View source for Super 3D Noah's Ark

{{Short description|1994 video game}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}

{{Infobox video game
| title      = Super 3D Noah's Ark
| image      = File:Super 3D Noah's Ark.png
| caption    = Title screen of ''Super 3D Noah's Ark''.
| developer  = [[Wisdom Tree]]
| publisher  = {{Unbulleted list|[[Wisdom Tree]]|[[Piko Interactive]] <small>(digital)</small>}}
| composer   = Vance Kozik
| engine     = [[Wolfenstein 3D engine]]
| released   = '''SNES'''{{Video game release|NA|1994}}'''MS-DOS'''{{Video game release|NA|1995}}'''Windows''', '''OS X''', '''Linux'''{{Video game release|WW|June 23, 2015}}
| genre      = [[First-person shooter]]
| modes      = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
| platforms  = [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[MS-DOS]], [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Mac OS X]], [[Linux]]
}}

'''''Super 3D Noah's Ark''''' is a non-violent [[Christian video game|Christian]] [[first-person shooter]] developed and published by [[Wisdom Tree]] for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] (SNES) in 1994 and [[MS-DOS]] in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sega-16.com/Interview-%20Brenda%20Huff.php |title=Interview: Brenda Huff |first=Nick |last=Gibson |publisher=Sega-16 |date=August 29, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070625145852/http://www.sega-16.com/Interview-%20Brenda%20Huff.php |archive-date=June 25, 2007 }}</ref> Its [[gameplay]] is similar to that of ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'', as Wisdom Tree had licensed [[Wolfenstein 3D engine|that game's engine]] from [[id Software]]. Wisdom Tree opted not to secure a license from [[Nintendo]] for the game's SNES release. While not illegal, it prevented the game from being sold at most video game retailers, which were under a contractual agreement with Nintendo not to sell [[Nintendo#Seal_of_Quality|unlicensed games]] for the company's consoles. As a result, the SNES release of ''Super 3D Noah's Ark'' was sold primarily via [[Christian bookstore]]s.

The game was re-released for Windows, macOS, and Linux on [[itch.io]] on May 26, 2014 and [[Steam (service)|Steam]] on June 23, 2015.<ref name="SteamDB">{{Cite web |url=https://steamdb.info/app/371180/ |title=Super 3-D Noah's Ark |publisher=SteamDB |date=June 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211225502/https://steamdb.info/app/371180/ |archive-date=December 11, 2023}}</ref>

==Gameplay==
[[Image:Noah's Ark 3D SNES gameplay.gif|left|thumb|200px|''Super 3D Noah's Ark'' plays similarly to ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'', and utilizes the same [[game engine]]]]

The game plays similarly to ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'', but the graphics were changed to reflect a [[Non-violent video games#Non-violent first person shooters|non-violent theme]]. Instead of killing [[Nazism|Nazi]] soldiers in a castle, the player takes the part of [[Noah]], wandering [[Noah's Ark|the Ark]], using a slingshot to shoot sleep-inducing food at angry attacking animals, mostly goats, in order to render them unconscious. The animals behave differently: goats, the most common enemy, will only kick Noah, while the other animals such as sheep, ostriches, antelopes and oxen will shoot spittle at him from a distance. Goats are also unable to open doors, while the other animals can.

The gameplay is aimed at young children. ''Noah's Ark'' includes secret passages, food, weapons and extra lives. There are secret levels, and shortcut levels as well. The player eventually comes across larger and more powerful [[slingshots]], and flings coconuts and watermelon at the larger boss-like animals, such as Ernie the Elephant and Carl the Camel.

==Development==
The game that would eventually become ''Super 3D Noah's Ark'' was originally conceived as a licensed game based on the film ''[[Hellraiser]]'', a movie that Wisdom Tree founder Dan Lawton was a great fan of. Wisdom Tree acquired the game rights to ''Hellraiser'' for $50,000, along with a license to use the ''Wolfenstein 3D'' game engine from id Software, believing that the fast, violent action of ''Wolfenstein'' would be a good match for the mood of the film. Development initially began on the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], with Wisdom Tree intending to ship the game on a special cartridge that came equipped with a co-processor that could increase the system's RAM and processing speed several times over.<ref name="Durham">{{cite web |last1=Durham |first1=Gabe |date=30 June 2015 |title=How a Hellraiser tie-in became Super 3D Noah's Ark |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/how-a-hellraiser-tie-in-became-i-super-3d-noah-s-ark-i- |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Game Developer |language=en}}</ref>

Eventually the ''Hellraiser'' game concept was abandoned due to several issues: the hardware of the NES was found unsuitable because of its low color palette and the addition of a co-processor would have made the cartridge far too expensive for consumers.<ref name=Durham/> According to Vance Kozik of Wisdom Tree, little progress was made on the NES incarnation of the game, which he described as "a barely up-and-running demo".<ref name=EGM100>{{cite magazine |title=What Ever Happened to: Color Dreams |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |issue=101 |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=December 1997|page=34}}</ref> The platform for ''Hellraiser'' was then switched to the PC, and the developers were able to make more progress on this version. However, by the time the first prototype was finished, ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' had been released, and Wisdom Tree felt that ''Hellraiser'' would not be able to compete.<ref name=EGM100/> In addition, the management at Wisdom Tree decided that developing and publishing a horror-themed game would clash with their religious, family-friendly image. With these factors in mind, Wisdom Tree decided to let their ''Hellraiser'' license expire, transfer development to the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], and redesign the game with a Christian theme, eventually coming up with a game about Noah's Ark.<ref>{{cite book |last=Durham |first=Gabe |title=[[Bible Adventures]] |publisher=Boss Fight Books |year=2015 |pages=168 |isbn=978-1-940535-07-4}}</ref><ref name=Durham/>

As the game was not officially sanctioned by Nintendo, Wisdom Tree devised a pass-through system similar to the [[Game Genie]] to bypass the system's copy protection, where the player had to insert an officially licensed SNES game into the cartridge slot on top of the ''Super 3D Noah's Ark'' cartridge.<ref name=EGM100/>

A popular rumor claims that id Software licensed the ''Wolfenstein 3D'' engine to Wisdom Tree in retaliation against Nintendo for the content restrictions Nintendo placed on the Super NES version of ''Wolfenstein 3D''.<ref name=Durham/><ref name=EGM100/><ref>{{cite book |last=Kushner |first=David |title=[[Masters of Doom]] |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |year=2004 |pages=121 |isbn=0-8129-7215-5}}</ref> In actuality, Wisdom Tree offered id Software very lucrative terms for the ''Wolfenstein 3D'' game engine, which id regarded as having already outlived its usefulness,<ref name=Durham/> and id staff have stated that they never had any problems with Nintendo in the first place.<ref name=EGM100/><ref>{{cite web |quote="...we just thought it would be funny to use the Wolf3D SNES engine in a religious game".|last=Romero |first=John |title=John Romero AMA |date=2019-11-04|website=Reddit |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/drkf24/john_romero_ama/f6jdgbp/ |access-date=2020-12-06}}</ref>

==Re-release==
In January 2014, to mark the game's 20th anniversary, Wisdom Tree licensed the game to [[Piko Interactive]] for a digital re-release and a SNES cartridge reproduction run.<ref name="Eurogamer">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-14-unlicensed-snes-game-super-3d-noahs-ark-to-be-reprinted |title=Unlicensed SNES game Super 3D Noah's Ark to be reprinted |last=Matulef|first=Jeffrey|date=14 January 2014|work=[[Eurogamer]] |publisher=[[Gamer Network]] |access-date=14 January 2014}}</ref> Cartridges were initially available to order via email before an order page was established on the Piko Interactive website.<ref name="Eurogamer"/> The digital re-release, dubbed the "20th Anniversary Edition", used the ECWolf [[source port]] developed for ''Wolfenstein 3D'' and ''ZDoom'' to support modern controllers and enable [[widescreen]] gameplay.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://maniacsvault.net/ecwolf/ |title=ECWolf |first=Braden "Blzut3" |last=Obrzut| publisher=maniacsvault.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424040218/https://maniacsvault.net/ecwolf/ |archive-date=April 24, 2024}}</ref><ref name="PCGamingWiki">{{Cite web |url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Super_3-D_Noah's_Ark |title=Super 3-D Noah's Ark |date=May 17, 2023 |publisher=PCGamingWiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224082011/https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Super_3-D_Noah's_Ark |archive-date=February 24, 2024}}</ref> Developed for Windows, macOS, and Linux, the game released on [[itch.io]] on May 26, 2014 and [[Steam (service)|Steam]] on June 23, 2015.<ref name="SteamDB"/> The digital re-release also includes digital copies of the game's original SNES and MS-DOS versions for use in [[Video game console emulator|emulators]].<ref name="PCGamingWiki"/>

==See also==
* ''[[Chex Quest]]''
* [[Christian media]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150630213724/http://www.wisdomtreegames.com/games/super3dnoahsark Official website (archive)]
* [http://www.wisdomtreegames.com/ Wisdom Tree Games website]
* {{MobyGames|id=/super-noahs-ark-3-d}}
* {{Internet Archive game|id=msdos_Super_Noahs_Ark_3-D_1995|title=Super Noah's Ark 3-D}}

{{Wolfenstein 3D engine games}}
{{Noah's Ark}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1994 video games]]
[[Category:Christian video games]]
[[Category:Commercial video games with freely available source code]]
[[Category:DOS games]]
[[Category:Linux games]]
[[Category:MacOS games]]
[[Category:Noah's Ark in popular culture]]
[[Category:North America-exclusive video games]]
[[Category:Piko Interactive games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Sprite-based first-person shooters]]
[[Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System games]]
[[Category:Unauthorized video games]]
[[Category:Video games based on the Bible]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:Wisdom Tree games]]
[[Category:Wolfenstein 3D engine games]]