Spiritual Warfare (video game)

Lore & Background

To free the town from the influences of the 'ultimate source of evil,' the player must collect each of the six pieces of the Armor of God, which are guarded by bosses. Along the way, the player may collect other helpful biblical items such as Samson's Jawbone and Anointing Oil. The game was ported in 2017 to Steam and Humble Bundle by Piko Interactive using DOSBox, as the main featured title in the Spiritual Warfare & Wisdom Tree Collection, which also included Bible Adventures, Exodus, and Joshua & the Battle of Jericho.

Reader's Guide

Spiritual Warfare is significant as a notable example of Christian-themed video game development in the early 1990s, particularly for its release on the Nintendo Entertainment System without official Nintendo licensing. This forced Wisdom Tree to distribute the game primarily through Christian bookstores, bypassing traditional retail channels. The game's design closely mirrors that of The Legend of Zelda, adapting its action-adventure formula to a religious framework where players use the Fruits of the Holy Spirit as weapons and collect pieces of the Armor of God. Its legacy includes being a cult curiosity among retro gamers and collectors, and its re-release in 2017 via the Spiritual Warfare & Wisdom Tree Collection on Steam helped preserve it for modern audiences. The game also stands as an early intersection of video games and religious education, incorporating Bible trivia quizzes into its gameplay.

Did You Know?

• The game's in-game currency is a dove peace symbol.
• The main weapons are Fruits of the Holy Spirit: pears, pomegranates, apples, grapes, and bananas.
• The game was re-released in 2017 on Steam as part of the Spiritual Warfare & Wisdom Tree Collection.