Subsurface Circular
Release date: Aug 17, 2017
Developers: Bithell Games
Publishers: Bithell Games
Genres: Adventure, Casual, Indie
Categories: Single-player, Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud, Commentary available, Family Sharing
Supported languages: English

MEET THE LOCALS, PICK UP THE LINGO A detective stationed on the Subsurface Circular investigates a series of disappearances among the city’s robotic working class. Collect words and phrases, then use them in dialogue puzzles to uncover the world's secrets and determine its future. This self-contained short story takes around two hours to complete and is split into several chapters. You can play the game in one sitting or, if you prefer, unfold the story in smaller pieces that can fit into a busier schedule. Subsurface Circular is inspired by classic adventure games and modern dialogue systems, and developed by the award-winning team behind Thomas Was Alone and Volume.  Key Features A polished, one-sitting game. A graphical twist on the classic text-based adventure. Uses 'Focus Points', a unique vocabulary-based inventory system. Original soundtrack by Dan Le Sac.  Comprehensive art gallery featuring the detailed work that went into this world.  Unlockable ‘BithellBot’, our interactive take on a developer’s commentary. FAQs If this game is ‘short’, what’s to stop me getting a refund when I’m done? You’re browsing Steam, which means you understand the work that goes into games, and are in principle up for paying for ones that entertain you. We hope that after a bit of time with Subsurface Circular, you’ll feel good about the price you paid. Why is the game only available in English? As you can imagine, a text adventure game contains a terrifying amount of text, but more importantly, throughout the game we use the particular quirks of word ordering and double meaning in English to support the combination and recombination of threads. Put simply, other languages are going to be more than a straight translation: They’re going to need rewrites and changed design. Not impossible, but more than we could get done this time around. 

Press reviews: “Subsurface Circular extracts maximum entertainment from limited resources through the admirable trick of great writing, excellent pacing, sparkling dialogue and bang-on story beats.” 9/10 – Polygon “There are plenty of twists and turns to the point that you can never quite grasp the whole story until it’s closing out.” 4/5 – GamesRadar “With a cast of well-realised characters, and a story that captivates from start-to-finish, Subsurface Circular's robot mystery will have your attention from the moment the train leaves the station.” 8/10 – VideoGamer