The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia

Lore & Background

The game's main character is Ray Bibbia, a 'salty' ex-priest living in Rome who takes house calls to exorcise demons. He first receives a call about a vomiting possessed girl. After a skirmish, Ray successfully exorcises her, then brings her to his house after the girl's master refuses to pay. The girl is later revealed to be called Magda. Ray discovers that the Holy Church still facilitates slavery, and he tries to find Magda's friend to help her, though he is distressed upon seeing a picture of Magda with her friend. After crashing a metal vegan band concert and a strip club for information, Ray uses his computer to follow a clue to a Holy Church covenant, where he finds evidence of slave trading. The Nun attacks Ray, but he exorcises her. He enters a secret dungeon to find the girl he has been looking for, who is revealed to be Magda's friend.

Reader's Guide

The Textorcist is notable for its unique fusion of two disparate genres: bullet hell and typing game. The holy invocations of the main character are displayed as text on screen that the player must type, while simultaneously dodging projectiles such as vomit and energy beams. If the player is hit, they drop their Bible and take damage to their health. The game received an aggregate score of 78/100 from Metacritic. Critics praised its inventive mix of genres, its 'deliciously sacrilegious' plot and setting, and its extremely catchy music. The game was described as a tribute to Italy, ironic, and irreverent. However, reviewers noted its high difficulty and niche appeal, with some stating it could be frustrating for players unable to type blindly with one hand. The game's pixel art and originality were also highlighted. Its legacy lies in its creative genre blending and its satirical take on religious themes, though its challenging gameplay limited its mainstream reach.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed by Italian studio Morbidware and published by Headup Games.
• The main character, Ray Bibbia, is a 'salty' ex-priest living in Rome who performs freelance exorcisms.
• The game's plot involves the Holy Church facilitating slavery and a character named Enoch who is the singer of a metal vegan band.
• The game's gameplay requires the player to type holy invocations while dodging projectiles; being hit causes the player to drop their Bible.

A Story of Faith, Rebellion, and Family

Ray Bibbia is a foul-mouthed former priest based in Rome who takes on freelance exorcism jobs, answering calls from demon-possessed clients. His story kicks off when he successfully banishes a demon from a vomiting young girl named Magda, only to find her master unwilling to pay or take her back. This sets Ray on a path that uncovers the Holy Church's ongoing involvement in human trafficking. His investigation leads him through a metal vegan band's concert and a strip club, eventually to a secret covenant dealing in slaves, blood, bones, and medieval weaponry. A battle with a treacherous Nun precedes his discovery of a hidden dungeon, where he finds the girl he has been searching for and learns he is her father. A demonized Church Lieutenant then overwhelms him and carries the girl off to the Vatican. Saved by Enoch, the singer from the vegan metal band, Ray is told by Magda to seek out his old master in Naples. That master, however, has struck a deal with demons and become one himself, delivering the cruel truth that only a demon can truly destroy another.

Typing Under Fire: The Gameplay Loop

The Textorcist's central mechanic fuses two very different genres into a single, demanding experience. On screen, holy invocations appear as lines of text that the player must type out accurately, functioning much like a traditional typing game. But the challenge does not stop at the keyboard. While the player's fingers race across the keys, a barrage of hostile projectiles—ranging from splatters of vomit to searing energy beams—sweeps across the play area, demanding constant spatial awareness and dodging in the style of a bullet-hell shooter. If a projectile connects with Ray, he drops his Bible and suffers a hit to his health bar, forcing the player to recover and re-engage. This dual-layer design means success requires both typographic precision and reflexive movement simultaneously, creating a rhythm that reviewers noted could be genuinely punishing for anyone who cannot type blindly with one hand while steering with the other.

Critical Acclaim and Cultural Resonance

The Textorcist earned a Metacritic aggregate of 78 out of 100, landing in the generally favorable territory. Holly Green of Paste Magazine drew a comparison to the classic Mavis Beacon typing program, noting that despite her own typing proficiency the game's emphasis on precision kept her on edge. She described the genre-blending approach as inventive and the narrative setting as deliciously sacrilegious. Luca Forte of Eurogamer Italia gave it eight out of ten, framing it as a love letter to Italy that is both ironic and irreverent. He singled out the soundtrack as extremely catchy and called the humor a godsend for Italian players, though he acknowledged the game's niche appeal due to its difficulty. Simone Tagliaferri of Multiplayer.it scored it 7.8 out of ten, likening the experience to a blend of bullet hell, JRPG, and Typing of the Dead. He found the story intriguing if decidedly surreal, praised the pixel art and originality, but warned that players unable to type blindly with one hand would find the experience frustrating.

From Morbidware to the Steam Storefront

The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia is the product of Italian independent studio Morbidware, with publishing handled by Headup Games. It launched on February 14, 2019, exclusively for Windows through the Steam digital distribution platform. The game positions itself as a hybrid, merging the bullet-hell genre with typing-game mechanics to create a niche that few titles occupy. Its Italian roots are woven throughout: the story is set in Rome, the cultural references skew Italian, and the irreverent tone toward religious institutions resonated particularly strongly with domestic audiences. The pixel-art visual style and the original, catchy soundtrack were among the most consistently praised elements across reviews. Despite its modest platform footprint and the inherent difficulty barrier of its dual-mechanic gameplay, the title carved out a distinct identity in the indie space, earning a solid reception that highlighted both its creative ambition and its appeal to a specific, engaged audience.