Salam, it’s Rasheed, the developer of Dreams on a Pillow. We have a lot of updates to report on since our first crowdfunding campaign, but first and foremost I am thrilled to announce that we’ve reached a major milestone in the development timeline: we just wrapped up the pre-production phase and we are moving into full production.
That means we have successfully assembled our core team of 12 people across all disciplines and together we’ve established healthy production standards and pipelines. On the gameplay side, our main goals were to lock in the puzzle pipeline, level editor, gameplay mechanics and much more.
One of the more notable milestones we can share with you today is the final art style, and it is genuinely gorgeous - I cannot be more proud of the work of our fantastic art team - an incredibly versatile art style that expresses the beauty and liveliness of pre-1948 Palestine through the eyes of Khadra, our young protagonist - but that can also drive home the terror and horror of the roaming invaders, the massacres, and the devastating dispossession of the Nakba.
As part of our pre-production, we have fully created two story-bearing levels based in Al Tantura, Palestine.
In the one level, in Khadra’s Dreams, a newly married Khadra hopes to surprise her husband with an unexpected breakfast picnic as he works the fields. As they complete their meal, a villager approaches them and whisks the husband away to patrol the nearby fields, as the gathering darkness of the Nakba is starting to build over the peaceful lives of their young family.
In the second level, set near the start of the game, Khadra must escape the burning village of Al Tantura as Zionist invaders have murdered or captured many of the villagers that had refused to leave. She must navigate difficult terrain, damaged structures, and Zionist patrols while clamping on to her eponymous Pillow - a source of soothing and reassurance, but a reminder of a terrible trauma that has torn apart everything she loved and lived for minutes before the scene starts. As she makes it to the Eastern edge of her former home town, she witnesses the historical massacre of South Tantura, and escapes in the direction of the nearby town of Al Fureides.
Our LaunchGood campaign has kicked off, and we'd appreciate your love and support once again to allow the team to continue development into full production. You can support us here.