antagonist's motives were ludicrous.
    - Every character in the game was unlikable, it was very hard to care what happened to any of them.
    - The game mechanics were crude and counter-intuitive. The game was like a hybrid between a very primitive point-and-click adventure (basically it was only possible to interact with people and use computers in the game) and an extremely limited text adventure parser, and as a result it was very hard to understand what the game wanted you to do. Some clues were automatically collected and displayed to you as a result of your actions, while some clues from identical sources and situations were not, you had to figure out somehow which other things were relevant and what kind of actions they required. Especially one "puzzle" I would not have been able to figure out ever without online FAQs, because 1) I did not know an action like that was even possible in the game, 2) I did not seem to have any reason to do anything like it. This was especially frustrating as a single simple hint to nudge the player towards that action would have turned it into a rewarding puzzle instead.
    - The game is extremely short, less than two hours even if you take your time to ponder things.
    - The game's end scene is both highly illogical and extrenely annoying. To start with, it makes no sense that the main character even ends up in that situation. Secondly, the whole end scene consists of pure guess work on a trial and error basis; there is a long row of actions you have to get just right, with no way of knowing which actions are the right ones, wrong decisions either causing you to die, or in one case, to be arrested (effectively ignoring everything you have found out during your investigations).

    In a nutshell: this game is short, illogical, and annoying. Can't recommend.    … Full Review »
  2. ChoicestGames
    Sep 21, 2014
    8
    If you're uncertain about paying a few dollars for this game, you could always try the demo... wait, there's a demo? For a 1.5 hour game? ButIf you're uncertain about paying a few dollars for this game, you could always try the demo... wait, there's a demo? For a 1.5 hour game? But seriously, this is a game with a mature plot that touches existentialism, losing faith and what it means to be a Jew. Even though the game is short and a bit rough around the edges (even with the remastered edition) I think it's worth the few dollars Dave Gilbert is asking for. Also, what's with point 'n' click adventure game designers sharing the surname "Gilbert"?… Full Review »
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