The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered
Game
Game2023
The Pale Beyond
Developer Saltstone Studios
The Pale Beyond is a survival role-playing video game developed by Saltstone Studios and published by Fellow Traveller. It was released for Microsoft Windows and macOS on 24 February 2023. The game follows an Antarctic expedition that gets trapped in the ice as the player must manage the crew successfully to survive. Saltstone Studios, a small development company based in Belfast, created the game and was inspired… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
306 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
91
LovedLoved
209 positive · 21 negative
95% range 86–94%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 209 | 21 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 24 | 1 | 42 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 8 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,774 of 1,996 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
90% recommend · 179 yes, 21 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 200 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (2,014 of 2,266 positive).
Players praise the story, writing, and atmosphere. [1][2][3] Some find the resource management shallow or the UI frustrating. [4][5][6] Many recommend it for fans of narrative-driven survival games. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
Good story, good art, good writing. Unfortunately, the gameplay itself can be rather unpleasant. You make some key decissions, but the gameplay is build around you rewinding back to earlier stages and exploring different opportunities. It's basically using save-scumming as a key mechanic, only you can't actually save outside of weekly anchors. So apart from having to memorise all the correct choices in how to kiss …
- [1]
Marvelous writing and story of a visual novel with a strong survival management twist. The Pale Beyond struck me as a breath of fresh wind, it aims for the perfect balance between writing and resources management, and personally I think that it got that part just perfect. There's enough of stuff to keep you busy, enough to keep you entertained, and enough to drop a tear or two, regardless what your goal in all of …
- [2]
I searched for a game inspired by the Franklin Expedition (The Terror TV series) and The Pale Beyond more than delivers. The game perfectly captures the dread, survival, and crushing isolation of being trapped in the ice. Its atmosphere is tense, immersive, and deeply emotional, portraying the desperation of every choice and the weight of leadership in impossible conditions. Highly recommended for anyone who loves …
- [3]
Cold, Cruel, and Surprisingly Heartfelt The Pale Beyond really caught me off guard. It’s a survival story set in the frozen unknown, but what makes it special isn’t just the cold, it’s the people. The game throws you into impossible situations where every choice feels heavy. Sometimes you make decisions you don’t like, but you do it anyway, because you’re trying to keep everyone alive just one more week. What …
- [7]
if the the tv show the terror ever spoke to you, this is the game you need. It truly is a hidden gem of cosy arctic survival that is story rich, requires strategy and can still be played at your own pace. I'm glad I was able to run into this game!
Summarised from 34 of the 271 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
The Pale Beyond sits at 91% positive across 230 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The Pale Beyond has received "generally favourable" reviews according to Metacritic. Rock Paper Shotgun's Rachel Watts compared the game favourably with Frostpunk, describing it as "more human" and noted that the game's loyalty system made you make wrenching choices in specific ways. Watts said that "decisions are hard because you're losing characters you've made connections with" but criticised the game for its save system's lengthy time between saves. Polygon's Alexis Ong felt that the game maintained a "desolate sort of charm, rough edges and all" but lightly critiqued a fourth wall breaking moment towards the end of The Pale Beyond's plot along with its overall narrative cohesion.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 306 · most liked firstHow did we design an art style for a sequel game set in the same universe as The Pale Beyond, but that has a totally different setting and tone? (Thread —>)
neutral · AI labelView post →Oh by the way, the developer of Hearth and Harbour's previous game, The Pale Beyond is 80% off right now if this one's tickling your fancy at all.
neutral · AI labelView post →[NSFW] I played The Pale Beyond recently! Came for Captain Hunt and stayed for the story. You should check the game out if you haven't already! Also, of course, I had to draw the captain. I mean, look at him.
positive · AI labelView post →I think this team's previous game, The Pale Beyond, was super underrated! The journey you go on with the crew in that game was so well written and beautifully drawn, equal parts bitterly cold and heartwarming, so I'm VERY excited to see them follow it up with something this ambitious.
positive · AI labelView post →Good story, good art, good writing. Unfortunately, the gameplay itself can be rather unpleasant. You make some key decissions, but the gameplay is build around you rewinding back to earlier stages and exploring different opportunities. It's basically using save-scumming as a key mechanic, only you can't actually save outside of weekly anchors. So apart from having to memorise all the correct choices in how to kiss everyone's ass, you also have to endure repeating the same static conversations…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don’t know how to explain to AI art advocates that making the thing yourself is what gives it meaning. I was art director on a game called The Pale Beyond. You play as captain of an Antarctic expedition, and try to keep everyone alive and happy enough that they don’t mutiny you. (spoilers 1/8)
neutral · AI labelView post →what if we put three different maps and a mountain between them and the Viscount. what then #thepalebeyond | #peakgame | #art
neutral · AI labelView post →Marvelous writing and story of a visual novel with a strong survival management twist. The Pale Beyond struck me as a breath of fresh wind, it aims for the perfect balance between writing and resources management, and personally I think that it got that part just perfect. There's enough of stuff to keep you busy, enough to keep you entertained, and enough to drop a tear or two, regardless what your goal in all of that is. Honestly, a very solid game that I can wholeheartedly recommend, as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game feels like a visual novel with resource management bolted on. The UI is missing many quality of life features that make playing frustrating such as being able to change your mind about worker allocation before ending the day or being able to easily see how many/which people have negative status effects. There doesn't seem to be an option to save mid-day, so I would have to either finish the whole day or lose my progress. I encountered at least two bugs. After loading a save point,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In my efforts to get more eyes on The Pale Beyond, please take this cheeked up Grimley Stoke. Buy the game, it's on sale right now!!!!
positive · AI labelView post →Now that @saltstonestudios.bsky.social have revealed their new game in The Hearth and Harbour I feel the need to scream about their first game again: The Pale Beyond. Because it has fun resource management, fantastic music, great writing and OHMYGOD the art!! store.steampowered.com/app/1266030/...
positive · AI labelView post →Was the "Narrative Masterpieces" Humble game bundle on your radar? We've got The Pale Beyond, Immortality, Wednesdays, Tavern Talk 2: Dreamwalker, and more! Get cozy and lose yourself in the plot! @saltstonestudios.bsky.social @mrsambarlow.bsky.social @thepixelhunt.bsky.social @humblebundle.com
neutral · AI labelView post →The Pale Beyond is very much on sale at the moment! Check if out, and wishlist the new game too!
neutral · AI labelView post →Ahoy new dudes. Check out a Belfast made game that's coming out TODAY! Lots of 'The Pale Beyond' team did a little work on this, including myself. Shane's a stellar dev, support him! store.steampowered.com/app/2948790/...
neutral · AI labelView post →TL;DR: - It fails as a narrative game, because the narrative collapses into pure numbers and contradicts common sense. - It fails as a survival/simulation, because you never have clear access to all relevant information. - And it fails as UI/UX, because the interface is consistently fighting the player. I am genuinely disappointed in this game. More details (and I’m not even listing everything, just stopping somewhere): 1. The UI is buggy and, frankly, just bad. A few examples: After…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Side Quests is back and this episode's host is podcaster, writer and First Mate, Erik aka @dovetail.bsky.social! The game he is talking about today is The Pale Beyond by @saltstonestudios.bsky.social & @fellowtraveller.games. funandgames.libsyn.com/side-quests-...
neutral · AI labelView post →Some things about the design really annoyed me. For example you can’t back out of the end day screen, so if you’re one item of fuel short because you didn’t know it would require more this week, or forgot to pop someone in the med bay, you literally have to replay that whole week - every conversation and choice. Add a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ back button. By about week 10 I realised I just wasn’t enjoying it anymore. The game also encourages you to replay with a week by week timeline you can load from but…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Pale Beyond is (extremely flatteringly) part of the Narrative Masterpieces Humble Bundle! $185 worth of gorgeous video game stories for $13, and a chunk of change donated to charity for your trouble 💖 ✨ www.humblebundle.com/games/narrat... ✨
neutral · AI labelView post →Played for 5.3 hours. Week 15 I lost all my Decorum, Crew tore itself apart. Played on normal. This is kind of a brutal experience. The Pale Beyond plays kind of like a visual novel with management elements and decisions that result in very meaningful choices. It also seems pretty unforgiving. But I was invested nontheless. I only got 4 of 47 Achievements so there is probably a ton to experience. I have to admit even though I kind of like the Game, it is probably not for me (at the moment).…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🧐 My Opinion 🧐 The Pale Beyond is essentially a “choose your own adventure” story with a relatively light survival-management layer on top. Fortunately, the story and atmosphere are engaging enough that I still enjoyed my time with it, even though the survival part ended up being much less interesting than I initially expected. For most of the game, you assign crew members to different tasks and try to maintain enough food, fuel and other resources to survive the expedition. At first, this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I searched for a game inspired by the Franklin Expedition (The Terror TV series) and The Pale Beyond more than delivers. The game perfectly captures the dread, survival, and crushing isolation of being trapped in the ice. Its atmosphere is tense, immersive, and deeply emotional, portraying the desperation of every choice and the weight of leadership in impossible conditions. Highly recommended for anyone who loves survival narratives with psychological depth.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay, so The Hearth and Harbour! I'm already really liking what I'm seeing. Obviously, amazing art style and just beautiful looking. 10/10. It feels like a more developed version of all the game mechanics of The Pale Beyond. I really dig it. Also, very cute men 🥰. I *should* draw one of them.
positive · AI labelView post →A couple of Kits from The Hearth and Harbor, a videogame currently in development at @saltstonestudios.bsky.social. I highly recommend checking them out, as well as their first game The Pale Beyond. Neat stuff going on over there. #hearthandharbor #digitalart
neutral · AI labelView post →The Pale Beyond I died. I was glad it was over. I tried again. I died again. I was glad it was over. I uninstalled this game. I was even happier. I don't get this game and I don't like this game. It's a narrative tale that's wasting my time with pointless dialog with a survival component that feels both bolted-on and poorly explained. Choice and consequence seem to have almost no correlation. I'm selecting dialog choices at random because they're not interesting at all. Timing and resource…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Pale Beyond is currently 70% off for the Steam Spring Sale!! You can grab our polar-narrative-/-management-game-with-lovable-characters-who-nothing-bad-ever-happens-to… for £5.02 until 20th March!! ❄️ bit.ly/3CY2jA9 ❄️
neutral · AI labelView post →Celebrating TWO years of The Pale Beyond with a Templeton card! Fellow polarheads, if you've wanted to play Antarctic Expedition Simulator: The Game, take this as a sign I will NOT stop yapping about this game it's so so so dear to my heart ♡♡♡ #ThePaleBeyond
positive · AI labelView post →This is a polar exploration game that plays out as a visual novel with resource management elements. The resource management and survival gameplay is challenging without being overwhelming, and the art and music are really nice. I enjoyed most of the characters, and the twist puts an interesting spin on things.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a year it’s been! We rebranded the studio, moved into a new office, started a creative games hub, announced a new game, and even released a physical edition of The Pale Beyond! 🍾
neutral · AI labelView post →Pros: Nice artwork, atmosphere, aesthetic, and relatively interesting story Cons: Extremely rudimentary resource management gameplay that feels tacked on so that the game can pretend it's actually a game. Proper strategy requires knowing about events in the future that you have to play through to know. To an extent the game encourages going back and redoing certain weeks, but that is extremely tedious. Dialogue choices that have a 'correct' answer, which in my mind defeats the purpose of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think pivoting to a social sim/restaurant management RPG that takes place in the same world as a game that's as harsh as The Pale Beyond is genius. And like, I'm sure for No Reason Whatsoever, the idea of operating a third space where all you do is help make peoples' lives better sounds nice rn
positive · AI labelView post →Posting more recent art here, The Pale Beyond is a good game :) #thepalebeyond
positive · AI labelView post →The Pale Beyond is a good game mixing management of resources and visual novel - that's it. You are going to stay for the beautiful visual and the story that for the most part is a retelling of the great discovery of one the poles. There is a bit of fantastic put in the end, but it is part of the mechanic of the game - something that could have been easily dismissed. It has a really sad atmosphere and some moments that I could go without. There are some jokes and even a bit of romance -…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's not a bad game per se: the writing's rather mature and the situation you find yourself in is an interesting one but I can't play more than one 'week' (game turn) per time because of the endless clicking you'll be doing to make the conversation speed up. And then you have to click some more as you do the same routine on the ship every 'turn'. Although it does add some atmosphere, it could have done with a better interface where everything is just reachable from the same screen for those…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay at five hours in I can wholeheartedly recommend The Pale Beyond! If you like the Terror series, Frostpunk games or amazingly drawn characters with developed personalities, give a try to this gem of a game! store.steampowered.com/app/1266030/... #gamedev #PaleBeyond
positive · AI labelView post →Cold, Cruel, and Surprisingly Heartfelt The Pale Beyond really caught me off guard. It’s a survival story set in the frozen unknown, but what makes it special isn’t just the cold, it’s the people. The game throws you into impossible situations where every choice feels heavy. Sometimes you make decisions you don’t like, but you do it anyway, because you’re trying to keep everyone alive just one more week. What surprised me most were the little moments in between, the dark humor, the quiet…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bluesky, share you favorite indie game(s) Outer Wilds The Pale Beyond The Case of the Golden Idol The Wreck Stray Gods Killer Frequency Genesis Noir Before Your Eyes I‘m an interactive fiction lover and proudly so!
neutral · AI labelView post →Common sense will get you nowhere. You'll need to die and restart to hit the perfect choices. Frustrating for a story driven game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →if the the tv show the terror ever spoke to you, this is the game you need. It truly is a hidden gem of cosy arctic survival that is story rich, requires strategy and can still be played at your own pace. I'm glad I was able to run into this game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A really gorgeous visual novel with some management elements. The art is stunning, the characters are engaging, and there are some moments through the whole experience that really get you right where it hurts (in a good way). I didn't find it "hard", exactly, which is fine by me. I did frustratingly miss out on one single person's approval right at the end, but I didn't plan on getting all the achievements anyways since I'm not a huge fan of replaying to get "bad" endings/results just to get…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finally, a resource management game with great story, choices that actually matter and have an impact on it, and on your psyche when your favourite sailor dies.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10/10 emotional damage... wish there was an option to bring the dogs back home
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Playing The Pale Beyond feels like reading a really good sailor’s novel. There’s a comforting rhythm to the daily routine when holding hearings with the crew, assigning duties, and talking with them about their lives after work. But at the same time, there’s real tension as you’re constantly forced to adapt to the ever-changing ice. The resource management strikes a nice balance. It’s complex enough to keep you engaged and worried about the crew each week, but not so complicated that you’re…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bit of an odd game. Begins as a relationship manager, then moves into resource survival, and concludes as a playable novel. The story gets some points for going in an interesting direction, but ultimately this does too many different things without doing any of them particularly well.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's a narrative game bundle on Steam right now on sale for 14 bucks that includes Citizen Sleeper Sable A Space for the Unbound Norco Beacon Pines The Pale Beyond Unbelievable value. If you haven't played these games, pick this up.
neutral · AI labelView post →Guys, really. Play The Pale Beyond This game... I wish I could forget it so I could experience it again.
positive · AI labelView post →I'm gonna get to work on the next iteration of the strip game soon I took yesterday off to play The Pale Beyond, which was a pretty interesting survival management game But I'll work on Denri's next pose today!
neutral · AI labelView post →An absolute delight! Downloaded this on a whim and played it all in one day! The mechanics are quick to learn and not as punishing as I expected - I did have to restart the day a few times but the saving "tree" makes it easy to go back to previous days (and there is a harder mode too!). Don't go into this game expecting tough a resource management sim, but also don't expect it to just be a visual novel - it's a good blend of both. By the end of the game, I found myself really caring about the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The UI is so janky. I have no idea how this game was published in its current state.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →THERE'S SO MUCH I WANT ON THE STEAM SALE AAAH! The Pale Beyond,Disco Elysium, Detroit Become Human,Haven,Hell Let Loose,Outer Worlds,lunar silverstar story,Grandia 2,Ghost of tsushima, battlefield 6,the kingdom hearts games, the new digimon game, the new rune factory JUST UUUUUUUGH SO MUCH I WANT
neutral · AI labelView post →PROS + unique story + unique gameplay + good visuals and sound CONS - mandatory killing of dogs, how could you ... - the mouse cursor tends to get lost when everything around is white and zooming in/out is very slow (both in camp and in loading screen) NEUTRAL ° save branching is only unlocked after finishing the game, untill then it is one save
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Following up the announce of The Hearth and Harbour last month, you'll shortly be able to pre-order a physical release of the team's first game, the Pale Beyond.
neutral · AI labelView post →2. I will never get over how beautiful The Pale Beyond is. I came for the art style and stayed for the fun management gameplay and fantastic characters. Absolutely love this game and I hope every VN lover will try it! store.steampowered.com/app/1266030/...
positive · AI labelView post →Finished The Pale Beyond via Steam Deck in about 8 hours. What a fun story, not sure what this gameplay style is called but I love it and the resource management and story driven nature. Great cozy game, and really impactful crew mates
positive · AI labelView post →This is for me, the much craved follow up for "the return of the Obra Dinn". To be a captain to a crew in such difficult times, this is the peak psychology simulation. Glad this game exists.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The survival management and narrative complement each other well, making every difficult decision feel meaningful. The writing is engaging, even if the pacing slows during some stretches and resource management becomes a bit predictable. It's a worthwhile story-driven experience if you enjoy making tough choices under pressure.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is fun, and the first five weeks were great. But after that, it just keeps getting harder and harder. I'm sure a lot of people enjoy that kind of challenge, but for me it becomes too much of a hassle. It starts to take the fun out of playing and turns it into a chore that constantly needs patching up and maintaining.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HIkruqdbcAAWIZw?format=png&name=small] Image Review I really enjoyed my time with this game, especially considering I got it for free after giving a survey. GAMEPLAY At times, the gameplay can appear rather shallow. Despite this, I believe the player is given just enough x-factor throughout each 'week' making the repetitiveness of it feel unique and critically, consequential. Much like Frostpunk, every action you take directly impacts everything else. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun setting and characters, decent game overall. Not worth the asking price but great when on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're one of those people who really, really gets into Franklin expedition lore and/or THE TERROR, you will probably like this game; it's a survival management sim, but not a particularly difficult one, and focused on a pretty decent storyline.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The closest I found was Inua: A Story In Ice And Time. No Captain Crozier, but Graham Gore for a minute OR! In the same vein, The Pale Beyond, a fictional story about a ship beset. store.steampowered.com/app/1479890/...
neutral · AI labelView post →
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