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Polar Night
Ten messages per pass. The sun won't rise.
Polar night in Antarctica. After a fire, glaciologist Ada is alone at the station, writing over a satellite link to you on the Polar Desk night shift. A real-time thriller where every satellite pass allows only a few messages.
- Genre
- Thriller, mystery
- Length
- About a day in real time (three nights); about half an hour in fast mode
- Languages
- English, Turkish
- Mechanics
- Message allowance, Real-time waits, What to believe, Timed decisions, Code
- Endings
- 4
The story
It’s June, the middle of the Antarctic winter. The sun won’t rise for another two months. Three days ago a fire broke out at Martı Station; the injured were flown out, and glaciologist Ada Yalın stayed behind alone with three years’ worth of ice cores.
The main antenna burned. All she has is a small satellite messenger, and you’re on the night shift at the Polar Desk in Istanbul. Her head aches, she can’t sleep, and at midnight someone knocks on the station door. Or no one does. What to believe is up to you.
How it plays
Ada texts you, and at every decision you pick a reply, or choose not to reply at all. The satellite is only overhead for a short while on each pass, and Ada’s device can only take a few messages per pass. When a pass ends, you really do wait for the next one. You can also call other stations from the desk phone; those calls don’t use up Ada’s messages.
Decisions and endings
Some decisions are remembered and shape the ending; the game won’t tell you which. If you reach an early ending, you can rewind to the last decision point and try another way. As the one on duty at the Polar Desk, you get an ending too.
Frequently asked questions
- How long is Polar Night?
- The story runs in real time and spreads over about a day and three nights, mostly in waits while the satellite is below the horizon or Ada is asleep. Once you've finished it, fast mode unlocks and the game takes about half an hour.
- What is the message allowance?
- Ada's device can only receive a few messages on each satellite pass. Long messages count as two, and not replying costs nothing. If you run out, Ada makes her own decisions for the rest of that pass.
- How many endings are there?
- Four main endings and three early ones. Each ending reveals cards telling you what became of the side stories.
- Who is it for?
- It's written for ages 13 and up. There's cold, loneliness, loss and danger, but no gore or graphic violence.
Last updated: 25 October 2026