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Parents' Guide to

The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia

By David Chapman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Hybrid typing shooter is a dark comedy of errors.

Game Mac , Windows 2019
The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

age 16+

The Textorcist: A Better Review

The Textorcist while Rife with what is obviously seen, blood, violence, heavily implied sex, obvious swearing, alcoholism. THE STORY, (as some people seem to be unable to recall EXISTS in the world today) Is simply put, a fallen priest who has true faith in god, on a mission to exorcise demons from our world. His name is Ray Bibbia, he has a history of violence and a gritty, dark demeanor, however as we follow his story, we find his faith renewed as he takes a pitfall from learning that he cannot kill demons to save his daughter, to redeeming himself by reconnecting with with his mentor from 20 years to find a way that he can. While Ray is not the EXCEEDINGLY great role model, doesn't everyone deserve a second chance to redeem themselves?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

There's no shortage of gaming hybrids out there, that mixing and matching genres, styles, and gameplay in uniquely creative ways, but this one falls apart at its Frankenstein-like seams. The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia is a strange mix that starts off well enough, but it pushes its host of gimmicks too far to quick, winding up as a nearly unplayable mess by the end. For starters, the game can't ever quite decide what it wants to be. It's got a retro, pixelated look, but it still tries to be "edgy" and dark. The dialogue cracks silly tongue-in-cheek one-liners right before commenting on selling drugs to kids or forcing girls into sex rings. It makes for some uncomfortably awkward laughs unless you've got a particularly dark sense of humor.

The Textorcist's identity crisis extends into its gameplay as well. One minute, it's an adventure game, with players exploring their surroundings, interrogating people, and uncovering clues to the overall mystery. The next minute, it's a bullet hell shoot 'em up with a typing tutorial tossed into the mix. At first blush, it might seem impossible to constantly switch between moving around the screen dodging bullets and then quickly and accurately typing out phrases (in English and in Latin). But early on, it actually seems surprisingly doable, and even pretty fun. It makes for a chaotic environment that provides a good test of both deft reflexes and quick thinking. Problems arise as players progress in the game. The game's difficulty increases pretty quickly, and as a result, the playability decreases just as fast. What begins as a challenge becomes a frustration before finally just becoming an act of virtual self-flagellation.

Game Details

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