Game Review: The Aetherlight: Chronicles of the Resistance

In today's world, electronic devices are a fixture in our lives. Gaming has moved from being anchored to the family tv in the den to a rectangle of plastic and glass anywhere a cell or wi-fi signal exists. The mobility of games has increased their accessibility and drained more time from already busy lives. As a dad I try to strike a balance with my kids when it comes to video games. My wife and I monitor what they play and set limits on how long they can go at it. The majority of games are mindless or mindless with violence/crudeness/crassness/etc. I was glad to receive the opportunity to play and review "The Aetherlight: Chronicles of the Resistance" from Tyndale House Publishing and Scarlet City Studios.

I'll be honest, when I first played the game I thought it was kind of clunky in that there were no instructions on how to play the game. After several minutes I was able to figure it out and endeavored to get as far as I could on my own before calling in the experts...my two sons. I knew the game was designed to teach and bring the biblical narrative to life, but I must admit I did not readily see it in the time I played the game.

Enter the boys. They are eleven and sixteen and, needless to say, have out mastered me in the realm of video games. My youngest enjoyed the challenge of figuring out the "hows" of playing the game, while his brother didn't seem to be phased by the lack of instructions. They both excelled in the game, completing the missions and advancing as far as they could during the trial period they had access to it. As a game they found it engaging, challenging and yet fun.

The best part came when they began to explain to me how the game (as far as they were able to play it) was an allegory of the biblical account of Abraham and his son Isaac. It excited them to be able to "play out" biblical truth in a video game. It excited me to know that the time spent playing the game wasn't wasted, but actually reinforced what they already knew of the bible. It seemed to help them think through the events found in the bible.

I, and my sons, recommend "The Aetherlight: Chronicles of the Resistance" for the following reasons: it is clean, challenging and fun as a game; it reinforces what my kids have already learned from reading the bible. Please watch the trailer below to find out more.

You can also check out the YouVersion reading plan by clicking this LINK and be sure to "like" the Aetherlight Facebook page by going HERE.

I received a free three day trial of this game for the purpose of review.