
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.
Modeled estimate, not a reported figure. How we estimate →
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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.

Genres
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English
Engagement
Hours played at review time, across 41 reviews with recorded playtime.
Reviews
Themes across 41 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
Reviews
I love the aesthetic design of the world and the robots, and the musical score is fantastic if a bit understated. Its a extremely narrative heavy game, but well worth it in the end when it all ties itself together. It's hard to talk much about without spoiling, so you should go in blind. Was not expecting a Thomas Was Alone sequel.
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Trends
Modeled estimate over time, reconstructed from Steam's monthly review histogram.
Audience
Estimated from the language of this game's reviews — a proxy for where players are, not official Steam demographics.
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