Inspired by emotionally heavy experiences like This War of Mine, Inside, and The Last of Us, Fatherhood is a narrative-focused adventure that shifts the lens of war away from soldiers and firefights and onto the civilians left to endure the fallout. The game follows a father navigating a ruined city while protecting his blind daughter, emphasizing emotional survival just as much as physical safety.
Rather than glorifying conflict, Fatherhood explores the quiet, devastating moments between explosions—the fear, the denial, and the impossible choices parents are forced to make when normal life collapses overnight.
A Story Rooted in Real-Life Tragedy
The emotional core of Fatherhood is inspired by a widely shared video from the Syrian conflict, showing a father teaching his young daughter to laugh every time a bomb falls nearby. The goal wasn’t denial—it was protection. By reframing the sound of explosions as something harmless, he shielded her from terror in a situation no child should ever experience.
That moment became the foundation of Fatherhood’s narrative and design philosophy.
According to Persis Play Studio CEO Mahdi Sadri, the game is built around a painful contradiction: in war, keeping a child safe sometimes means reshaping the reality they perceive, because the truth is simply too overwhelming. This idea influences not just the story, but every major gameplay system players interact with.
Gameplay Built Around Protection and Choice
In Fatherhood, players take on the role of a parent guiding a blind child through constant danger. Threats like gunfire, collapsing buildings, and hostile checkpoints aren’t just obstacles—they’re moments that must be filtered and softened before they reach the daughter. Every action you take affects not only survival, but how she understands the world around her.
Player choices carry emotional weight, often forcing difficult decisions between honesty, comfort, sacrifice, and survival. These moments directly shape the daughter’s emotional state and long-term resilience.
Key Features at a Glance
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A deeply emotional father-and-daughter gameplay dynamic focused on trust and protection
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Hand-holding companion mechanics where movement and safety depend entirely on the player
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A unique hugging mechanic used to calm fear and prevent emotional breakdowns
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Choice-driven scenarios that reshape the child’s perception of reality
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Atmospheric 2.5D environments inspired by real-world war-torn cities
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A grounded narrative reflecting the lived experiences of families caught in conflict
Demo Launching With Kickstarter Campaign
A public demo of Fatherhood is set to launch alongside its upcoming Kickstarter campaign. The project’s pre-launch page is already live, with the developers encouraging players and creators to follow and share the campaign to help bring the game to life.
Fatherhood isn’t about winning a war—it’s about surviving it, emotionally and morally, through the eyes of someone trying to protect the one thing that matters most.