Moses: Prince of Egypt is a video game released for the PlayStation in 2000, and published by Midas Interactive. While there is a variety of mini-games targeted for young children, the game has the peculiarity of having more of a cinematic feel, rather than playable portions. Let's delve into whether this game successfully brings the epic story of Moses to life or falls short of expectations.
The Epic Tale of Moses
Long time ago a cruel Pharaoh ruled Egypt. The people of the Israelites were allowed to live in Egypt, but he treated them like slaves. As the Israelites began to resist, he ordered to kill all newborn babies. But one child survived. His mother had marooned him it in a little basket on the Nile. The Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby and took it with her. She called it Moses. And so Moses became the prince of Egypt.
When Moses was a young man, the spies of the Pharaoh found out the truth about his origin. Moses fled to the desert. There the God of the Israelites spoke to him: "you are chosen to lead your people out of Egypt." But how Moses should do this? The Israelites only knew him as the prince of Egypt, the grandson of the Pharaoh.
Cinematic Ambition vs. Playable Reality
The game attempts to capture the grand scale of the Moses story, reminiscent of the animated feature film that Spielberg, Katzenberg, and Geffen used as DreamWorks' first 'toon feature. They wanted something epic and they wanted something moving. And the story of Moses, with the hero's personal conflicts in realising his roots and heroism in leading a whole race out of slavery, certainly fits the bill. It has the reassuring One Person Can Make A Difference message that echoes through so many movies, and it has action to rival any blockbuster. You want jaw-to-floor moments? How about the Red Sea splitting in half? How about a burning bush that doesn't really burn? How about desert landscapes engulfed in sweeping sandstorms?
However, the game's execution has been criticized. The animated feature included, like most of the Dingo Pictures ones, released by Midas Interactive and Phoenix Games, has been widely panned for its cheap-looking animation, awkward-sounding English dub, irritating characters, and misplaced music.
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A Critical Perspective
Some spectacular set pieces aren't enough to sustain this heavy-handed piece of storytelling, which has far too many songs for its own good.
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