In late 2024, Palestinian developer Rasheed Abueideh announced Dreams on a Pillow, a “pseudo-stealth adventure game.” It’s set during the Nakba, the 1948 ethnic cleansing that saw Israel violently displace Palestinians and dispossess their land and homes, serving as Abueideh’s emotional response to the attacks on Gaza that began in 2023. And now, as a second round of funding continues, a first look at gameplay has been offered.
Dreams on a Pillow is inspired by a Palestinian folk tale about a young woman called Khadra. Panicked following the massacre in her village, she tries to flee her home with her newborn, only to realize that she has mistakenly grabbed a pillow instead. Mechanically, as the new trailer shows, this pillow is something she has to carry with her everywhere. Without it, the world becomes nightmarish, clearly visually representing the traumatic events she experiences, but she also seems forced to do so in order to escape. The game will not only depict the Nakba itself, but also the steps leading up to it. In the early morning, contemporary Palestine is deliberately depicted as lush, colorful and beautiful, showing what an average day in the life would have been like.
On the new crowdfunding page, Abueideh also provided an update on development progress, explaining that full production has now begun. “This means that we have successfully brought together our core team across all disciplines and together we have established healthy standards and production pipelines.”
He continues: “As mentioned, we also worked hard to create and polish the game’s gameplay loop. The Dreams on a Pillow gameplay loop reflects Khadra’s dangerous journey through her flight from Palestine to the hope of safety in southern Lebanon – oscillating between the brutalities of reality, trauma-induced nightmares, and her memories of her childhood in the Palestinian fishing village of Al Tantura in her dreams.”
Dreams on a Pillow currently doesn’t have a release date outside of the 2027 window, but you can support its development at LaunchGood. You can also add it to your wishlist on Steam.
