White Night and the Moon

“She who receives the light of the sun in order to survive in a neverending night, is like us. But she looks even lonelier when she watches us from her dark seat. Luna, magnificent mercury, redemptive voice from the void, you are the motherly hand on the child’s cheek, the matrix lake where the water of the sun lies. Like a woman, you can be empty or round, and your fecundity is the rhythm of time. The level of the oceans, the success of fishing, the depth of our sleep, are all decided by you. You are entitled to blood, for you are blessed among all, you are the spouse that no blood ever defiles. I am your devoted son. Or whatever you want me to be.”
– (Excerpt from White Night – Fragment #5)

The moon is the central symbolic component of White Night. It emerges throughout the adventure, high in the white sky, of course, but also nestled in the game’s components, from the music to the scripts, and even in the odd figure of “Selena”, with whom players become acquainted in the manor and who guides them along their way.

It was somewhat unsettling and not entirely intentional, but the game’s production process was paced by the lunar calendar. We often found ourselves looking up at the sky, in search of some sign in the night (yes, we frequently worked well after closing hours) and often, a full moon looked on as we made our “broad strides” forward. “This includes the time we worked on the game in an actual manor to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere. Every time we gazed up at the moon, full and round in the night sky, it casted it’s white gaze down back on us.”

It can’t be pure coincidence that when the game was released for PS4 a fascinating full moon was shining in the sky.
White Night is a game teeming with mysteries (and ghosts), steeped in symbolism and powerful references. That’s why we chose to take our fascination with the moon even further by including an actual lunar calendar in game, as a way to link player to the real world. Clocks in the game reflect real time and game’s moon will reflect the moon in your sky. If you see your adventure through to the end, you will find the moon can influence the way the story unfolds…

Take some time to look at the moon phase on the start menu of the game. If you time it appropriately, the in game world will align with true full moon! We encourage you to finish the game on a full moon for a different ending! Don’t forget that some trophies are linked to the real world full moon, and the real world night!