Forbidden Realm is a role-playing combat game, which serves as a metaphor for the everyday lives and lived experiences of Afghan women living under Taliban’s tyranny. Based in a desolate world inhabited by lifeless stone figures, the game follows a hooded female warrior, in her struggle against resistance mirroring some contemporary collective battles for liberty and human rights. The figures-speechless, motionless, faceless, nameless-are uncanny metaphors for women’s forced banishment from public domain, their muted voices, their lost identity. Utilizing a narrative-driven interactive format. Forbidden Realm turns political and societal trauma into a highly personal experience in an effort to provoke empathy, kindle rage, and compass thoughtful reflection on themes of freedom, bodily autonomy, and systemic gender oppression.



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