Review by Brooke

The primary function in the Córdoba Journey is finding the missing artifacts to fill the empty spaces in the museum, which serves as a home base for the player. It is an exploration-based role-playing game, more focused on environmental storytelling than a narrative told around a protagonist. In order to find the missing items, the players must search the imagined munya space using basic movements controlled by the keyboard, such as jumping and climbing. The gameplay sometimes has an escape room-eque feel, in which the player moves objects around or solves simple puzzles to allow themselves to navigate or to unlock a new space. The functions of the game are fairly straightforward to maintain appeal to younger audiences. If difficulty is presented, yellow sparkles and hints help to guide the player in the direction of the story.

The player also has the option to “inspect” an object, which will tell more information about the item in question. When placing the objects back into the museum setting, the inspect option will give real-life context to the item, giving players the opportunity to learn about the artifacts and places on which the game is based. When reading these museum plaques, there is the possibility to choose which academic reading level would be most appropriate for the player. This would be useful if the Córdoba Journey was used in school settings in order for the information to be both accessible and entertaining for the age group in question.

While the architecture of the game is primarily inspired by al-Rummaniyya and Madinat al-Zahra, I was immediately reminded of the Great Mosque of Córdoba. The horseshoe arches with alternating red and white patterns are a highly recognizable element of Iberian Islamic architecture of this time period. The outdoor garden area would also be an effective introduction to elite medieval garden culture, which was so significant to upper-class society. When exiting the indoor spaces, the soundscape of the game alters to include bird sound, which works to deepen a sense of immersion for the player. The Córdoba Journey would be a compelling tool to help students familiarize themselves with Islamic art and architecture by virtually placing them in these spaces in order to engage with them in a more memorable way.

The Córdoba Journey is a new video game developed by the Digital Lab for the Islamic Visual Culture & Collections at the University of Edinburgh.