Subsurface Circular

Subsurface Circular (2017) is a communication narrative game where you investigate the disappearance of intelligent robots by talking to other androids on a train. Play involves interrogating robots that get on the train, choosing how to respond and gradually accumulating evidence. It stands out for how you play the entire game without leaving the train, with each robot that gets on having unique quirks, personalities and experiences that provide a small piece of information you weave into the larger narrative.

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You play a detective robot confined to the Subsurface Circular train line and go against your programming to take a case of your own - the disappearance of other robots. You strike up conversations with robots sitting near you and find out what they know by asking questions about their job, intelligence level and awareness of suspicious activities. When a robot mentions something of interest, such as fractious human-robot relations, you gain the ability to ask them and any future robots about the topic.

As you progress, some robots require more considered interaction, for example, one gives you a quiz to test whether you have been paying attention and another won't talk to you unless you correctly recite phrases from memory. The game has two endings depending on your final interactions, ultimately shaping the narrative how you see fit.

The result is more of an interactive story experience than a game, touching on themes such as AI, human nature and class differences. The dialogue is often witty and comedic and offers a broad range of responses for you to choose from.

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Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Subsurface Circular 3 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 3 months ago.