South of the Circle

 PC
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 19
  3. Negative: 5 out of 19

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  1. bokarsh-z
    Aug 15, 2022
    3
    not worth it watch it on youtube-qte walking simulator choices don't matter and bad ending
  2. Acedia23x
    Sep 16, 2022
    3
    he game has a nice art style and a good artistic presentation The voice acting is good as well. Unfortunately the gameplay is almost non-existent, in some instances the game plays itself. The story is well presented but filled with a ton of 1960s cliches. And the game is not subtle about it either. It reemphasizes the same points all over again, without providing a balanced view on certainhe game has a nice art style and a good artistic presentation The voice acting is good as well. Unfortunately the gameplay is almost non-existent, in some instances the game plays itself. The story is well presented but filled with a ton of 1960s cliches. And the game is not subtle about it either. It reemphasizes the same points all over again, without providing a balanced view on certain cultural aspects of that era. This is unfortunate because the game has a good start, but looses it with its plot fast. I sadly cannot recommend… Expand
  3. Zodwraith
    Sep 29, 2022
    2
    TLDR: hard pass, just watch it on YouTube if you're interested in the story cause there's zero game here.

    I honestly can't understand the positive reviews here. All I can imagine is judging it as art, not a game. Which will always be subjective. Yes, it's an interactive novel, but by "interactive" it really just means "hit 'ok' to proceed." Choices have zero input on the actual    TLDR: hard pass, just watch it on YouTube if you're interested in the story cause there's zero game here.

    I honestly can't understand the positive reviews here. All I can imagine is judging it as art, not a game. Which will always be subjective.

    Yes, it's an interactive novel, but by "interactive" it really just means "hit 'ok' to proceed." Choices have zero input on the actual story, not to mention the dialogue doesn't even coincide with your choices.

    Let's start with the story, without giving spoilers. Do you like virtue signaling? Story with an obvious liberal agenda? You got it. Do you like your protagonist to be the biggest pansy you've ever had the pain of "controlling"? You got that too. Do you like any masculinity whatsoever to be toxic? That comes in spades. I knew I was getting into a story with political subject but I didn't expect it to be so blindly one-sided.

    Getting away from that train wreck, the art style is interesting, if extremely minimalistic. Anyone calling the graphics "stunning" is the type of turtleneck and thick rimmed glasses wearing pretentious twit that gushes over a jar of urine.

    So let's get into the gameplay or what little here could be considered a "game." I've honestly never seen collision detection this bad in any game in my life. You're often floating feet above the ground, or buried to your waist in it. Like, so bad it's funny bad. This isn't "indie". This is amateur. Animation is as clunky as a 60's stop motion claymation short. Seeing 2 people hold each other with 8 inches between them like they're saving space for Jesus (which is exactly what my wife said laughing), or seeing those people walk while holding hands and their arms look like they're desperately trying NOT to hold hands? While it's meant to be endearing it just looks comical. Movement feels like you're giving a drunk suggestions on where you want him to go. With such glaring flaws in collision and animation the art style no longer comes off as artistic, but lazy.

    The music was fine but meh for the overly mundane scenes it often accompanied.

    Pacing? It's like the end of Death Stranding where the director _wanted_ it to be a painfully slow slog for art's sake, except this was the ENTIRE GAME. Most of the conversations had little to do with the paper thin plot except to push a political narrative, massive plot holes you could drift a bus sideways through, and less character development than a beer commercial. These sins are unforgivable for an interactive novel. I guess I'm just offended because it COULD have been so good working off the main plot, but you're left with a story that could literally be summed up in one paragraph while leaving nothing out. No need to write an ending cause there isn't one.

    So why the 2 instead of a zero? The voice acting was top notch. The protagonist's actor perfectly caught the whiny defeated pessimist that you wanted to slap the entire game and tell to be a man for once. The voice acting was the only thing in this package that didn't scream budget restrictions.    … Expand
  4. GeraltOfGilead
    Aug 13, 2022
    10
    Now this. This was one beautiful narrative piece of masterwork. Original design, dynamic dialogue, music that hits the right spot, man oh man. Loved this thoroughly.
  5. abcorieChibig
    Oct 10, 2022
    10
    South of the Circle tiene una narrativa muy bien desarrollada. Consigue atraparte con su arte y el desarrollo de sus personajes. La banda sonora acompaña muy bien la experiencia.
  6. Periken
    Oct 10, 2022
    10
    South of the Circle is a work of art told through a wonderful narrative done in its own unique way. With gameplay being simple interactions, the minimalist aspect allows the players to focus on the story rather than intricate controls. The selection of various emotions for the cut scene dialogue and what you choose reflects the players' thoughts of Peter and his decisions. There areSouth of the Circle is a work of art told through a wonderful narrative done in its own unique way. With gameplay being simple interactions, the minimalist aspect allows the players to focus on the story rather than intricate controls. The selection of various emotions for the cut scene dialogue and what you choose reflects the players' thoughts of Peter and his decisions. There are moments of joy, distress, sadness throughout Peter's life and the visuals/soundtrack really reflect his emotional states.

    There needs to be more narrative-driven games like this where gameplay isn't always the focus centerpiece. Minimal gameplay can be just as impactful.    … Expand
  7. grihajedy
    Aug 21, 2022
    7
    (2-hours review)

    Let's start with the fact that this is an interactive novel, most of the scenes here are everyday dialogues that minimally move the plot forward, you will just chat with a girl, friends, boss, in flashbacks, and, at the same time, sadly walking or looking for help in the snow in real life, for such a "indie" game, the animations are great, there is even facial    (2-hours review)

    Let's start with the fact that this is an interactive novel, most of the scenes here are everyday dialogues that minimally move the plot forward, you will just chat with a girl, friends, boss, in flashbacks, and, at the same time, sadly walking or looking for help in the snow in real life, for such a "indie" game, the animations are great, there is even facial expressions, the picture is minimalistic, but at the same time providing a sufficient amount of detail,
    But there are problems in the gameplay, who even came up with such a design of the selection buttons?, they give you 2 circles, in 1 some square, in the other some kind of triangle, and what should I understand from this?)What emotion does the little purple square at the bottom represent? They seem to write us the characteristics of the circles at the beginning of the game, but after 5 minutes they stop, and I just didn’t have time to remember, and I didn’t immediately understand that they are different, because the usual qte is also done badly here, no way it" intuitively clear", unclear enough just to press or you need to hold the button, but still the developers have foreseen such difficulties a little, in the menu you can press "help" and see the descriptions of all the circles, but again.. Firstly, you won’t immediately think of it, the second - it`s still difficult to remember which minimalistic picture is responsible for what,
    Because there is a bit of laziness, because the plot is also quite banal, we have a love story and career of a scientist working at a university during the Cold War.
    In general, a very specific product, but for a mobile game, which it was before the release on Steam, it is very worthy.

    Subscribe on my Steam`s Curator`s page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41977550/
    /

    (2-часовой обзор)
    Начнём с того, что это интерактивная новелла, большинство сцен тут - это бытовые диалоги, минимально продвигающие сюжет вперёд, вы просто будете общаться с девушкой, друзьями, начальником, во флешбеках, и, параллельно немного печально идти, или ехать в поисках помощи в снегах в реале, для такой "индюшной" игры анимации сделаны великолепно, тут даже мимика лиц есть, картинка минималистичная, но при этом предоставляющая достаточное количество деталей,
    А вот в геймплее есть проблемки, кто вообще придумал такой дизайн кнопок выбора, вам даётся 2 кружка, в 1 какой-то квадратик, в другом какой-то треугольничек, и что я должен из этого понять?) Какую эмоцию отражает маленький фиолетовый квадратик внизу кружка?) Нам вроде пишут характеристики кружков в начале игры, но уже через 5 минут перестают, и я просто не успел запомнить, да и вообще не сразу понял, что они отличаются, потому что обычные qte тут тоже сделано плохо, ни разу не "интуитивно понятно" достаточно ли просто нажать или удерживать кнопку, но всё-таки разрабы немного предусмотрели такие трудности, в меню можно назвать "помощь" и увидеть описания всех кружков, но опять же.. Во-первых не сразу додумаешься до этого, во-вторых всё равно сложновато запомнить какая минималистичная картинка за что отвечает,
    Потому что и лень немного, ведь сюжетец то тоже достаточно банальненький, у нас есть история любви и карьеры учёного, работающего в университете во времена холодной войны.
    В общем, очень специфичный продукт, но для мобильной игры, коей она являлась до выхода в Стим, очень достойно.    … Expand
  8. Skyyfall
    Jan 23, 2023
    5
    The game is a visual novel with minimal gameplay and choices that don't decide anything at the end. I did not find any obvious problems with the game, it was pleasant to play. This game can be called a movie with a running time of 3-4 hours. Important questions are raised in the world after World War 2, but in the end they are not fully disclosed. Another open ending game with no choice.The game is a visual novel with minimal gameplay and choices that don't decide anything at the end. I did not find any obvious problems with the game, it was pleasant to play. This game can be called a movie with a running time of 3-4 hours. Important questions are raised in the world after World War 2, but in the end they are not fully disclosed. Another open ending game with no choice. You can walk in 4 hours and think a lot at the end, but no more.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Adventure Gamers
    Sep 27, 2022
    70
    Although it gives the false impression of being a “choices matter” game, South of the Circle is still an excellent narrative experience for those who enjoy games without puzzles. Even if the ending might be disappointing, the stunning graphics and fantastic soundtrack make it a game worth playing.
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  2. Edge Magazine
    Sep 8, 2022
    60
    In confronting Peter's regrets, it leaves us with one of our own - that we didn't stop 15 minutes sooner. [Issue#376, p.121]
  3. KeenGamer
    Sep 6, 2022
    80
    South of the Circle has beautiful story moments complimented by a striking art style that is clean, minimal and stylish. There are some amazing set pieces, terrific highs and lows, and plenty to sink your teeth into if walking-simulators are your thing. The pace is slow, but appropriately so, giving you time to soak in the visuals and stew in the more meaningful moments. It leaves something to be desired with its ending and interactivity, but still packs a punch and won't be soon forgotten. This game moves forward with the proud traditions of narrative-driven games in small steps.
    Read full review
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