Move over, AAA studios—there’s a new winter storm on the horizon, and it’s heading straight for the top of the charts. Indie outfit Magic Pie Games has scored a major coup with Polyaris, their single-player survival skiing title set in a post-nuclear Arctic landscape. The game was recently singled out by Gameranx as one of the “Top 60 Upcoming Games Announced Last Year,” landing in the top 50—no small feat considering it skied right past the industry heavyweight, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII.

For an after-hours passion project helmed by just three friends, Polyaris is generating a blizzard of buzz that nobody saw coming. Fueled by a love of gaming (and likely more late-night coffee refills than they’d care to admit), Magic Pie Games has fashioned something both uniquely frigid and refreshingly ambitious. The trio’s collective excitement is contagious—you can practically feel the adrenaline rush of launching themselves onto a list typically reserved for established studios.

Survival in the Snowdrifts

Set to release in Q3 2025 on PC and Steam Deck, Polyaris thrusts you into the boots of a polar explorer-engineer grappling with the fallout of a nuclear incident. A remote Arctic zone becomes a lonely battleground where basic survival collides with the mysteries hidden beneath endless sheets of ice. In a welcome deviation from the usual undead threats, you’ll fend off a variety of non-zombie enemies (cue your sigh of relief), all while managing life-or-death mechanics like shelter, clothing, hunger, and thirst.

The developers promise a procedurally generated Arctic world that seems to stretch into infinity. Whether you’re skiing across windswept tundra or steering a customizable boat through frozen waters, Polyaris aims to blend open-world exploration with a haunting atmosphere. The game’s portable radio mechanic even lets you curate your own soundtrack—because when the night closes in, you’ll want more than just the howling wind for company.

Afloat and On the Run

In an especially enticing twist, your boat becomes a kind of roaming fortress. Outfitting it with everything you need—tools, crafting stations, cozy sleeping spots—turns each voyage into a survival mission. And if you prefer to play by your own rules, the devs have you covered with robust customization options that let you tweak how harrowing the cold gets or how brutal the nights become. It’s a neat nod to fans of classics like The Long Dark or The Forest, offering freedom to explore, scavenge, and shape your story amid icebergs and the lingering echoes of civilization.

Meanwhile, a slow-burn mystery underlies the frigid setting. Why are you the last person around? How does a nuclear event shake up a part of the planet most people never see? The answers may lie somewhere in the deserted outposts or buried in the shifting snow, waiting for you to connect the dots. In typical survival fashion, it’s up to you to take the leap—and hopefully not break your skis in the process.

Chilling Content Ahead

While Polyaris keeps its horror roots out in the open, be warned: the game promises mature content, realistic violence, and a general sense of dread lurking within its never-ending sea of white. Think blood in the snow, brutal fights for survival, and the lurking realization that accidents in the Arctic are rarely forgiven. It’s not all jump scares and gore, but it might leave your nerves a little frostbitten.

Hidden Gem in the Making

It’s rare for an indie darling to overshadow a legendary franchise like Civilization, but Polyaris seems determined to do just that. Magic Pie Games’ message to curious onlookers? Now’s the perfect time to hop aboard this icy vessel—before the masses catch wind of its subzero terror and the boat becomes too crowded.

With only a handful of developers behind the wheel (skis?), Polyaris carries the heart of a passion project and the ambition of a major release. Mark your calendars for a chilling exploration in Q3 2025, and get ready to navigate a world where survival and storytelling melt into something altogether new. After all, when the ice cracks beneath your feet, you might just discover that the coldest shadows hide the deepest secrets.