South of the Circle

by Aethyna Aug 3, 2022 | 1 Votes | 33 Played | 0 Reviews

9 rate

Genres:

Adventure

Graphics:

Labels:

Adventure , Storytelling

Platforms:

Publishers:

11 Bit Studios South of the Circle is a cinematic adventure that puts you into the shoes of usually-timid Peter Hamilton, a climate researcher from Cambridge, who found himself crashlanded on one of the most remote continents on Earth. With the pilot injured and immobile, he had to venture into the frigid cold, and seek help. Will he make it? Play Now Similar Games

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Summary Plotline Gameplay Graphics/ Sound Conclusion

Summary

South of the Circle is a cinematic-style adventure game that puts you into the shoes of usually-timid Peter Hamilton, a climate researcher from Cambridge who unfortunately found himself crashlanded on one of the most remote continents on Earth. With the pilot injured and immobile, he had to step out of his comfort zone, venture into the harsh bitter cold, and seek help for both him and the pilot. Will he make it?

Plotline

In this game, you play as the fairly timid academician, Peter Hamilton, who has a PhD in Climatology and is a lecturer at the prestigious Cambridge Institution. He was on his way to a British research base on the Antarctica until the plane crashed landed and he and the immobilized pilot were left stranded in one of the world’s most inhospitable places. He needed to step out of his comfort zone, and venture out into the frigid cold in search of aid that can save the both of them.

To cope, he has had plenty of flashbacks from his very first encounter with the love of his life, a fellow Cambridge lecturer named Clara, to the moments leading right up to him being stranded on the Antarctica. There are also flashbacks within flashbacks, bringing the audience – you – right back to Peter’s childhood where you’ll get an idea of the kind of family environment he grew up in and how it plays into shaping Peter’s behavior as an adult.

As you progress through the story, you’ll find that there are many elements at play here, from the march to support nuclear disarmament, the rise of feminism and of women moving into previously male-dominated fields, and excessive paranoia where people suspect others of being secretly a communist, or worse, a communist sympathizer. Of course, there’s also Peter’s own troubles such as his struggles with the academic paper that would make or break his career – something that a postgrad like me had experienced first-hand and can whole-heartedly relate to, or that eventually, he would be forced to choose between his love and his own academic aspirations.

As scenes of his experiences play out, you’ll get to decide what his responses are by choosing the emotions you think he should express at that moment in time and what kinds of promises he make, which will have consequences later down the road.

The entire game is also set during the height of the cold war, where the Antarctica Treaty had just fallen through. Not only will he need to brave the bitter winter of the Antarctica, Peter will need to be vigilant in the event of encountering hostiles as well.

Gameplay

In a way, when it comes to the gameplay, South of the Circle is a walking simulator with some light point-and-click elements and some decision-making. The game starts off by introducing its unique emotion-based dialogue choices, where you’ll be given the choice to make Peter express his emotions at that moment in time.

These choices – though, sometimes, there’s just one – come in the form of symbols. Different symbols represent a different group of emotions, you see. For instance, a red dot within a white circle symbolizes the emotions of panic, confusion and concern, while a rectangle within a white circle indicates a dialogue choice that’s forthright, strong and assertive. There are five different kinds of groups of emotions in this game and depending on which you choose, you’ll alter how Peter interact with the people around him as well as the consequences of that interaction.

Similar to Telltale’s iconic storytelling-based decision-making, you will have limited time to make whatever decisions you want. If you did not choose, then the game will choose an option for you.

As mentioned, the game also has some point-and-click elements, allowing you to walk Peter around as you explore the place and interacting with whatever object that can be interacted with. Sometimes, you also get to drive! Some of these interactions are tied to an achievement, so if you’re an achievement hunter, then you’ll want to make sure you properly explore every corner of the place and click on everything that can be clicked on.

I should also point out that the blend between cutscenes and gameplay in this game is so flawless that it can be a bit difficult to discern when the game part ends and the cinematic part of the game begins sometimes. I often find myself still pressing the “W” key despite already entering into one of the cutscenes of the game.

Graphics/ Sound

In terms of its graphics, the game features beautiful scenes with a kind of watercolor art style that is simply delightful to behold. Granted that there are still some graphical issues like the fact that Peter’s foot is clipping through the ground as he climb the mountain, or that Clara’s hand and his looked so awkwardly positioned when they were supposed to be holding hands, the game did well visually and it shows as you’re experiencing the game.

The game also comes with a collection of concept art and photographs that has played a role in the development of the game. It’s really great to be able to see how each location and scene in the game came to being.

The game also comes with superb voice acting, which isn’t surprising considering its impressive list of casted actors, and breathtaking soundtracks that perfectly captures the atmosphere of every moment.

Conclusion

In short, South of the Circle has a gripping emotional story to tell and it did so in the most unique way. Not only does it feature a one-of-a-kind emotion-driven dialogue choices, the impressive cinematic-style storytelling and incredible voice acting pulls the player right into the heart of the story, immersing him/her completely. The game also rather tactfully addresses some of the sensitive topics it touches on, which can be controversial for some even in this day and age.

Overall, if you’re looking for an emotional rollercoaster of a love story that’s beautifully presented in an interactive manner, South of the Circle is one game you won’t want to miss!

New Game Added: South of the Circle

by Aethyna Aug 3, 2022

South of the Circle is a cinematic adventure that puts you into the shoes of usually-timid Peter Hamilton, a climate researcher from Cambridge, who found himself crashlanded on one of the most remote continents on Earth. With the pilot injured and immobile, he had to venture into the frigid cold, and seek help. Will he make it?