Quarantine Circular (2018)

A vast improvement from Subsurface Circular, Quarantine Circular is a standalone sequel that tells its succinct story through engaging characters, a nice storyline, and a shift in protagonists.

The game is short, but that doesn't mean it's not a solid experience. This is the second entry in a Bithell Shorts series from the developer that focuses heavily on the story of the game, and it honestly is a must-play on Nintendo Switch. There are multiple choices to make along the way and different ways for things to play out, so you can definitely give it another go by playing it differently. And once you've completed it once, you can give it a go with the developer's commentary to gain some insight into the team's process.

Quarantine Circular's sneak release was a pleasant surprise since, after playing the previous Bithell Short, I was more than up for playing a new entry in this sub-series. The characters you'll meet feel like real human (and non-human) beings, with realistic interactions and reactions that will keep you going until the end. You're looking at a couple of hours or so to finish the game, and once you're done, you can do it all over again after activating the developer commentary track to learn more about the game and its development. I had a great time playing this one, and I look forward to the next Bithell Short!

Quarantine Circular is engaging for most of its run-time, with punchy dialogue and a slowly-unraveling story, however it didn’t land the ending and left me feeling a little flat. Regardless, I love how Bithell Games keeps experimenting and I’m looking forward to whatever it springs on us next.

Quarantine Circular boils the experience down to the basics of good storytelling and it’s worth it.