We Love It's Guide to…
A robot detective rides a city subway, questioning fellow workers and solving word-based dialogue puzzles to trace their disappearances.
Released 17 Aug 2017
Question Subway Robots
Collect Useful Words
Solve Dialogue Puzzles
When the truth is buried, go underground. Step into this new take on text-based adventure from the award-winning team behind Thomas Was Alone and Volume. A short story that hands you the fate of the world above, as a detective looking for answers on the Subsurface Circular.
Developed by Bithell Games · Published by Bithell Games
You play a detective robot stationed aboard the Subsurface Circular, a subway train in a city whose robotic workers are disappearing. As passengers come and go, their accounts reveal clues about the mystery and the society beyond the train car.
The investigation unfolds through conversations. You collect words and phrases from passengers, then use them as Focus Points to open new lines of questioning and solve dialogue-based puzzles.
The story is divided into chapters and centers on the robots’ lives and place in the city. Dialogue choices shape how you respond, while the investigation builds toward questions about the world’s future.
Reviewers often praise the focused sci-fi mystery, its dialogue and robot characters, and the thought-provoking ideas conveyed through the train’s small setting. Some find the experience pleasantly brief and atmospheric; others feel the story is too short, the investigation too linear, or player choices and the ending less consequential than expected.
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 FeaturesA 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.
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.
| Platforms | Windows, macOS |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 13 |
| Age ratings |
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| Controller required | No |
| Metacritic | 83/100 View on Metacritic |
| Website | Official website |
