History VideoGame / SubsurfaceCircular

''Subsurface Circular'' is a text-based adventure game developed and published by Mike Bithell and his company Creator/BithellGames (the creators of ''VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone'' and ''VideoGame/{{Volume}}''). The game was released for Windows-based [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer personal computers]] in August 2017, for [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS devices]] in October 2017, and for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in March 2018.

''Subsurface Circular'' is a text-based adventure game developed and published by Mike Bithell Games (the creators of ''VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone'' and ''VideoGame/{{Volume}}''). The game was released for Windows-based [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer personal computers]] in August 2017, for [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS devices]] in October 2017, and for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in March 2018.

* CelebrityEndorsement: {{Parodied}}. An Athlete Tek you encounter had its speech behavior modified to constantly shill the Tek equivalent of sports drinks in exchange for better treatment in the industry.

* FullCircleRevolution: The purpose of LaResistance: [[spoiler:replace the human Management with Teks able to compute the best course for humanity, and replace the worker Teks with human labor. Bear in mind that the revolution is led by humans who ''want'' to go through with this.]]

* NonIndicativeName: The "Red Tek", in addition to being more than just a RedHerring, [[spoiler:isn't colored red; they're yellow. It's just that they're ''called'' by the unofficial moniker of "Red".]]

* OverlyLongGag: In Sequence 6, [[spoiler:you can ask the Priest Tek for a story. The Priest Tek proceeds to recount the events of ''VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone''...by using the narrated text from the first few sections of that game. Eventually, the Priest Tek stops the re-telling, telling you that it's just not the same with out the rest of the game, [[TakeThatUs mediocre gameplay included]].]].

* RunningGag: There's a Listener Tek in nearly every sequence, that always refuses to communicate with the player. [[spoiler: Red apologizes for their silence, as they are singlemindedly focused on listening in on your conversations.]]

* AfterTheEnd: The tourist Tek in the second sequence implies that there are some aspects of this, such as Mumbai being flooded over, and wanting to visit a "Fall Palace" where the previous government of the setting's unnamed City collapsed.

* CelebrityEndorsement: {{Parodied}}. An Athlete Tek you encounter had its speech modified to constantly shill the Tek equivalent of sports drinks in exchange for better treatment in the industry.

* TheDogWasTheMastermind: [[spoiler:The Tek that gave you the case at the start]] was the "Red" Tek, unsure if it's doing the right thing and wanting a Tek permitted higher intelligence than it to decide.

* DoubleMeaning: There's one subset of Teks, called "Listeners", that seemingly do nothing but head-bang to the music in their headphones. [[spoiler:Except, they're actually Listening to ''you'', discreetly hacking into your conversations and reporting on your actions to the Red Tek.]]

* FullCircleRevolution: The purpose of LaResistance; [[spoiler:replace the human Management with Teks able to compute the best course for humanity, and the worker Teks with human labor.]]

* RunningGag: There's a Listener Tek in nearly every sequence, that always refuses to communicate with the player.

* WhamLine: In Sequence 6, you have to play the part of priest for an Infantry Tek who wishes to confess. [[spoiler:He confesses to helping the revolutionaries amass an army of Infantry Teks that are about to attack the City, ''soon''.]]

* BookEnds: The game's first and last sequences see the train approaching the Gateway station [[spoiler:and speaking with Alpha Seven, a.k.a. "Red"]].

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''Subsurface Circular'' is a text-based adventure game developed and published by Mike Bithell Games (The creators of ''VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone'' and ''VideoGame/{{Volume}}''). The game was released for Windows-based [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer personal computers]] in August 2017, for [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS devices]] in October 2017, and for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in March 2018.

You play as a detective robot (or "Tek") assigned to the [[TitleDrop Subsurface Circular]], a looping subway line in a futuristic city. Learning about a series of disappearances of your fellow Teks, it's up to you to investigate passengers and try to get to the root of the problem, even if it's not a case assigned to you by Management.

* AfterTheEnd: The tourist Tek in the second sequence implies that there are some aspects of this, such as Mumbai being flooded over, and wanting to visit a "Fall Palace" where the previous government of the setting's unnamed city collapsed.

* BrickJoke: At the beginning, you can sarcastically tell the Tek that gives you the case that your Detective work gives you time to paint portraits. If you do, [[spoiler:the Red Tek will bring it up if you ask about his "change of profession"]].
* ButThouMust: Many decisions, such as breaching protocol to take on the missing Tek case, are mandatory to make progress.

* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:Alpha Seven, AKA the Red Tek,]] is a recently-employed recruiter for LaResistance.

* TheDogWasTheMastermind: [[spoiler:The Tek that gave you the case at the start]] was the Red Tek, unsure if it's doing the right thing and wanting a Tek permitted higher intelligence than it to decide.
* DoNotSpoilThisEnding: There's a button on the Main Menu that asks Youtubers and Streamers to only show the first three "sequences" if they don't want to ruin the experience for others.
* DoubleMeaning: There's one subset of Teks called "Listeners", that seemingly do nothing but head-bang to the music in their headphones. [[spoiler:Except, they're actually Listening to ''you'', discreetly hacking into your conversations and reporting on your actions to the Red Tek.]]

* FantasticRacism: There are humans, such as the HPC group, that are anti-Tek, partly out of fear of being replaced by them.

* NonIndicativeName: The "Red Tek", in addition to being more than just a RedHerring, [[spoiler:isn't colored red; they're yellow.]]

** There's a hidden achievement you can get by quoting ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' lines at a Listener. You can also quote ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' and ''Theatre/JesusChristSuperstar'' in the same conversation, though they don't come with achievements. [[spoiler:It's also subtle foreshadowing that the end of the game involves whether or not you "throw away your shot".]]

* AfterTheEnd: The tourist Tek in the second sequence implies that there are some aspects of this, such as Mumbai being flooded over, and wanting to visit a "Fall Palace" where the city's previous government collapsed.

* ArtificialIntelligence: All of the Teks you encounter have self-awareness.
* BigBrotherIsEmployingYou: Played with; humans are treated fairly, but the Management of the city the game takes place in still views most Teks as tools rather than individuals ([[SecondLawMyAss due to fear of the opposite]]), and monitors their status on the surface.

* CelebrityEndorsement: Parodied; an Athlete Tek you encounter had its speech modified to constantly shill the Tek equivalent of sports drinks in exchange for better treatment in the industry.

* ClosedCircle: Befitting a story with "Circular" in its title, the entire game takes place in a single subway car, as Management has restricted the player to that position.

* DoubleMeaning: There's one subset of Teks called "Listeners", that seemingly do nothing but head bang to the music in their headphones. [[spoiler:They're actually Listening to ''you'', discreetly hacking into your conversations and reporting on your actions to the Red Tek.]]

** BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Both of 'em]], as both Teks and humans will be harmed.

* ThePlace: The entire narrative takes place in the titular Subsurface Circular subway line.
* RedHerring: As a detective, part of your job is to identify these and rule them out. Played with in that one deemed this in-universe, the Red Tek, is later [[spoiler:revealed to be working with the culprits]].

** With the right option picked, there's also a reference to ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'' (as well as a comparison to the Creator/StephenKing novella that it's based on) during TheReveal that [[spoiler:the Red Tek isn't colored red]].
* SlaveLiberation: Prior to Management taking over, Teks were considered private property, and they still are in other cities. [[BigBrotherIsEmployingYou Not that their current situation is a major improvement...]]

* BottleEpisode: The entire game takes place in a single subway car, as Management has restricted the player to that position.

* ChekhovsGun: Literally a gun in this case, as Alpha Seven, the Tek that gives you the case, mentions that he carries a gun effective on both humans and Teks for its safety. [[spoiler:You see it, and fire it, in the final sequence.]]

* BigBrotherIsEmployingYou: Played with; humans are treated fairly, but the Management of the city the game takes place in still views most Teks as tools rather than individuals ([[SecondLawMyAss possibly due to fear of the opposite]]), and monitors their status on the surface.
* BottleEpisode: The entire game takes place in a single subway car, [[JustifiedTrope as Management has restricted the player to that position]].

* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:Alpha Seven, the Tek that gives you the case, mentions that he carries a gun effective on both humans and Teks for its safety. You see it, and fire it, in the final sequence.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:Alpha Seven is the Red Tek, recently-employed recruiter for LaResistance.]]
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: [[spoiler:The Tek that gave you the case at the start was the Red Tek, unsure if it's doing the right thing and wanting a Tek permitted higher intelligence than it to decide.]]

* DoubleMeaning: [[spoiler:There's one subset of Teks called "Listeners", that seemingly do nothing but head bang to the music in their headphones. They're actually Listening to ''you'', discreetly hacking into your conversations and reporting on your actions to the Red Tek.]]
* EmotionSuppression: [[spoiler:When two Tek cops interrogate the player about their unassigned investigation, their emotional states are linked, so that one can focus on staying stoic while the other does their job without emotional bias. The puzzle is manipulating the suppressor and getting the suppressed locked into different emotional states to get information out of them.]]
* EntertaininglyWrong: [[spoiler:The Tek cops, with the player's help, reach the conclusion that "missing" Teks are a byproduct of managerial error, with more Tek bodies claimed to exist than actually produced. But the player knows that there are Teks that ''actually'' existed that have gone missing, leading to the last parts of the game.]]

* FantasyPantheon: There are Teks that believe in one, known as "The Architects". [[spoiler:See StealthSequel.]]
* FullCircleRevolution: [[spoiler:The purpose of LaResistance; replace the human Management with [[DeusEstMachina Teks able to compute the best course for humanity]], and the worker Teks with human labor.]]

* LaResistance: The [=HPC=] group sees itself as one. [[spoiler:A more traditional example is the group responsible for the Tek disappearances.]]
* LoopholeAbuse: [[spoiler:LaResistance has been giving their Teks military designations, as the "Do no harm" law of robotics doesn't apply to Teks designed for combat. Additionally, the group was founded by humans that will be harmed if the secret's out, so Teks cannot stop them directly.]]

** BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Both of 'em, as both Teks and humans will be harmed in either case.]]

* NonIndicativeName: [[spoiler:The "Red Tek" isn't red; they're yellow.]]
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler:Management strips you of your Detective designation because you breached protocol to take on a case.]]
* RedHerring: As a detective, part of your job is to identify these and rule them out. [[spoiler:{{Subverted}} in that one, [[MeaningfulName the Red Tek]], is working with the culprits.]]

* ShoutOut: There's a hidden achievement you can get by [[spoiler:quoting ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' lines at a Listener. You can also quote ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' and ''Theatre/JesusChristSuperstar'' in the same conversation, though they don't come with achievements.]].
** With the right option picked, there's also a Creator/StephenKing reference during TheReveal that [[spoiler:the Red Tek isn't red]].

* StealthSequel: [[spoiler:To ''VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone'', whose [[{{Precursors}} characters]] are seen by religious Teks as "[[FantasyPantheon The Architects]]".]]

* TurnInYourBadge: The robotic equivalent. [[spoiler:For investigating the case without permission, the player character is reformatted and stripped of their "detective" designation. Their refusal to give up the case afterwards leads to the ending.]]

* WasItAllALie: [[spoiler:Tau Thirteen, Alpha Seven/Red's "missing friend", did exist and go missing. But Red didn't really know them, and it wasn't the main motivation for getting the player to investigate missing Teks.]]

''Subsurface Circular'' is a text-based adventure game developed and published by Mike Bithell Games (The creators of ''VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone'' and ''VideoGame/{{Volume}}''). The game was released for Windows-based [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer personal computers]] in August 2017, for [[IOSGames iOS devices]] in October 2017, and for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in March 2018.

* InsertNameHere: The detective's first name can be one of four options the player can choose: Theta, Beta, [[VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone Claire, or James]]. The rest of their name is always "One One".

''Subsurface Circular'' is a text-based adventure game developed and published by Mike Bithell Games (The creators of ''VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone'' and ''VideoGame/{{Volume}}''). The game was released for Windows-based personal computers in August 2017, for iOS devices in October 2017, and for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in March 2018.

* ShoutOut: There's a hidden achievement you can get by [[spoiler:quoting Theatre/{{Hamilton}} lines at a Listener. You can also quote Theater/LesMiserables and Music/JesusChristSuperstar in the same conversation, though they don't come with achievements.]].

''Subsurface Circular'' is a text-based adventure game developed and published by Mike Bithell Games (The creators of ''VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone'' and ''VideoGame/{{Volume}}''). The game was released for Windows-based personal computers in August 2017, and for iOS devices in October 2017.

* ShoutOut: There's a hidden achievement you can get by [[spoiler:quoting Theatre/{{Hamilton}} lines at a Listener]].

* AgeIsRelative: The oldest Tek encountered in the game, whose body was one of the originals and who is seen as elderly by the player character, is about 30 years old.

* AgeIsRelative: The oldest Tek encountered in the game, whose body was one of the originals and who is seen as elderly by the player character, is about 40 years old.

* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:Alpha Seven, the Tek that gives you the case, mentions that he carries a gun effective on both humans and Teks for its safety. You see, and fire it, in the final sequence.]]

* WasItAllALie: [[spoiler:Tau Thirteen, Alpha Seven/Red's "missing friend", did exist and go missing. But Red didn't really know them, and it wasn't the main motivation for getting the player to investigate missing Teks.]]

* DoubleMeaning: [[spoiler:There's one subset of Teks called "Listeners", that seemingly do nothing but head bang to the music in their headphones. They're actually Listening to ''you'', and reporting on your actions to the Red Tek.]]
* EmotionSuppression: [[spoiler:When two Tek cops interrogate the player about their unassigned investigation, their emotional states are linked, so that one can focus on staying stoic while the other does their job without emotional bias; the puzzle is manipulating the suppressor and getting the suppressed locked into different emotional states to get information out of them.]]

* FullCircleRevolution: [[spoiler:The purpose of LaResistance; replace Management with [[DeusEstMachina Teks able to compute the best course for humanity]], and the worker Teks with human labor.]]
* InsertNameHere: The detective's first name can be one of four options the player can choose: Theta, Beta, [[VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone Claire, or James]].

* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: All of the characters in the game, including the player, are ascended [=AI=] in robotic bodies.

** There's also a Creator/StephenKing reference during TheReveal that [[spoiler:the Red Tek isn't red]].

* CelebrityEndorsement: An Athlete Tek you encounter had its speech modified to constantly shill the Tek equivalent of sports drinks in exchange for better treatment in the industry.

* VideoGameCaringPotential: At one point, you can give job advice to a Nanny Tek who is heading for a system reset following the end of her previous job.

* InsertNameHere: The detective's first name can be one of four options the player can choose.

* TheDogWasTheMastermind: [[spoiler:The Tek that gave you the case at the start was the Red Tek, unsure if it's doing the right thing and wanting a Tek with higher intelligence than it to decide.]]

* NonIndicativeName: [[spoiler:The "Red Tek" isn't red. Pointing this out leads to a Creator/StephenKing reference.]]

''Subsurface Circular'' is a text-based adventure game developed and published by Mike Bithell Games (The creators of VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone and VideoGame/{{Volume}}). The game was released for Windows-based personal computers in August 2017, and for iOS devices in October 2017.

* StealthSequel: [[spoiler:To VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone, whose [[{{Precursors}} characters]] are seen by religious Teks as "[[FantasyPantheon The Architects]]".]]

''Subsurface Circular'' is a text-based adventure game developed and published by Mike Bithell Games (The creators of VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone and Volume). The game was released for Windows-based personal computers in August 2017, and for iOS devices in October 2017.