Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 80 | 11 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 94% | 89 | 971 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 98% | 93 | 10 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jul 8, 2026) · 10 reviews sampled · 10 total reviews in window · weighted 3.3 up / 0.1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (34)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 70
“I do feel that Subsurface Circular is good, even if it ends with unfulfilled momentum.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Subsurface Circular is a landmark moment in interactive storytelling. The elegance of its escalation is simply unmatched, as it tells a story that makes you feel like you're in completely over your head, and yet still perfectly believable. The characters you meet along the way all feel unique with their own personality, which makes interacting with them a test of wit and cunning as you use the conversational mechanics to their full effect. There's nothing quite else quite like Subsurface Circular, and when that uniqueness is combined with the phenomenal narrative at hand, you have all the ingredients for a simply unforgettable and very special journey aboard the subway.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The time I spent working through the story of Subsurface Circular feels well-spent. I’d say it is just about the right length, neither being frustratingly short or passing a point where it felt like a chore to see through to the end. The story, its eventual choices at its conclusion, and the characters you talk to along the way were all well fleshed out and refreshingly different. If you don’t mind doing some reading while you play it is worth checking out.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“I don't believe I am thinking too deeply about all this: getting the player to think about the consequences of increased automation and the power structures that lead to inequality and scapegoating is the whole point of the game. I think it's commendable and I have no doubt the developer had the best of intentions, I just hope that next time they handle such serious questions with more care.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Subsurface Circular isn’t just a good game to kill time but a great all round experience that you can have done in no time, about the length of two TellTale episode. For less than fiver you can get transported into this future dystopia where robots fear the wrath of humans and discuss this on train journeys away from their gaze. What a terrifying thought.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Subsurface Circular is a unique storytelling device and one that gives the illusion of player choice, when in reality the narrative is rather linear in nature. The gameplay is purely dialog tree choices consisting of various questions and answers. It won’t be for everyone, but it’s great to see a deviation from typical game design.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Subsurface Circular is a visual novel about talking to strangers on a train. Basically, a British person’s worst nightmare. It ends up being a relaxing and thought-provoking experience where you talk to androids and solve a mystery without ever moving from your seat. At ninety minutes long, Subsurface Circular doesn’t overstay its welcome and if anything I wanted the experience to last a little longer.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Slickly presented, striking in design, and thought-provoking in the conversations that it unravels, Subsurface Circular marks another welcome addition to the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch. Its narrative focus makes it a little different to everything else that has hit the digital storefront and that’s by no means a bad thing, as the game’s shorter format makes it the perfect distraction between games that demand more of your time.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The game, really a visual novel with light puzzle-solving elements through text, was released recently on the Switch, after coming out last year on Steam. It’s a short story from Mike Bithell, the creator behind Thomas Was Alone and Volume.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“This "Mike Bithell short" is an intriguing, little, adventure. Gameplay wise is as simple as efficient and is visually refined and well polished.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Bithell Games’ experiment into short-form gaming might not rank as the studio’s best release, but if you’re after an evening’s worth of sci-fi entertainment, Subsurface Circular delivers an enjoyable & well-written adventure title.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Subsurface Circular is a compelling and emotional rollercoaster of a game, and I only wish I could’ve stayed on that train for a little while longer.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
NintendoWorldReport
FingerGuns
Nintendo Times
CDavis_Games
Nintendo Insider
Play Some Video Games
IGN
Digital Outburst
Gamers Classified…and 22 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- New Game Announcement - Vampirium: 1997Jul 8, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Update 2 - Secondary station bug fixesAug 19, 2017
- Update 2 - Secondary station bug fixesAug 19, 2017
- Update 1 - Resolutions and missed train stopsAug 18, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1 - Resolutions and missed train stopsAug 18, 2017