1979 Revolution: Black Friday

Video games have a so far only partially explored potential to provide immersive and thought-provoking investigations into complex political/historical events. The medium and its audience are more than ready to embrace such development.

1979 Revolution: Black Friday is one of the more well-known examples of indie game that tries to engage with serious historical events in a way that is compelling, educational, and entertaining. The game is very successful in addressing the first two aims, but is somewhat lacking when it comes to its game mechanics.

In its 2-4 hours, 1979 Revolution packs quite a lot of information about the collapse of the Shah regime and the rise of a popular revolution, the many factions involved in the opposition (including moderate and radical Islam, communists, and nationalists among others), life in Iran at the time. A remarkable accomplishment is that this information is conveyed in a way that never feels didactic or forced, thanks in large part to a set of characters that are very believable and well-acted. This excellent cast and exposition makes up for the less than stellar playability of the game. Beyond the at times clunky mechanics and the fact that dialogue options (which in theory determine the outcome of the story) disappear so quickly that one has barely the time to read the options available, one has the impression that what the developers had to say (the subject and the story) came before the choice of medium.

It feels like a missed opportunity, but I suspect those who play it will remember the story long after the mild frustration for its mechanics has dissipated. There are far worse ways of spending an afternoon.

I would give 1979 Revolution 5* for its subject-matter and approach, 4* for the story, and 2* for the game mechanics, and 3* all considered.