Blog #3: Review of "The Cat and the Coup"

Last night, I played a game called The Cat and the Coup. It is set during the 1950s and you play as the pet cat of the then Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammed Mossadegh. Not exactly conventional video game material. The game begins with death of Mossadegh and, as his cat, you experience/remember the important political events of his career that led to his eventual downfall at the hands of the CIA. Obviously, as a cat, you do not actually directly communicate or initiate any of these political happenings. Instead, your interactive agency is indirect and metaphorical. In addition to performing various typical cat activities (wandering, sitting in Mossadegh's lap, knocking over furniture, etc), you lead Mossadegh from level to level by physically forcing him through various doors. Mossadegh falls from level to level as text appears to give the player a description of the political context of your actions. It is one of the few documentary games out there, has beautiful art direction, and is actually politically insightful. Check it out!

Here is the link to download the game:

http://www.thecatandthecoup.com