Dreams on a Pillow Offers a First Look at Gameplay and a Poetic Take on History
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Independent developer Rasheed Abueideh has shared the first gameplay footage of Dreams on a Pillow, a narrative-driven pseudo-stealth game exploring the 1948 Nakba through the lens of trauma, memory, and a traditional Palestinian folktale.
Video games often use fantasy realms to explore trauma, but developer Rasheed Abueideh is grounding his upcoming project in historical reality. First announced in late 2024, the pseudo-stealth adventure game Dreams on a Pillow has just received its first gameplay trailer alongside a fresh crowdfunding push via LaunchGood. Set during the 1948 Nakba, the game serves as an emotional response to ongoing conflicts in Gaza and follows the story of a young woman named Khadra, drawing inspiration from a traditional Palestinian folktale about a mother who flees her destroyed village with a pillow instead of her newborn child.
The new footage highlights how narrative and mechanics intertwine in this harrowing journey. In the game, Khadra must carry that pillow with her constantly, as leaving it behind plunges the world into a stark, nightmarish visual representation of her trauma. The experience moves fluidly between the vibrant, peaceful days of pre-Nakba Palestine, the harsh realities of displacement, and the haunting nightmares that follow. According to recent updates from the development team, full production is officially underway with a core team now established, targeting a release window in 2027.
Projects like this highlight how indie developers continue to use the medium to tell complex human stories that traditional entertainment often overlooks. For players who look to games for narrative depth and cultural perspective, this title is shaping up to be an unforgettable release. You can follow the development progress and support the campaign over at Rock Paper Shotgun, and add the game to your wishlist on Steam while we wait for more updates ahead of its planned 2027 launch.
Original reporting by Oisin Kuhnke at Rock Paper Shotgun.
Tags: Indie Games, Dreams on a Pillow, PC Gaming, Narrative Games, Crowdfunding
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun