South of the Circle Reviews
If it interests you, South of the Circle is a game worth playing at least once. But while I can tell that some heart was put into it, it does feel like one of those artsy games trying to seem deep. Other than a few instances, South of the Circle made me feel empty, thinking of how it could have been meatier. It's also priced a bit high for what essentially is a movie with little gameplay.
South of the Circle is a minimalistic game that tells an initially engaging, but ultimately underwhelming story. And beyond the narrative, there's not much here to recommend.
To be fair, the game is visually appealing, with a minimalistic art style that manages to convey the feeling of the time. It's an interesting experience and a unique premise (how many other Cold War disaster games are you going to play this year?), but ultimately that can't save the title from falling a bit flat.
South of the Circle feels akin to frostbite: it's difficult to feel anything for the characters after continued exposure to suffocating game design & mismanaged narrative.
As Peter steps into the Antarctic snowstorm, he is suddenly an active participant in his own survival. South of the Circle triumphs by interweaving hopefulness and impending doom without feeling emotionally manipulative. It suggests that life is a culmination of sad and spectacular moments, promises, people, and conversations, all inevitably misremembered. It’s the kind of game that could have made me cry, but instead, it led me to a place of sombre tranquillity. Through Peter, we are advised not to judge stories by their destination, but by their precious in-betweens: a sugar cube plopped into a cup of tea, a train ride, a shared summer sunset, and a cumulonimbus cloud stupendously blooming.
South of the Circle is a really well-presented game, from art, music, voice acting, narrative and direction, everything aligns almost perfectly, crafting a high-stakes, enjoyable adventure through to its divisive, but ultimately clever conclusion. Its conversation system is different and intriguing, though sometimes feels like a shot in the dark in certain situations and can alienate some players with its focus on timing. All told, it’s a game we should all make time to play!
Although South of the Circle failed to touch me emotionally at anything other than a surface level, it is nonetheless a nicely paced and structured linear narrative adventure, merging the frozen wastes of Antarctica with the golden afternoon sunshine of Cambridge. If you enjoyed Virginia, this game is an unquestionable recommendation given its stylistic overlap, but if you’re put off by linear narrative adventures of this type, South of the Circle probably isn’t going to win you around.
There are worse ways to waste three hours than in the presence of very good voice actors doing their thing over gorgeous visuals. And, like I said, the game always tries to make you feel like you're in the presence of something great. But the reality is, no matter how much South of the Circle aspires to greatness, with a story like this, it's never more than merely okay.
A heartfelt adventure that balances the poetic nature of academia with the harsh reality of a world on the brink of war.
South of the Circle presents a fantastic story about losing ourselves and our values only to fit in the society. The narrative is slow but the payoff is definitely worth the time. Unfortunately even using Life is Strange as template, the mechanics feel undercooked and not as functional as in other games.
Review in Spanish | Read full review