Warning: This article makes reference to off-screen sexual assault that some readers may find upsetting.
“Women are born with pain built in,” the famous quote by Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag recounts.
Primarily focusing on the pain that women must endure - periods, childbirth, menopause - it also relates to the pain that women experience at the hands of men and in Biophobia, this raw truth is played out, begging us not to look away.
Developed and published by Charlotte Madelon, Biophobia is a single-player game that takes just minutes to complete and yet will stay with you for a whole lot longer.
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“A woman is violated by a man. In a final act of rebellion to preserve her humanity, she takes control and opens her stomach. Unable to finish what she started, she waits for you, and asks you not to look away.”
The entire story of Biophobia takes place in one spot, under the swaying leaves of a weeping willow tree. The ambient music is interrupted only by the gentle breeze as you are faced with what lies before you; what remains of a woman and her final stand.
Resting against the tree’s trunk, one hand limp beside her and the other resting against her stomach, we must implement both dissection and gardening methods in order to explore themes of trauma, death, and agency.
The woman is surrounded by five white flowers, each representing an element of decay as we see her naked body slowly return to nature. At one point, she is as still as a statue; marbled and decorated with tiny white flowers, but by the end, her body has been absorbed by the tree that stands sentry above and the roots that so mimic the arteries and veins we must strip away.
Gameplay is simple, consisting of the ability to either use our hands or a scalpel in order to peel back the layers of the woman who rests before us. It is not gory and there is no blood and yet, you still feel the discomfort, but Biophobia urges you to sit with this and not look away; much like the woman had to do in life.
Throughout history, women have not been afforded agency both in life and even in death and it is clear that the game’s developer was inspired by the pain passed through generations of women, across eras and geography, no matter of race, religion, or beliefs.
This is a sight we have seen many times before; Ophelia from Hamlet, the Anatomical Venus by Clemente Susini, and Keeping Up the Pureness by Fuyuko Matsui. Women have always been violated and their stories buried, yet returned to the comfort of nature where they will finally be safe.
However, through Biophobia, we are able to remember this woman, and the millions of women who have come before her.
As such, we have the option to plant flowers around her final resting place and with the arrival of spring, she will live on.
Biophobia is an unflinching reminder of trauma, death, and lack of agency in a world where women’s pain is so often overlooked. Thanks to simple mechanics, concise gameplay, and a haunting yet beautiful setting, Biophobia forces you to confront the horrors head on, with no escape.
If you have a few minutes to spare and want to experience a short game which will stay with you long after the breeze has lifted and the flowers have bloomed, I cannot recommend Biophobia enough.
Biophobia is free to download on Steam right now.
Topics: Steam, PC, Free Games, Features