The Cat and the Coup
Platforms
About The Cat and the Coup
The Cat and the Coup is a single player puzzle game with fantasy and historical themes. It was developed by Peter Brinson and Kurosh ValaNejad and was released on June 15, 2011. It received very positive reviews from players.
The Cat and the Coup is a documentary game in which you play the cat of Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh, the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran. During the summer of 1953, the CIA engineered a coup to bring about his downfall. As a player, you coax Mossadegh back through significant events of his life by knocking objects off of shelves, scattering his papers, jumping on his lap and scratch…











Games Like The Cat and the Coup
Looking for games like The Cat and the Coup? Here are top puzzle recommendations with a fantasy and historical focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with Year Walk, Valiant Hearts: The Great War or Kentucky Route Zero.
Reviews
- Beautiful and unique art style inspired by Persian miniatures and collages, creating a visually striking experience.
- Short and free interactive documentary/game offering an introduction to an important but underrepresented historical event.
- Combination of somber music and symbolic gameplay successfully evokes emotional and reflective moments.
- Gameplay is accessible and simple, fitting the theme and supporting the storytelling.
- Effective at sparking curiosity and encouraging players to learn more about Iranian history and geopolitics.
- Creative use of playing as the cat to metaphorically represent covert interference and political manipulation.
- Very short duration (10–20 minutes) limits depth and replay value.
- Gameplay is minimal, simple, and occasionally clunky or unintuitive, making it feel more like an interactive story than a typical game.
- Historical presentation is simplistic, sometimes one-sided or lacking nuance, potentially leading to confusion without prior knowledge.
- Some players find the storytelling confusing due to non-linear/reverse chronology and heavy symbolism.
- Requires high system resources relative to its short playtime, causing technical issues on some systems.
- Text and narrative accessibility can be challenging, and some wish for more contextual information or exploration.
story
150 mentions Positive Neutral NegativeThe story is a unique, artistic, and emotionally poignant retelling of the 1953 CIA- and MI6-backed coup overthrowing Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, presented through the surreal perspective of his black cat. While brief and minimalist in gameplay, it effectively uses collage-inspired visuals, historical snippets, and haunting music to engage players and encourage further exploration of the historical events, though some find its reverse chronology and abstract presentation confusing. Overall, it shines as a compelling interactive story more than a traditional game, praised for its creative storytelling approach and cultural significance.
“Tells its story in a very interesting way which I haven't seen anywhere else.”
“What a masterfully told visual story!”
“This is a beautifully made game telling an interesting and important story in a very compelling way.”
“The controls feel a bit clunky and the story is slightly confusing, especially if you are unfamiliar with the historical setting it refers to.”
“Story-wise, this is just a very summarised and haphazard timeline of events starting from Mosaddegh's rise to power to his eventual fall from grace.”
“That being said, I feel that going through the story backwards wasn't a very smart choice - it made understanding the story harder, and when your game is all about explaining a certain piece, that's not something you want to do.”
Play Times
Frequently Asked Questions
The Cat and the Coup is a puzzle game with fantasy and historical themes. Common tags for The Cat and the Coup include free to play, indie and educational.
The Cat and the Coup is available on PC, Mac OS, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.
On average players spend around 7 hours playing The Cat and the Coup.
The Cat and the Coup was released on June 15, 2011.
The Cat and the Coup was developed by Peter Brinson and Kurosh ValaNejad.
The Cat and the Coup has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked The Cat and the Coup for its story but disliked it for its replayability.
The Cat and the Coup is a single player game.
Similar games include Year Walk, Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Kentucky Route Zero, Braid, Genesis Noir and others.












