Dreams on a Pillow explores a Palestinian folk story of a woman’s guilt & trauma over losing her child during the 1948 Nakba ethnic cleansing.
Set during the events that displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, this game follows Omm, a young woman who also had to flee the invading Zionists. Her husband murdered, she tries to retrieve her baby during her flight, but accidentally leaves her child behind in her rush to escape, grabbing a pillow instead. Unable to return, you will follow her on her journey through this snapshot of Palestinian history, feeling her intense pain as you try to help her survive.
For the gameplay, Omm needs to clutch her pillow in order to hold onto her mind. However, this limits her ability to act in the game world as her hands are in use. This is a huge challenge, as there are many dangerous soldiers and people throughout the places she needs to make her way through. She will need to free up her hands to interact with things to help her in her escape, but that means putting her pillow down so she can climb, throw things, and more. However, this allows her guilt and pain to run rampant, turning her world into an even greater nightmare.
Dreams on a Pillow is not entirely focused on these dark events and the historical horrors of this period, as it will also explore Omm’s memories of her childhood of pre-Zionist Palestine through dreams she has during brief periods of rest. Through its play and story, it aims to help players immerse themselves in this horrifying period for Palestinians (that is honestly still unfolding decades later), creating understanding and empathy as players feel alongside Omm.
Dreams on a Pillow is currently in development, but in the meantime, you can support its creation through its Launchgood Campaign.
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