South of the Circle Reviews
How much you enjoy South of the Circle will be determined by how much you like to engage with games on an intellectual and emotional level. It's a tricky balance to strike, but once it's beyond the first scene, South of the Circle has a lot more substance than its first impression lets on. It might be light on traditional gameplay, but it knows what it wants to say, and stays focused on that throughout.
In the end, decision-making in the couple is based more on the anticipations we make in our mind than on the reality we live with that person, and for all this, South of the Circle tries to identify the variables that influence decision making and the problems that may arise when it is time to take a path, take a risk, make a big change, or miss an opportunity.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
South of the Circle is a fantastic story-rich game. Its core mechanics are touching, emotive, and laced with replay value. You'll admire the developers eye for detail and the wonderfully melancholy plot that unfolds.
South of the Circle is not visually interesting like the developer's previous work, and the poverty in its scenarios, the character animations that are not valued in that art even with motion capture, as well as the enjoyment of its gameplay, hamper the appreciation of its good history, which is still not without its flaws. On the other hand, the new game from State of Play Games has a competent musical and acting work and art direction, and brings good ideas in its narrative design, both in form and mechanics, approaching the academic environment with sensitivity in a way not much explored in video games and with an appropriate context of historical fiction in a cinematic tone. The game is recommended for adventure fans looking for a more mature narrative experience in romance, post-war historical fiction and academic life.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
An engaging interactive novel. Gameplay-wise it's not that amazing, but the story and the atmosphere are really great.
Review in Russian | Read full review
South of the Circle is an emotionally driven interactive drama about love, passion, ambitions and survival. All of that very well executed with the backdrop of Cold War getting hot on frozen Antarctica.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
South of the Circle is the equivalent of a good book. It's fun to sit down, experience, relax, and have the story drift over you. It isn't particularly interactive, and the ending feels a little unsatisfying, but beyond that, it's well told and well executed. You shouldn't pick it up if you're looking to decide who lives or who dies. You get to experience the story as it is told, with a few button prompts for flavor. If that sounds good to you, then you'll enjoy South of the Circle.
While not every part of the story hits the mark – we didn’t quite gel with the ending, for example – it’s still very easy to recommend South of the Circle. If you’re the type of person who enjoys interactive dramas, like the recent As Dusk Falls or Gone Home, you’ll likely find yourself engrossed in the narrative that unfolds here. It’s interesting, cleverly told and very intelligent – and, if nothing else, it’ll likely encourage you to learn more about the Cold War and the Antarctic Treaty. Any game that inspires us to educate ourselves more about the world around us is a win in our book.
South of the Circle is a must play for people who love story-driven games.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Without spoiling the finer details, the game's final sequence is filled with tension and emotion as Peter recollects the final moments of the past that lead up to his trip to Antarctica. In it, the game reflects on the key decisions made along the way and rather than respect them, seemed to ignore the work put in by players in a way that made it seem like some of the choices didn't actually matter. It may be possible that this was meant to be a narrative twist on how Peter remembers the past versus how it was, but it's entirely unclear if that's the case, which makes it all the more confusing when it happens. Despite this, the ending sequence of South of the Circle is still packed with emotional catharsis and an ambiguous ending the leaves the player wanting more, and that alone makes this game a must-play for narrative-driven players.
With wonderful acting. writing, and striking visuals, South of the Circle is an experience worth seeking out, even if the dialogue options and movement are lacking.
A beautifully paced and emotive narrative adventure with some standout vocal performances, what South of the Circle lacks in terms of substantive gaming meat it more than makes up with an intelligently curated, heart-tugging tale that remains long in the memory after you've put the controller down. Holding up a mirror to our own era of social, political and economic turmoil, South of the Circle provides the sort of expertly crafted and keenly felt warm emotional storytelling that we could all perhaps do with right now.
South of Circle is a well written intense short adventure about life, love, choices an politics. The narration is brilliant and convey a very emotional trip through different timelines, even if the interaction is limited to dialogs and a very few other moments.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I really enjoyed the Lost-esque flashbacks that Peter has throughout the game, and how beautifully the game transitions between them. I also loved how natural the romance between Peter and Clara felt in developing slowly, over time, and how well the two work together. If you’re looking for a stellar story experience, South of the Circle has it in spades.
South of the Circle uses a unique narrative style and a very artistic way to tell a story about the Cold War that is good for us to savor.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Telling a tale that spans multiple times and places, it makes for a different sort of romantic journey
South of the Circle presents an evocative narrative that will have you thinking about it long after you finish it. A unique minimalist art style paired with an excellent voice cast and soundtrack are the cherry on top of a heartfelt story. Unfortunately, the lack of impact from any of your decisions in addition to a relatively short run time hinder what otherwise is a flawless experience.
South of the Circle is a weird and fascinating experience, that mixes poor gameplay with a great script. It's essentially an interactive film, where all we're asked to do is look at the screen.
Review in Italian | Read full review
South of the Circle runs for about three or four hours, and that is the completionist time. This means that you can do pretty much anything there is to be done in this game in only four hours. So it is an experience you can get through in one sitting, which is something that we all need sometimes. If you want to experience something short and sweet at the same time, South of the Circle is the game you must check out.
South Of The Circle is a beautiful game that tells a wonderful little story, and is backed up with a genuine effort by the developers to explore cinematic techniques for dramatic effect. When the alternative in video games is typically the equivalent of bland, rote Hollywood productions, South Of The Circle stands out as something different. Different is and always will be interesting. I’m just glad the developers backed the interesting techniques they used with a fascinating story.