The Pale Beyond
- October 6, 2023
- Bellular Studios
- 12h median play time
The Pale Beyond is a masterclass in tone and atmosphere informing gameplay. As Captain Robin Shaw, you’ll need to make tough decisions constantly, but this stressful journey is well worth seeing through to the end.
Get on Steam"The Pale Beyond" is a narrative-driven horror adventure game where players uncover the mysteries of a ghost ship, the HMS Eidolon, and its crew. Through environmental storytelling, puzzles, and interactions with supernatural entities, players must navigate the ship's dark past and their own sanity. The game features a unique art style that enhances the eerie atmosphere and adds to the tension as players delve deeper into the secrets of the cursed vessel.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging and emotional story that keeps players invested in the characters and their fates.
- Beautiful artwork and music that enhance the atmosphere of the game.
- Choices matter significantly, leading to different outcomes and replayability.
- Numerous bugs and UI issues that can disrupt gameplay and immersion.
- The save system only allows saving at the start of each week, which can be frustrating.
- Some choices feel predictable and lack depth, making the narrative less impactful.
- story1,773 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of "The Pale Beyond" is widely praised for its engaging narrative, rich character development, and emotional depth, often drawing comparisons to classic survival tales like Shackleton's expedition. Players appreciate the meaningful choices that impact the storyline, although some express frustration with pacing issues and certain plot points that feel forced or underdeveloped. Overall, the game is recommended for those who enjoy immersive storytelling combined with resource management mechanics, despite some technical bugs and a few narrative inconsistencies.
“The story is strong.”
“A stunning story with vibrant characters and lovely gameplay; this is a piece of art and a display of skill and creative storytelling I rarely see in a game nowadays.”
“The story is engaging and the characters are well-written and fit the setting very well.”
“The problem is that the story arc is very clumsily put together in an attempt to force you down the intended path.”
“That story beat felt like it was primarily for shock value, and it really tainted the entire experience.”
“The moment you progress into the ending, your gritty story of hardship and survival becomes a fairy tale riddled with plot holes, and dialogue cohesion falling apart and erratic behavior of some characters makes it even worse.”
- gameplay696 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Pale Beyond" is characterized by a blend of resource management and narrative-driven decision-making, often described as simple yet engaging. While some players appreciate the emotional weight of choices and the compelling story, others criticize the mechanics for being shallow, poorly explained, or disconnected from the narrative. Overall, the game offers a unique experience that may appeal more to fans of interactive fiction than traditional survival gameplay, though it suffers from some technical issues and a lack of depth in its mechanics.
“The gameplay is challenging enough without being punishing, and gives you a sense of the struggle of surviving on the ice.”
“The gameplay loop is surprisingly compelling--it's just a shame that it all goes out the window in the last act in favour of progressing the story to a conclusion.”
“The gameplay is easy enough and not too difficult; however, it is the choices that you'll make that will be nerve-wracking in some cases.”
“The game is a glorified visual novel with little to no gameplay.”
“I don't even know if I can call it a game; there's almost no gameplay.”
“However, the journey itself is marred by uninspired gameplay mechanics that fall short of capturing the full potential of the experience.”
- music416 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in "The Pale Beyond" has been widely praised for its ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its haunting and immersive qualities that perfectly complement the narrative and visuals. Players appreciate the original compositions, including memorable songs that evoke strong emotions and contribute to the overall experience. While some mention occasional repetitiveness, the soundtrack is generally regarded as a standout feature that significantly enriches the gameplay.
“The music perfectly matches the ambience of the game and creates an atmospheric experience.”
“The music is phenomenal and sets the mood impeccably.”
“The art and music are exceptional and really add to the atmosphere of the game.”
“Occasionally, controls and music (loop) felt a bit awkward.”
“I would have appreciated a bit more differentiation on the soundtrack.”
“My only negative is that I didn't get to hear a new song by Grimley once I fought all game to get his loyalty!”
- graphics373 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "The Pale Beyond" are widely praised for their beautiful, hand-drawn art style that effectively captures the game's atmospheric setting and enhances the storytelling experience. While the visuals are often described as stunning and immersive, some players noted minor graphical glitches and a lack of animations that could detract from the overall experience. Overall, the combination of compelling artwork, engaging character designs, and a haunting soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's emotional depth and appeal.
“Beautiful, hand-drawn graphics do a wonderful job of capturing the harsh environment you're set to survive, whilst expressing the individual members of the crew really well.”
“The visuals are often stunning, and the music and sound design work incredibly well.”
“The artwork is stunningly beautiful and well done, but also imprints upon you the dire circumstances you find yourself in.”
“It really threw the experience for me sadly as I had dialogue options running with no graphics and scenes playing.”
“That said, when I played through it, it had some annoying bugs, mostly in a couple of choices not being reflected in the graphics while being reflected in the gameplay or the other way around.”
“The graphics are nothing to write home about, but are decent at immersing oneself in a heavy story-driven game.”
- atmosphere186 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "The Pale Beyond" is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, effectively capturing the bleakness and struggle of survival in a frozen wasteland. The combination of stunning visuals, evocative music, and strong storytelling creates a deeply engaging experience that resonates with players, drawing them into the game's emotional depth and tension. While some note the repetitive nature of certain elements, the overall consensus highlights the game's exceptional ability to evoke a sense of unease and beauty, making it a standout in atmospheric storytelling.
“The pale beyond excels in delivering an eerie and atmospheric gaming experience, focusing on the unforgiving nature of the arctic environment and the harsh realities of survival.”
“The atmosphere, music, and art style blend together with the storytelling to create impactful events with characters.”
“The atmosphere of this game is amazing; the story and situations seem real and compelling, and the art and music only emphasize the story and situation.”
“While the artwork and music beautifully evoke the desolate beauty and haunting atmosphere of the Antarctic, their repetitive nature can become noticeable over time.”
“I however do think that the game is trying to appear a bit better, or *smarter* than it is, especially with some of its themes in some of the endings, and would actually be better overall if it stayed true to its original atmosphere and presentation.”
“Just don't expect anything like This War of Mine, Frostpunk, or Pathologic 2 in terms of atmosphere.”
- emotional151 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its deep emotional engagement, with players frequently expressing that it made them cry and feel a strong connection to the characters. The integration of resource management with a compelling narrative enhances the emotional weight of the story, leading to moments of heartbreak and triumph. However, some critiques mention instances of forced emotional manipulation, particularly regarding certain plot points that felt overly dramatic or cheap.
“A brilliant game, grounded and emotional with an incredibly likeable crew joining you into the pale beyond.”
“The story is so rich, the characters are deep, the writing is powerful, and I cried on multiple occasions throughout, especially during the later chapters.”
“I found myself getting emotionally invested in their stories and wanting to keep them all alive.”
- replayability118 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its potential due to multiple choices and endings, while others find it limited due to tedious dialogue repetition and a straightforward narrative. Many agree that while there are opportunities for different outcomes, the overall experience may not warrant multiple playthroughs for everyone, especially after achieving a satisfying ending. Overall, it offers decent replay value, particularly for those interested in exploring all possible scenarios, but may be best enjoyed during sales or for completionists.
“Overall, a great bite-size game with plenty of replayability that I'll definitely come back to plenty!”
“Really fun game with a lot of very consequential decision making, great characters, and lots of replayability with checkpoints so you can replay at certain points without having to redo the whole game if you don't want to.”
“Depending on if you want to see all the possible outcomes then there is a lot of replayability here, but even if you only play once then expect about 7-11 hours worth of quality content which is well worth the asking price.”
“Since it's a story-driven game, I'd say replayability is limited once you played it to the end.”
“The main downside is that there's little replayability because it is tedious to repeat the dialogues in subsequent runs, even if the game encourages you to turn back the clock to improve on your mistakes, but this is inherent with most narrative adventures.”
“I cannot recommend a game that claims replayability with very little differing content.”
- stability81 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
The game is generally considered playable but suffers from numerous bugs, particularly in the user interface, which can lead to frustrating experiences such as soft locks and unresponsive menu controls. While some players report minor graphical glitches that do not significantly impact gameplay, others have encountered more severe issues that may require reloading saves. Overall, the game is charming and entertaining, but potential buyers are advised to wait for patches to improve stability.
“The game 100% works, runs great, is simple to grasp in concept and design. Solid production.”
“Runs great on deck.”
“I have absolutely 0 doubt that the developers will focus on their game until it's bug-free.”
“The game is quite buggy and prone to crashing.”
“Currently the game is very buggy, with much of it having to be replayed if you run into issues like UI buttons not working and some duplication of story decisions.”
“Game is incredibly buggy, UI breaks all the time, often forcing the player into decisions before being able to fully understand them.”
- grinding48 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, primarily due to a cumbersome save system that forces them to replay lengthy sections and dialogues after failures. The lack of options to skip cutscenes and the repetitive nature of interactions contribute to a sense of frustration, diminishing replayability and making the experience feel like busywork rather than engaging gameplay. While some elements, like resource management, are seen as interesting, the overall execution leads to a grinding experience that many players find unenjoyable.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The main downside is that there's little replayability because it is tedious to repeat the dialogues in subsequent runs even if the game encourages you to turn back the clock to improve on your mistakes, but this is inherent with most narrative adventures.”
“The game is hard and when you fail you have to reload back in time and go through the same dialogues and events until you get it right, which can get tedious.”
“Unlike a game similar to this that I love, Frostpunk, there aren't options to skip certain cutscenes, such as the ship sinking, so it's incredibly tedious to have to go through it over and over if you die on week 8.”
- character development32 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is widely praised for its depth and emotional impact, with many players noting that characters feel real and flawed, shaped significantly by player decisions. While the integration of resource management and storytelling enhances the experience, some reviewers express a desire for more complex interactions and side stories to further enrich character arcs. Overall, the game is recommended for those who appreciate strong character-driven narratives in a survival context.
“Such an engrossing story filled with rich character development and really tough calls to have to make, all whilst having to manage 2 vital resources being food and heat.”
“Many of the characters are highly memorable, and their fates and character development are shaped by your actions.”
“The writing and character development is great; most of the characters seem real and flawed.”
“I do like the character designs and the concept of the story, but there isn't really much going on with all the characters.”
“Needed much more complex character development, interaction, more 'side stories', more enjoyable mechanics, or at the least, varied mechanics.”
“Otherwise the art, story, and character development are well done.”
- humor30 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its clever blend of humor, bittersweet moments, and emotional depth, with many players finding the dialogue particularly hilarious. The writing effectively balances comedic elements with darker themes, creating a narrative that elicits both laughter and tears. Overall, the humor is well-executed, contributing to a memorable and engaging experience.
“All in all, I enjoyed the game and found quite a bit of the dialogue to be hilarious.”
“There's something incredibly funny about 'one of us must die before this situation is settled, I propose a duel' and then simply not shooting.”
“The writers know when to vary the mood (there are some genuinely funny bits among all the grim foreboding tension) without there ever being a jarring change in tone, and this game has the two most important things: a setting you can believe in, and characters you can care about.”
- optimization26 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing performance issues such as crashing and softlocking, particularly on certain platforms like the M2 Mac and Steam Deck. While the game runs smoothly for many and is well-optimized for controller and mouse input, navigation and screen fit could benefit from improvements, especially for ultrawide displays. Overall, players who prioritize gameplay optimization may find certain mechanics and interface elements frustrating.
“Navigation can be optimized (zooming, panning, or moving from one objective to another).”
“There's a few issues with screen fit if you play on the Steam Deck, but you can tell the game was well optimized for both controller and mouse gaming.”
“Game takes about 10 hours to complete, more if you have to go back due to deaths, and there is some replayability in the form of decisions, different endings, and optimization of relations/resources.”
“Its main issue is that it experiences performance issues the more you play, majorly issues with crashing and softlocking.”
“If you're a more gameplay-focused person who cares about optimization, this game may frustrate you with its sometimes obscure mechanics and interface.”
“Not optimized for ultrawide screens, wish I could adjust to push the narrative towards the center.”
Critic Reviews
The Pale Beyond review
The Pale Beyond is bleak and miserable in all the right ways, with a fantastic setting for a survival game.
80%The Pale Beyond PC Review
The Pale Beyond is a fantastic game. From the intense and methodical gameplay, stunning art style, and fantastic characters.
85%The Pale Beyond review — Here’s a health to the company
The Pale Beyond is a masterclass in tone and atmosphere informing gameplay. As Captain Robin Shaw, you’ll need to make tough decisions constantly, but this stressful journey is well worth seeing through to the end.
90%
