The Inquisitor could easily be labeled as a narrative-driven adventure mixed with a murder mystery. But there’s more going on here. Based on a book by Polish writer Jacek Piekara, The Inquisitor is driven by a dark, faith-focused fantasy.
Gamers play as Mordimer Madderin, a holy inquisitor from the Middle Ages. It’s his job to hunt down heretics, vampires and the like and enforce the Christian laws of the land. But this version of Christianity is very different from the one you know.
In this alternate fantasy reality, Jesus refused to sacrifice his life on the cross. Instead, he broke free and set off on a bloody rampage across the land, unleashing his vengeance on the Roman Empire and becoming something of a warrior god-king. So now, 1,500 years later, Mordimer and others like him work to ensure that the all-powerful Church’s oppressive will is obeyed without question.
As Mordimer, you enter the 16th century city of Koenigstein in search of a rumored vampire. But soon after arriving, you discover clues that hint at a much more sinister plot in the making. It’s a plot that involves ritualistic murders, stolen relics connected to Jesus himself and the possibility of an unfolding apocalypse.
In the course of the Inquisitor’s investigations, gamers must traverse the expansive districts of Koenigstein; talk to and eavesdrop on citizens; interrogate wrongdoers; examine murder victims and crime scenes; solve puzzles and dig up clues; jump into sword-clashing conflicts; and weave together the potentially world-ending conspiracy that’s afoot.
When talking to merchants, nobles, officers and locals, gamers have dialogue choices. And though those choices don’t always seem to make a great difference in the action, your choices may trigger one of several different game endings. While using prayer—praying in what appears to be Latin—Mordimer can see glowing indicators of where to go next.
The Inquisitor is a single player, offline-only game.
Mordimer is an individual who stands by his convictions and strives to do what’s right. And even though he’s as dour and grim as the dark world around him, he makes choices to aid the innocent.
Gameplay—in particular the investigative, clue-piecing side—can be interesting and fun.
Despite its small positives, however, The Inquisitor is a very dark and often disturbing game.
The game regularly uses biblical scripture—such as Matthew 10:34, Nahum 1:2 and Exodus 22:18—and twists the meaning of those passages to attribute a sense of vengeance, hatred and deadliness to the Church.
In fact, in this alternate reality, nearly everything people of faith would avow as true is twisted backward. For instance, Mordimer can stop and kneel to pray at altars for improved abilities. And while seeking the bloody death of foes he regularly prays for things such as “ruthlessness in fighting my enemies,” and that God would “bereave us of weakness, lest we forgive those who trespass against us.” He seeks to “cast the first stone” and praises God’s “bloody works.” There are references to faith and the beliefs of “good Christians” here, but anyone taking their cue of what constitutes faith in Christ from this game will be sorely drawn astray.
Even putting that concept of faith aside, other dark spiritual elements infect the grimy gaming mix. For instance, Mordimer must repeatedly enter into a corrupt “Unworld” populated by a Cthulhu-like deadly abomination. He has twisted spiritual visions, must deal with demonic entities and even fight a fallen angel.
Then there’s the violence of this game. Characters are murdered in foul rituals. We see torn-open bodies and a severed head on display. One insane individual tortures others ruthlessly, rips corpses open gleefully and tosses their organs here and there. Mordimer must closely examine some of those naked and gashed open bodies, both male and female. And Mordimer is called upon to kill attackers as well.
Foul language is an integral part of the dialogue here. We hear f- and s-words and uses of “b–tard,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” “a–” and the c-word.
Some people seek games that focus on faith. And The Inquisitor could be said to fit that bill … but in all the wrong ways. It’s grim and despairing, and it generally paints faith in Jesus with a blasphemous brush.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
