The Cat and the Coup
Peter Brinson and Kurosh ValaNejad · 2011 · Free to Play, Indie, Cats, Historical, Short
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About The Cat and the Coup
Play as the cat of Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister during the 1953 CIA coup, using mischievous actions to guide him through pivotal moments of his life and the political turmoil surrounding him. The game blends Persian miniature art with interactive storytelling to explore the Western player's relationship to Iranian history and examine how democracy can be undermined by foreign intervention.
The game, situated within the traditions of Persian miniature art form and cold war foreign policy, asks players to consider their connection to Iranian history. The Cat and the Coup is both about the relationship between the Western video game player and Mossadegh and, by extension, the United States and Iran. It lays a foundation for today’s critical question -- how do the people know when their democracy is threatened?
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
This short, FREE game utilises a dazzling mix of gorgeous art styles to create a collage-like whole that is remarkably striking. You play as the cat of former Iranian Prime Minister, Mohammed Mosaddegh, a (relative) progressive who was ousted from power by the CIA and MI6 in the 1950s. As the unnamed cat you interact with key moments from Mosaddegh’s life by moving left and right across the screen in order to tip rooms one way or the other, thus solving simple puzzles. As the cat, you metaphorically control the balance of geopolitical power, although sadly you can’t change the historical outcome, only move the sad but familiar story of US and British imperialist interference along. The gameplay is minimal. The art is spectacular. And any piece of culture that reminds us that the ruling elites in our democracies prefer tyrants they can do business with, to progressive leaders trying their best for their people, is doing an important service. How dare Mosaddegh nationalise the oil industry, introduce social security and increase taxes on the rich?3 found this helpful
An artistic and simple platformer. I'd say it's more of an interactive learning experience then game, but it was alright for being so short.1 found this helpful
Art. Satie. It's 2026 and it is still relevant. I love this 15 minutes game.1 found this helpful
about 15 minutes of gameplay, but a beautiful and powerful experience nonetheless1 found this helpful
I'd say it is more of an art piece than a video game! For its history, I wouldn't say it is the best source of that (and I'm sure its not meant to be) as it is extremely short and doesn't contain much context -- but it might be intended for a certain audience that is already familiar with the content. Regardless, I thought it was cool!1 found this helpful
short but packs a punch. Tells its story in a very interesting way which i haven't seen anywhere else. Its pretty good, and very pretty. The photobash artstyle is so cool., plus its freeeee. ♥♥♥♥ USA and Britain fr fr.
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