The very fact that the far-right is pushing bad reviews on this site and others goes a long way to show just how much Paintbucket got right. Ridiculing this derisively as an "antifa simulator", on the other hand, goes an equally long way to show certain "reviewers'" lack of even the most basic grasp of, well, anything - because guess what, that's exactly what this is, an antifa simulator! You're literally put in the shoes of a member of an antifascist cell, so that's pretty much the very premise of this game. The core gameplay loop may feel somewhat repetitive, but the plot doesn't - and that's where the game shines. Its historical foundation is thoroughly researched to the point that I'll be using this game in class. What some reviewers decry as cheap shots at our current batch of populists should actually be seen as clear warning signs: we've been here before, and this is how it started. That doesn't necessarily equate Trump with Goebbels and Hitler, but it shows that some current populist tactics come from the very same rulebook.
This game is interesting on quite a few different levels: 1. I teach History for a living, and as a history teacher, this game drew my attention from the moment I first read about it. After all, what do we in the West really know about Iran and the revolution? I'm no big fan of edutainment games and this game promised to be educational and still be an actual game. 2. I love Telltale, and this game seemed to fit their template. 3. With all the Western propaganda present in videogame culture (form RTS to FPS), a game that explicitly set out to tell an Iranian story from an Iranian point of view got me hooked right away. So, does 1979 deliver on what I was hoping for? It does, and that's why I consider a game worth buying despite its clunkiness. It tells an immensely important story that still has a very direct influence on the world we live in today - and it does so without pointing fingers, without being too didacticised and without being preachy about it. It's definitely based on the adventures Telltale is making a fortune with, yet here and there it deviates and incorporates point-and-click sessions, making for a somewhat more interactive experience than most Telltale games. Its biggest achievement, however, lies in the story in its narrative. You, as Reza, experience those revolutionary days in Teheran as an outsider who has just returned from studying abroad and does not quite know what is happening around him - and where he stands in all this. It is up to you to figure out who fights for which goal and who you want to support in this chaotic upheaval. It is this narrative that makes the game worth playing despite its technical shortcomings - its a story that needs to be heard here in the West to change our somewhat twodimensional image of Iran and its population. Graphics are okay but nothing to write home about, controls are okayish - controller support would do wonders but it's no big deal, either.
... and then they take some pills and go crazy. That's what playing this game feels like, anyway. When I took of for my first flight, Wings of Fury was on my mind: lift of, fly left or right, find targets, shoot. About 5 seconds later, the screen was buzzing with missiles, planes, ship, and, well, more missiles, and it felt a whole lot more like Asteroids, dodging incoming planes and missiles left and right, all the while trying to actually hit something yourself - and then you die. It's a quick adrenaline rush, and it's enough of a rush to keep you coming back for more. The longer you play, the more you understand the underlying complexity of the game despite its simple mechanics: every new asset you unlock drastically changes a characteristic of your plane, and since you can freely combine three categories of assets, you're free to design your personal plane. Sick of always being shot down? Take the thicker body - it will take more hits, but it will slow you down considerably. Don't like engaging your targets head-on? Take the bullet-propelled engine and shoot down your pursuers while-u-flee! Wanna go kamikaze? Take the nuke body that will destroy everything on-screen the moment you die, because karma, bitches.
The very fact that (after having bought some 30 games) this is my very first review should speak for itself. This is one precious little gift of an adventure: wonderfully tight, beautifully realized mise-en-scene, and brimming with atmosphere and melancholia. Think Chandler with a Rabbi instead of Phil Marlow, or Lew Archer having a crisis of faith. There are two things I really admire about this particular setting: 1. It's an uncommon setting with fresh characters, and 2. yes, it's an adventure featuring religion and Judaism in particular, but it's not a game _about_ either of these. Granted, it's rather rough around the edges and the story sometimes borders on clichée, but do not let them deter you from giving this game a shot. I promise you won't regret it.
