South of Circle Review: Creative, Loving, and Tense Storytelling

screenrant.com:

Much like Life is Strange and Where the Heart Leads, South of the Circle is a narrative experience that is driven by dialogue and making moral choices. With every new chapter, the story becomes more unpredictable and engrossing; however, the game's final moments are fumbled in a way that feels confusing but emotionally resonant, resulting in a messy, compelling experience.

South of the Circle puts players in the shoes of Peter, a professor and climatologist at the University of Cambridge who is studying cloud patterns and radiation during the height of the cold war. The game wastes no time in establishing the emotional rollercoaster that is to come as it opens with Peter and a pilot named Floyd waking up from a plane crash. In a scenario similar to The Long Dark, the two have crashed in the middle of a tundra in Antarctica and, due to Floyd's broken leg, Peter must venture out alone to look for help.

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Thankfully, the British research station Deception Point is within walking distance from the wreckage. As Peter limps across the tundra, it seamlessly transitions to Peter walking towards a train station sometime in the past. On the train to Cambridge, Peter stops to help a woman named Clara put her box of books on the upper shelf of her train car. Here, players get their first true experience in engaging with South of the Circle's decision system as they navigate a nervous and flirtatious conversation. Clara is another professor and, as one might expect, this moment marks the start of their relationship.

Despite being a decision-based game, the system that South of the Circle uses can make it difficult to make the best decisions possible. Rather