South of the Circle

I like the 50's pastel shades illustration style well captured alone for that, worth trying out but I'm not so keen on the controls

This is by the Lume/Lumino City developers and I ended up feeling similarly for different reasons. There are some really excellent aspects of the game but also things I disliked enough that it is not that close to being one of my favorites. I got it in the giveaway but wouldn't have regretted it at the usual sale price range I pay for this type of game. Despite the distractingly stiff movement (due to playing on an underspec system it seems) the animation is a really nice touch and I wish all visual novels put this much effort into the presentation. It is not a point and click adventure or even a walking simulator since there are no puzzles and even the walking and driving is quite limited. There are time limited choices but you don't know what you are choosing between. Your choices are supposed to indicate emotions but you can't tell if "empathy" means empathy with the person you are talking with or the person they are shit talking (it could be either). The other major issue I had with the game was the ending. The choices you make barely affect the ending at all and certain aspects of the ending really ruined the story for me. I really like the art style, similar to GOG's sale banner art style. Click "view original" on the screenshots and zoom in to a 1:1 view; there is a film grain type effect that I like. The voice acting and music are also good. In my opinion there was too much unbelievable stuff for the sake of drama. Also, not closing doors bugs me and being in Antarctica just makes that worse. Other games to consider (rough order of similarity of mood to me): Haven, RiME, My Brother Rabbit, To the Moon, The Longest Road on Earth, Wolfstride, Trails in the Sky series, Little Bug, 8Doors, Card City Nights. Haven I have some issues with and haven't finished (but have seen hints that I likely won't like any of the endings) but if you like the "low key love scene" aspect of this one then Haven is great at that.

I mostly play FPS games, tactical shooters, and some vintage RTS games. But my real passion are RPG games of old with some dark fantasy setting. But, really, all that ever mattered to me, besides a good, bug free user interface, was to find an authentic immersive story. Having said that, as I'm getting older (passed 36 a few days ago), it's getting harder for me to find s ome trully new experience among new PC games. So I got this one free through a GOG giveaway, and one cold morning just decided to try it out. And boy, it was good! Not too short, and not too long - I finished it in about four hours. I don't mind you basically don't use any controls other than the occasional click on the "emotional bubble" to give the conversation a more specific tone or tell Peter where to go. This is more of a interactive novel than anything else, but hey - it's the story and the way this story was told. This can't be a bad thing, this was simply the choice developers make all the time. You either enjoy it or not, vote with your money. And the team did really outstanding work. I was sucked into it completely. I also need to emphasize the work of the voice acting - British drama at it's best. Artwork, visual style? Yeah, we all do have are preferences, but you can't say anything less than "beautiful, artsy, vintage, soothing". Same applies to music and the whole "athmospheric" experience. Finally - the story. I don't agree or find myself to be anything like our main protagonist Peter. I don't even am fond of the whole patriarchy vs. feminism or whatever narrative. Hell, the whole presentation of the Cold War is something I have a very specific view on. This list can go on for a bit... But this game really allowed me to get into someone else's boots, and just try to look the things from different point of view. And I learned a lot by doing that. It was emotional. It's worth your time.

Nice artwork direction and enjoyed the storytelling approach however the game appears to be more of a story than actual game and the sections which do contain gameplay elements appear to be added as a means to simply progress the narrative and distract the player for a few minutes rather than being fundamentally entertaining and engaging to play. I do have to give credit to the art direction which is very good, the story itself is relatable to people who live in the South of England mainly the border regions of London or London itself however for everybody else the personalities of the characters and choice of literacy might be confusing and not easy to follow, the tones are very middle class in terms of conversation and narrative topics, which limits really who this game is really aimed towards as I cannot imagine many younger people being interested in the very real struggles of middle aged middle class adults. I also feel that this game does not offer enough to interest those who would normally choose a book or film. Luckily, the game was free during offer, however I cannot recommend this game to purchase.

If you don't like walking simulations, or further movie "games". Then don't buy it, or you will most likely become like other low rating. The game's narrative advances the use of perhaps cliched, but effective, episodic interweaving techniques that are common in other games, and the character capture technique allows the characters to move more naturally. It is a little pity that the number of frames the character moves sometimes feels a little low, and some "stuck feet" are moved in individual scenes. I've seen someone mention that the choices made are meaningless because the game has a single ending, which is a very common thing in games like this, and I think it's just a way to add a little bit of a sense of engagement. Also, a single ending saves the game time (i.e. gives you a full afternoon to finish it). On the plot, I can only say that it varies from person to person, and it is not good to evaluate. The good thing is that it gave me a very good movie experience, the rhythm is relaxed, relatively smooth. Suitable for leisure time to give yourself a gentle time to cultivate the spirit (like watching one or two favorite children's animation or one or two pieces of music before bed), let people relax. That's enough. In addition, considering the pricing factor, it is recommended to buy at a discount.