
You didn’t ask to lead this expedition, but here you are. Stuck in the ice, Captain missing, miles from civilisation. Someone has to take charge. Manage your meagre resources, balance safety and morale, make the hard calls, and head in the only direction you can - through The Pale Beyond.
Modeled estimate, not a reported figure. How we estimate →
Media

About


Five years ago, The Viscount and its crew set sail through The Pale Passage in search of absolute magnetic South. The ship and its crew were tragically lost to the ice, never to be seen again. Her sister ship, The Temperance shall follow in her path, hoping to find answers where The Viscount failed.

A polar exploration game set in an unforgiving frozen wasteland where you embark on a treacherous voyage across the ice and through the Pale Beyond. It’s a stunning yet harsh landscape that can change at any moment.
Every decision matters and the ice doesn’t care.
As the expedition unfolds and the Polar Winter approaches, every decision you make will have a meaningful impact on the story as you navigate your way across the ice.

You didn’t ask to lead this expedition, but here you are. Stuck in the ice, Captain missing, miles from civilisation. Someone has to take charge.
Manage your meagre resources, balance safety and morale, make the hard calls, and head in the only direction you can - through The Pale Beyond.
Keeping the crew (and sled dogs) safe, fed, and warm during the expedition is imperative. Surviving the ice will matter little in the face of a mutiny. Every vote will count. So keep the crew on your side.

Featuring original musical compositions, shanties and accordion tunes that will dynamically evolve alongside your journey.

Saltstone Studios is located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Their first game was The Pale Beyond, a story-driven survival management game.
The team is interested in exploring novel systems-based narrative games that combine the kind of deep choice and consequence narratives you find in interactive fiction, with extensive systems more common from other genres - all designed to bring in-depth worlds and characters to life.
Each title draws direct influences from the complex history of Ireland and Britain, with extensive literary and historical research. Every pixel, sentence, and musical note, is hand crafted in house with care and attention.
Genres
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English
Engagement
Hours played at review time, across 45 reviews with recorded playtime.
Reviews
Themes across 45 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
Reviews
This game is insane, i have never before played a game that has made me experience such emotion. 10/10 will replay.
I admit I was frustrated with some of the choices, but all in all, I loved this game.
One of the best narrative survival game I've played. If Frostpunk, Disco Elysium and the tv show Terror have a child this would be it. Couldn't recommended enough for this game. 10/10
Steam refuses to honor my $4 refund request because it's been 15 days instead of 14.
Masterpiece. I can't explain how much this game has done to me and how empty i feel after finishing it. i completely 100% advise you to play it. if you really love Disco Elysium, play this masterpiece and you will thank me for it.
我真的很少很少给一个游戏差评,但这次我不得不打,对于我个人而言剧情3分左右,从头到尾让我哭笑不得满脸疑惑。是的,特别好评的评价让我以为这会是场类似于富兰克林北极探险队或南乔治亚岛探险求生的故事,结果在我褒姒5个周目后我悟了,这是一款究极儿戏如同婴幼儿读物一般幼稚理想化白左无脑人性之光的童话故事。 我是船队的大副但我得帮一个厨子端饼干,我被工程师甩了一脸只因我提醒他不要分心做好自己的本职工作,我处死了偷窃补给的养狗人反过来工程师还骂我“我的天啊肖恩,你为什么要杀死那个女人”what?你把我从睡梦中唤醒,面前一位在残酷生存环境下偷走步枪和20补给的蠢贼就算有再大的理由我能给她最宽恕的处置就是一枪崩了她,工程师因包庇偷盗犯和威胁舰长也得让我一枪崩了,如果不是剧情使然一直拉手风琴支持叛变舰长的红发小子也得挨我一枪。说实话这些乌合之众完全没有任何表现出的生存经验,也不遵守任何秩序,以至于我从没想过他们应该活下来。但是强大的剧情走向让他们活了下来。 直到记者为了台相机(或其中的证据但我不觉得在生存和目标面前有什么重要的)差点摔死,我命令她上来时,她说他不是我的船员我没有资格命令她时我释怀了,当其他船员看似勇敢实则送命的上前营救时我理解了。这不是个探险故事也不需要带入任何基于历史现实逻辑的选择,只需无脑选择自由和人性光辉,不用考虑这些船员在做出这些决定后的生死的童话故事。剧情就是这样,我不是什么大副,我只是一位船工奴仆。这也不是伟大航路开辟的探险,这就是一帮去魔法界探险的魔法师搞得一场真人秀罢了。 PS: 我还要特别声明一点,我不是那种一定要在游戏里找所谓真实的玩家,但我真心不理解一只母狗怀孕了养狗人是拿走步枪和20补给是出于什么心态赋予它一丝一毫的合理性,我找不到任何理由不处死她,更找不到任何理由不收集他们俩人和那只狗的肉作为补给,更无法理解我到底出于什么原因能以任何身份冒着全员叛变的风险容忍以为水手长当着船长的面唱侮辱船长的歌而船长还要去和他和解,以至于游戏全程我都没办法做出选择只能一遍遍的试错,尝试理解作者:可能完全不知道极地探险的处境和风险以及那些关于传奇探险队死里逃生的历史。 所以,我可能不改抱着玩到一部优秀剧情游戏的心态买这部作品,如果能忽略掉这种令人哭笑不得的梦话剧情的话游戏本身的制作完成度美术之类的完全挑不出任何毛病
Thank you for this wonderful journey!
遇到了水手栏头像不显示你的bug,拖动他们干了一次活之后头像就再也不出现了,科学家、工程师反而一切正常,导致从第四周开始就没有足够的人干活,打了汉化mod,不清楚漏了教程还是啥,反正无法正常进行游戏。
Can be difficult with all of the mechanics and management system in mind, but is a very creative and amazing experience. Music fits the different areas of the story you are at. Slim margin for a number of choices but is engaging and requires thought. 9/10 would recommend
An amazing mix between survival resource management and visual novel, very fun gameplay-wise and highly engaging story and characters
Related
Related
Trends
Modeled estimate over time, reconstructed from Steam's monthly review histogram.
Audience
Estimated from the language of this game's reviews — a proxy for where players are, not official Steam demographics.
Related
| Ninja Stealth | $232.8K | 1.9K | 70% | $4.99 |
| Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals | $232.7K | 2.9K | 79% | $1.74 |
| They Killed Your Cat | $232.7K | 864 | 76% | $6.99 |
| Just Xiangqi | $232.7K | 717 | 85% | $9.99 |
| FORM | $232.9K | 981 | 91% | $14.99 |
| Starblast | $232.9K | 1.1K | 81% | $9.99 |
Related
| Ukraine War Stories | $0 | 1.1K | 88% | Free |
| A Perfect Day | $1.3M | 1.7K | 85% | $19.99 |
| Out There: Ω Edition | $717.1K | 1.7K | 76% | $14.99 |
| Rue Valley | $561.1K | 2.1K | 71% | $14.99 |
| Dead In Vinland | $103K | 1.8K | 77% | $1.99 |
| The Horrorscope | $75.1K | 1.1K | 94% | $1.99 |