Set to release with Linux support in March, Closed Hands from developer Passenger Games led by Dan Hett, is an experimental and political video game that explores the complex effects of extremism on a range of cultures and communities.
Closed Hands examines the lead-up to and aftermath of a terror attack in a fictional UK city, through the lens of five core characters and dozens of other lives brought together by the same event. The attack itself is intentionally never depicted, leaving the game to draw a complex picture of the reasons why it occurred, and the long-lasting effects it had on people, communities, and the city itself.
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The gameplay is a free-form fragmented narrative, allowing the player to weave their own paths through the story: both forward and backward in time. It's inspired by very real events too, with development lead Dan Hett of Passenger Games exploring their own personal experience of losing their brother Martyn Hett in the UK Manchester terror attack in 2017.
According to the press release, "all groups represented in the game have been developed in close consultation with cultural, professional and community groups. This includes journalists, emergency workers, and both the Muslim and wider minority ethnic communities".
The game was made with support from the Arts Council England, with digital partners HOME MCR.
It releases on March 5 and it looks like it will be free.
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