Party of Sin: Guilty fun or sacrilege?

I don't mind when people make jokes at the expense of religion. I wouldn't love South Park as much as I do if I got upset over people mocking faith. I even take part in some podcasts where religion gets mocked in sometimes crude ways. But you take it in stride, and know that nine out of ten times, the people mocking it don't actually mean cruel malice towards me or other members of my faith.

I remember a title called Afterlife by LucasArts, a silly Sim-like title in which you take control of Heaven or Hell and try to keep souls in your world occupied and productive. It was real tongue-in-cheek fun because the versions of Heaven and Hell that you controlled were funny caricatures that didn't really resemble our thoughts and beliefs regarding how we spend eternity. Sure, people committed sins to get there, but every religion has it's own set of rights and wrongs.

16 years later, an independent game company called Crankshaft Games has created a PC puzzle platformer called Party of Sin, in which the goal of the game is to take the seven deadly sins, who are actual characters, break out of hell and destroy angels on a quest to take over heaven.

The gameplay reads like an updated version of The Lost Vikings (translation: FUN!), in which each character has it's own strengths and weaknesses, and being able to switch party members at any time. The game definitely has a sense of humor, not unlike Afterlife, and going purely by the trailer, it's not as if you're burning crucifixes or murdering nuns.

Not being able to play the game (just reading the interview) leaves me crippled when it comes to judging if the game crosses any lines. I have to say, I do cringe a bit at the idea of waging war against God's angels in a video game, especially when the leader of the angels in the game is actually named Michael, but then again, I chuckle at Afterlife because it's such a silly stretch, maybe I should have the same attitude with Party of Sin. It looks like an amazing game to play.

Maybe the reason I give Afterlife a pass is because, even though it contains Heaven and Hell, it feels detached from Christianity a bit, while Party of Sin feels more like a game set in the world of my own faith. I think I'd probably feel much better about the game if it gave you the option of playing as the Heaven side of things, as you could probably make an even more interesting platformer with that mechanic in place.

Gun to my head, I'd have to say that it just misses that line of "OMG THIS IS EVIL SACRILEGE!!!!" I'll have to wait for the demo to come out and judge it more fully. Regardless of my opinions, I'm sure Bill Donahue of the Catholic League will go nuts if this game gets any kind of popular rub.

I'd love to get your thoughts in the comment section.