Time Extension (Damien McFerran, 13 Mar 2024). Pope "has duly crafted one of Playdate's best titles yet."
https://www.timeextension.com/reviews/playdate/mars-after-midnightGames / Catalog / Mars After Midnight
OverviewCatalog
Mars After Midnight
Adventure / PuzzleCrank: yes (precision)$6
1 · official Catalog screenshot
2 · official Catalog screenshot
3 · official Catalog screenshot
4 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-4-still.webp)1 · official Catalog screenshot2 · official Catalog screenshot3 · official Catalog screenshot4 · official Catalog GIF (1-bit still: screen-4-still.webp)Overview. Not yet reviewed. No score. Checked 12 Oct 2026. Built from official and press sources.
What it is
Mars After Midnight is "an entrant-screening, mess-tidying, session-planning work simulator". You're a three-eyed alien running the Off-Colony Community Support Center, which holds help sessions for Martians from 1AM in a converted shipping office. Each night has its own topic (Engadget mentions a Gnat Knife Handling session and a "Farty Party"). You put up flyers and pick refreshments. Then, when Martians knock, you crank open the peephole and decide who fits the night's criteria, admitting only, say, sad one-eyed Martians. Let in the wrong ones and you don't get paid. Between sessions you clean up the refreshments table with button-controlled tentacle arms. The crank use is "carefree, imprecise".
It's "everything by Lucas Pope", the creator of Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn, and it's a Playdate exclusive. It came out in the Catalog on 12 March 2024 for $6. Panic's staff note called it "the most eagerly anticipated new Playdate game", and it's in both "Crank Wonders" and "Monochrome Masterworks". Panic's Playdate Podcast has an episode about it.
Who made it
What others are saying
PC Gamer (Wes Fenlon, 14 Mar 2024). "a delightful riff on Papers, Please, but for farty Martians and sad cyclops."
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/lucas-popes-new-playdate-exclusive-is-a-delightful-riff-on-papers-please-but-for-farty-martians-and-sad-cyclops/Engadget, "The best Playdate games" (updated 12 May 2025). "a unique game that is perfect for the Playdate, making use of the crank but also requiring coordinated button-pressing."
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/best-playdate-games-190049201.htmlTheGamer (Ben Sledge, 10 Apr 2024). "Looking out of your little letterbox is like leafing through a child's sketchbook," though he adds, "even kids can appreciate a little more depth."
https://www.thegamer.com/mars-after-midnight-review/Callout (?): No review yet. We haven't reviewed Mars After Midnight yet. This page is an overview built from official and press sources.
Sources
Checked 12 Oct 2026.
- Official Catalog page (description, credits, size, dates, content/AI/accessibility notes). https://play.date/games/mars-after-midnight/
- Time Extension, Damien McFerran, 13 Mar 2024. https://www.timeextension.com/reviews/playdate/mars-after-midnight
- PC Gamer, Wes Fenlon, 14 Mar 2024. https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/lucas-popes-new-playdate-exclusive-is-a-delightful-riff-on-papers-please-but-for-farty-martians-and-sad-cyclops/
- TheGamer, Ben Sledge, 10 Apr 2024. https://www.thegamer.com/mars-after-midnight-review/
- Engadget, "The best Playdate games" (updated 12 May 2025). https://www.engadget.com/gaming/best-playdate-games-190049201.html
- Playdate: The Unofficial Website, Nick Simberg. https://www.playdateunofficial.com/the-games/mars-after-midnight
OverviewNo score
Overview
Not yet reviewed.
No score. This page is built from official and press sources.
On the card
From the creator of Papers, Please: run a Martian community centre's night sessions. Screen the right aliens through the door, tidy the snacks and keep the lights on.
From the sources
