Zistoir Bondié

Zistoir Bondié, which means God’s Story, is a Bible game built around the life of Jesus, with questions you answer in French or in Réunion Creole. The developer calls it a Church 2.0 video game, and that captures the spirit of it well enough.

The play is part arcade and part trivia. You run, jump, and even walk on water while hunting for hidden treasures of the Bible, and you answer questions about Scripture and the Gospel story to move forward and win. The whole thing is themed around the Bible rather than dressed up with a few religious images and left at that, so the questions are doing real work.

It is an unusual idea, and that is the appeal. Wrapping Bible knowledge inside a game that speaks Creole is no small thing for families in the French-speaking islands, where seeing the faith in the everyday language of the home carries real weight. There is not much else like it on the store.

It suits children and teens who learn better by playing than by reading, French and Réunion Creole speakers, and parents who want a screen activity that has some actual biblical substance behind the fun.

Be clear that this is a general Christian Bible game from an independent developer, not a Catholic catechetical product. The questions cover the Bible and the story of Jesus without any specifically Catholic content, so treat it as a fun way to build familiarity rather than as formation for the sacraments. As a small indie game, the graphics are simple, and there may not be a great deal of new material once you have played through it a few times.

Free, from developer Jean Lionel Darie. You can download it from the App Store via Zistoir Bondié. A creative, faith-themed game, and a welcome one for Creole-speaking families.