1979: Revolution is shaping up to be a powerful, emotional, groundbreaking and controversial game all about the revolution of the same year, in Iran.

1979 started out as a project by Navid Khonsari, a Rockstar games alumni who is responsible for the cinematic look and feel of games like Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, Max Payne, and so on. He not only looks awesome in aviators, but he has a history with the revolution in Iran, mostly because he was born there and actually experienced some of it himself as a child.

Coming from this, his passion for telling the story of what happened during the revolution in Iran has helped him push forward with the project. This is also considering the fact that Iran has labeled him a spy for working on this game, and he is no longer allowed to return to his home country.

Several of the members of his team have fled Iran in fear of their safety, and others have to remain anonymous as well. Needless to say, it seems some people just don’t want this story being re-told. Now he’s turned to kickstarter to help him and his team fund his game, and his pitch is both moving and inspiring.

1979 will be an episodic game, the first of which is called simply “Black Friday.” This episode is based off the day when protesters were actually fired upon by military personnel, causing a horrifying scene filled with chaos and death.

In the subsequent episodes, you’ll be taking part in the actual revolution in Iran, exploring an open world Iran that is placed under martial law. You have to use stealth and intuition to avoid being caught and revealed as a rebel, mostly because you play as an ordinary man named Reza, not some machismo soldier or guerilla fighter.

Navid’s vision is to retell the story of the revolution in Iran, without censorship, so naturally the things you’ll be seeing in 1979 may be too discomforting for some. You’ll be collecting actual recordings and photos from the revolution, all of which aid you in your mission to overthrow the Shah.

1979 really looks like an incredible undertaking, a game with an immense heart, developed by a team of veteran developers that are spearheaded by a man who has the passion to make something this groundbreaking possible. If you’re as excited as I am for 1979 to be a reality, you should head over to their kickstarter and start throwing money at them!