1979 Revolution: Black Friday

How it started: play this game. How it's going: check the news.

This is a very qualified thumbs up. There's a lot about 1979 Revolution: Black Friday that is frustrating, in particular its ending (where they planning, or hoping, to continue this story?). The choices are Telltale-style, but they mostly fall flat, changing little about the story and (more importantly) how you feel about the story and characters. And the failable quicktime events should have been left out: they're not thrilling or fun. But when 1979 Revolution tells its story about a time and a place in history that is rarely touched on in Western culture, it is fascinating, and it does a good job of introducing players who might not know much about the Iranian Revolution to the topic without feeling too overtly didactic. I wish they'd had the chance to continue 1979 Revolution, learn from the first game and deliver a more polished, and story-wise more satisfying, follow-up.

"There's no shame in being invested in your people's future" Clearly inspired by Telltale-style games, it feels familiar but the gameplay itself can be clunky, with stiff controls and weird QTEs. Where the game fully shines is in its storytelling, by tackling a subject rarely explored in the West, the game reaches its full potential when it explores these events and their consequences, offering a glimpse into another era that is now more relevant than ever.

It's a bit short and bare boned, but in a couple of quick hours it gives a very vivid look into the tensions and complexities and fallout of the 1979 revolution. Lots of codex entries, too.

As cynical as this will sound, this game tells of the human plight throughout human history. Believe what I believe or suffer and die. This was told from a gripping perspective and given what is going on today with the war, that perspective is VERY eye opening.

If you're into politics, history, and Telltale games, you will probably like this. Though the story is short and has an abrupt ending, I very much recommend giving it a try. There are tough decisions, emotional moments, some surprising plot twists, and moral shades of grey. My favorite part are the real photos, videos, and snippets about life in Iran--not to mention the use of Farsi. They tried to do something unique here and they succeeded. You don't often see this side of the revolution told in western media, except maybe in documentaries. I just wish it was fleshed out a little more.