1979 Revolution: Black Friday Reviews
Accurate in its execution and complex in its politics, 1979 Revolution may have its flaws, but its faults do not overshadow its success of a nuanced portrayal of a history and its people.
The video game industry is still relatively young and as we see it grow we continue to find new ways to play games. What started as two lines hitting a dot back and forth has matured into a medium where we can not only have a lot of fun, but can now be used to tell important stories as well. 1979 Revolution: Black Friday is one of those stories. Based on historical events that transpired in Tehran in 1978, 1979 Revolution: Black Friday shows us that Hollywood isn't the only industry that can tell a compelling historical story.
Ultimately 1979 Revolution: Black Friday is much more of an interactive story than a game. It just so happens to be a story which is so well written and performed, that it will make you wonder about yourself as a person.
A brave and inspiring work that provides an evocative window into a world-shaping historical event, what 1979 Revolution: Black Friday lacks in audiovisual presentation it more than makes up for with sheer guts, heart and that most rarest of things - a soul.
1979 Revolution: Black Friday tells the story of the Iranian Revolution in the year within the title. It’s a beautiful, heart-wrenching story that makes you quickly fall for every character on screen. The lack of polish and occasional technical frustrations hamper its impact at times, but the message is still loud and clear. This isn’t about crafting some experience you’re going to sink one hundred hours into; it’s about expanding your horizons and learning about some truly important people.
The game's graphics are stylized and a bit on the cartoony side, similar to what we saw for The Walking Dead series from Telltale Games, giving the game a very interesting look that makes everything pop. The game's setting and the very serious topic is something that all should experience in this action/adventure take on the events surrounding the 1979 Iranian revolution.
Final Thoughts iNK Stories has given us a very unique experience by retelling a historical conflict, perfectly fitting for its genre. It's not a long game, and doesn't have much replay value once you're done, but the few hours you'll spend with 1979 Revolution: Black Friday will be great and will certainly be interesting for people who are curious about historic political events like this. Hopefully, this is not the last historical narrative experience we get, as it could give Telltale Games some competition!
As a whole, 1979 Revolution: Black Friday is a quick and blunt showing of an important piece of history that's made to be accessible to our generation.
Not only is it hugely enjoyable in its own right, focused as it is one one of the most dramatic moments in living memory, but it has also managed to completely upstage an Academy Award-winning film that looked at the same moment in history.
For someone that wishes to learn about the 1979 Revolution, or Iran in general, this game will provide a cursory understanding that could supplement further reading. Taken on its own, this may be one of the most important games created in terms of historical significance, and in blending life events, narrative and cultural immersion, captures the essential truth of the human experience.
Along with games like “Cibele” and “That Dragon, Cancer,” “1979 Revolution” sets a new path for games by providing a template for how the medium can tell stories grounded in ordinary life. Some of my favorite episodes in the game were much less spectacular than the incidents one normally sees in games like the aforementioned family dinner or tending to the wounds of an injured protester.
This is a game that can broaden an individual person’s horizons and that of the entire medium, as well. It’s definitely worth your time.
1979 Revolution's rough edges don't obscure its ambition in a worthwhile, enlightening narrative adventure.