I have been asked to create a game for a youth camp based on the theme of Pilgrim's Progress; a book written by John Bunyan, which tells the journey of a Christian life. From my previous research, I have learnt the importance of understanding all aspects of an IP before creating a game. I have therefore began to read an original copy of the book, along with a simplified modern version. I also intend to watch the film adaption of the book, and have recently play-tested the board-game, which was built around the modern version of the story. The results of this play-test can be seen below.
Positives
- Art style
- Enjoyable to play
- Interactivity
- Competitive
- The layout of the box contents - each part has its own slot
- Rules are easy and quick to understand, meaning game-play can begin quickly
Negatives
- Celestial City is a tad troublesome to build.
- 3D Figures on the board block the view of the spaces on the board.
- Use of Atheist to return the player to the start of the game is a little off-putting and stereotypical.
- Risk of dice knocking over pieces.
- Advancing 1 space bonus seems a little pointless
- Technically, there should be 3 alterations of the character - one with the burden, one with new clothes without the burden, and one with the Armour of God.
- The burdened and unburdened characters of Christian are not the same people, it is Christian for the burdened version, and Faithful for the unburdened - lack of continuity.
- Directions on spaces aren't always clear
- Goodwill card - take a card from the player on your left - title is contradictory
- Some spaces send you forwards to spaces that send you back
- Explainer's house makes the player miss 2 turns - in the book, he provides the player with helpful information, so there should be a bonus for missing the 2 turns.
- Cards are generally only usable on a single space in the game, deeming them pointless for the majority of the game, especially with multiple copies of the same card.
- Scroll isn't required to win the game, whereas in the book, it is essential for getting into the Celestial City
- Conditions at the base of the cards are not clear, e.g. Throw an even number to move forwards - does this take effect immediately, is it a permanent card or is the player only restricted on their next turn?
Improvements
- Interaction with other players, players could be generous and give another player a card; for instance a scroll card - Christians encourage each other, so the aim could be for everyone to reach the end, and not for a single person to be a winner.
Conclusion
Overall, I believe this game to be a good game, and is effective at portraying the story to an extent. However, it appears as though they have aimed to add game-play to the game, and in doing so have sacrificed aspects of the story. These are only subtle things, but the young people of today can often be more intellectual than people make them out to be, and
so could notice them. In my own work, I aim to add game-play to concepts, but also consider the story alongside this, so as not to lose the message that the game is attempting to portray. That said, the age rating of the game is 3+, and is more than suitable for young children to play.
