Creator of ‘Papers, Please’ and ‘Return of the Obra Dinn’ Launches New Game, ‘Mars After Midnight’ – Release Date and Gameplay Trailer Revealed

The latest game designed by American game-maker Lucas Pope, the mind behind Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn, is set to be released in a couple of weeks. However, it will exclusively launch on the portable Playdate console with a monochromatic screen.

Titled Mars After Midnight, this new venture shares resemblances with Papers, Please, albeit devoid of passport control, desktops, and paper mess. Additionally, it transports its events to Mars.

In Mars After Midnight, players will be involved in a Martian settlement, helping its inhabitants with a spectrum of challenges. There are a variety of daily-changing sessions on offer which include:

  • ‘Anger management session for cyclops’
  • ‘Hyenas with knives’
  • ‘Windproof warriors’
  • ‘Assistance with a gas blaster’

The game promises a total of 60 different Martians. The alien designs are procedurally generated from the elements manually created by Pope. To achieve the targets set by the author, the faces must be ‘interesting’.

Just like other Playdate games, Mars After Midnight will feature a stylized monochrome graphic in low resolution, making use of the console’s physical rotating handle.

In the recently conducted Playdate Update #5 presentation by Panic, it was revealed that Mars After Midnight would exclusively release on Playdate on March 12 of the current year.

In addition to Mars After Midnight, 16 exclusive games were showcased at the same event, all set to debut on Playdate in 2024 and beyond. The console’s current game catalogue now boasts a total of 130 games.

This post was last modified on 02/29/2024

Julia Jackson: Hey there! I'm Julia Jackson, your friendly neighborhood tech geek, always navigating the exciting realms of technology with unbridled enthusiasm. Born and raised in the digital age, I've been on a relentless quest to understand and unravel the intricacies of the ever-evolving tech landscape. Hailing from a generation that witnessed the meteoric rise of the internet, I've been a digital native since the dial-up days. From the nostalgic hum of connecting to the World Wide Web to the lightning-fast speeds of today's fiber optics, I've witnessed and adapted to the digital evolution with a keen eye and a passion for all things tech. My love affair with technology goes beyond just using gadgets; I'm driven by an insatiable curiosity to understand the nuts and bolts that power our digital world. Whether it's coding languages, emerging technologies, or the latest in artificial intelligence, I'm always eager to delve deeper and unravel the mysteries that make our digital existence possible. Beyond my personal pursuits, I'm deeply committed to fostering a sense of community in the tech world. Whether through sharing knowledge on online forums, attending tech meetups, or mentoring aspiring techies, I believe in the power of collaboration and knowledge sharing to propel us all forward.