Released in Europe in 1992, Noah’s Ark was one of the few religiously themed games to officially appear on the Nintendo Entertainment System. As Noah, you travel the world collecting animals for your ark in places like ancient Rome, Egypt, and China. It was a pretty straight-forward 8-bit platform game with a pretty crucial (and annoying) twist: water rises automatically as you progress through the levels, and the higher the water level gets, the harder the game is.
Noah’s Ark (1992) NES Nintendo Entertainment System
It is definitely a relic of its time, with its strong Mega Man and Ghosts ‘n Goblins vibes. But if you live in America, you’ve probably never played it, thanks to Nintendo of America’s in-game ban on religious references. Nintendo wasn’t as strict in Europe, though. Konami, the publisher of the game, was able to get the “Original Nintendo Seal of Quality” for it. The good news is that if you’ve ever had the desire to play Noah’s Ark, it’s now on Steam. It looks like a pretty basic port with no bells and whistles: it vigilantly maintains its old 4:3 aspect ratio, and there’s not much evidence of other improvements or changes other than the box art that now covers the sides of the 4:3 gameplay window.
Noah’s Ark (Nintendo DS) (NTSC)
It’s probably not much fun, but it’s an interesting time capsule, as it’s one of the few religious games released commercially for the NES. Nintendo of America’s policies were so restrictive that they inadvertently spawned an underground market for unlicensed religious games, especially those developed by Wisdom Tree or Super 3D Noah’s Ark. Coincidentally, the 2015 PC re-release of that game is being published by Piko Interactive, the same publisher that brings us Noah’s Ark in 2021.
Noah is a good, devout man living a quiet life with his family, but his life is changed forever when he receives a holy vision from God. The rest of the world has fallen into such darkness that God intends to cleanse it with a great flood that will wipe away all the evildoers who have strayed from the correct path.
God instructs Noah to build a great ark capable of housing two of each kind of animal in order to save them and bring them safely through the flood. It will be a tremendous task, one that sounds impossible for a single family to complete.
Yet Noah has great faith and trusts in God’s word. Together, he and his family begin the necessary preparations to build the ark before the flood arrives.
- The Classic Story of Noah’s Ark Retold
- Gather resources through match-3 puzzles.
- Build the ark across 20 upgrades and 5 chapters.
- Enjoy this classic story given new life.
- Atmospheric graphics and a music score