South of the Circle is a narrative adventure centered on survival and romance in the midst of the Cold War that first launched in Apple Arcade in 2020. The game comes from Lumino City developer State of Play and is now being published by 11 Bit Studios, the team behind Frostpunk and This War of Mine.
Unfolding during the politically charged 1960s, players control a climate scientist named Peter. As a Cambridge academic, he finds himself conflicted with the brewing global conflict, which drives a wedge between himself and his love, Clara. Peter’s troubles escalate during a trip when he crash-lands in Antarctica. Stranded, he must now survive the frigid landscape while reflecting on the personal and professional choices that took him to this point.
State of Play says South of the Circle is inspired by narrative adventure games such as Firewatch and What Remains of Edith Finch and boasts a striking cinematic, minimalist art direction. It’s unclear how gameplay unfolds, but the implication is that interactions will be on the minimal side of things. The game is brought to life by an ensemble cast including Gwilym Lee (Bohemian Rhapsody), Olivia Vinall (The Woman in White), Richard Goulding (The Crown), Anton Lesser (Game of Thrones), Adrian Rawlins (Chernobyl), and Michael Fox (Downton Abbey).
South of the Circle is planned to launch later this year on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.
