For some the Holy Grail of games is the perfect balance of education and fun. 1979 Revolution: Black Friday comes closer to this than any other game I’ve played. Its story is rooted in history and it plays like a Telltale adventure game.
The game is set in Iran during the Iranian Revolution. The player walks in the shoes of a young man as he attempts to navigate the social change going on all around him. The gameplay is almost entirely making choices in interactions with other characters. The chapter I played at PAX West tasked me with taking photographs of a political rally happening in the streets. Each photo that I took related to a real photograph from the time. You see the picture you took in the game right next to the real one. At that point, you can choose to “Learn More” and you’ll get a short paragraph of historical information.
This seamless integration of history with the game is what impressed me the most about the game. I wasn’t able to get much of a feel of the characters and their personal stories at the show, but I’ll be taking a look at the full game and writing more soon.
1979 Revolution: Black Friday is currently available on PC and iOS.
