Circus Electriqueintroduces asteampunkversion of 1890s London wherein two circus ringmasters vie for the public’s attention using an array of mechanical marvels, even as the citizens and constabulary of the era fall into a state of deepening madness. Amelia, an intrepid reporter with close ties to the key individuals involved, assembles an army of circus performers to secure the peace and unmask the mastermind responsible for the chaos.
Gameplay spans multiple genres, blending strategic combat, exploration, and resource management while weaving a mystery underpinned by themes of family and redemption. Even at the lowest difficulty setting, the adventure demands that players quickly come to terms with its intricate systems and offer ample rewards to those who rise to the challenge.
An in-game day inCircus Electriquefollows a comfortable routine. First, players prepare their crew in the circus camp. If they haven’t already scheduled a multi-day spectacle, they might plan a performance under the big top by assigning desired roles to crew members, which will generate precious resources once the show concludes. Next, they head out to a map and advance through nodes to engage in special events. Eventually, they reach a combat node and battle an army of “Vicious” enemies. Once that conflict ends, they return home to receive their rewards and to read about their escapades in the daily newspaper. Then it’s time to tackle the next day, or perhaps consult ahelpful online beginner’s guideto figure out what just went wrong.
The camp menu doesn’t initially offer many options; a few limited “buildings” available prove woefully inefficient. As players gain experience in combat, events, and as a reward for putting on dazzling performances, the camp expands to offer new buildings with greater potential. Players then invest their limited resources to improve their situation. They might upgrade the train that allows them to recruit new performer types, for instance, or the sleeping tent where exhausted allies recover their strength between excursions.
Circus performances are optional; however, they provide vital resources. Better shows offer the best rewards but come with stricter requirements. They may require players to assign—for instance—a strongman, a clown, a fire breather, and an illusionist.One clown is not the same as the next, either; a clown with an arrow pointing downward on his profile portrait might contribute less to a performance than one with an arrow pointing to the left or right. The next time around, the rules might change. Players must plan carefully and recruit only the most versatile performers, giving thought not only to a performer’s combat prowess and skills, but to their ability to dazzle crowds when they’re on the bench.
With preparations completed, players head to the streets. They can freely view a region’s entire map, including any known paths linking nodes. One trip through a branching area is not enough to access everything, meaning players must choose which route to follow and hope they have plotted a course that secures the most immediately useful equipment and items. Later, they can “reset” a region and pass through it again along alternate routes, but the attendant cost is high at first, and it slows progression through the story.
Special events on the map fall into various categories, typically featuring games of chance or moderate skill. Players meet roaming bands of street urchins who challenge them to coin tosses, or they spin a wheel to determine whether character attributes net them a prize, or shop from a traveling merchant, among other diversions. Sometimes, they simply must choose between dialog options, which might lead to additional resources or a round of fisticuffs. Familiarity allows players to recognize what they might encounter ahead of time, but the “?” nodes are a mystery. Eventually, combat occurs.
Despite effective window dressing and vital diversions that might suggest otherwise, combat lies atCircus Electrique’s heart. With very few exceptions, a confrontation pits four player characters against an equal enemy force. The winning team either vanquishes or chases away all members of the opposing force. However, the player hasn’t really “won” if friendly circus performers fall, because the game takes theFire Emblemapproach and deletes the ones who fall in combat. It’s possible to recruit replacements from the train back at base camp, but the cost is sometimes prohibitively significant.
Battles are turn-based, with character initiative determining who acts when. Skills available to a character depend on the persistent “devotion” meter, as well as placement. A character might occupy any of four slots and possesses six active skills along with one or two passive ones. Position determines which skills are currently accessible, as well as which enemy or friendly units they affect. As placement is vital during combat, various abilities shuffle characters around. Characters can also spend a turn moving from one position to another.
Another factor to consider is battlefield composition. Smog, weather, time of day, and even the size of any onlooking crowd impact how hard attacks hit. A fire breather strikes harder at night but loses that spark when it’s raining. Environments also lead to other effects, such as improved efficiency with electricity or ranged attacks, or a loss of HP or devotion at the end of each round. The amount of devotion a player possesses also plays a significant role. It might prompt a character to enter a heightened state of mind that leads to more powerful attacks and buffs, or cause that same character instead to sustain damage or miss its targets more easily.
While combat complexity turns most early encounters into harrowing experiences, players who persevere may find that conflict eventually becomes rote. The same few classes are useful for much of the campaign, even when more dynamic options emerge. Experimentation, though tempting, feels costly because the cost of failure might be multiple dead characters and expensive recruitment costs. A test tent in camp facilitates more experimentation, but overall there’s little incentive to veer far from a proven roster and ample reason not to.
Sometimes,Circus Electriquesimply feels too complex for its own good. Screens are stuffed full of icons and data that aren’t thoroughly explained (when they’re mentioned at all). In-game prompts remind players to consult the codex if they need a refresher, and they very well may. There’s a ton of data to parse and balance while progressing through the campaign. Seemingly minor mistakes, made either due to impatience or ignorance, quickly mount. The player may arrive in an untenable position that makes every path forward feel like a mistake.
While that criticism might seem difficult to overcome, the game boasts a charming plot that compels a person to keep playing through just a few more battles at a time to learn more about Amelia and her tragic past, and about the quirky characters she calls family and friends. The aesthetic is also pleasant, with washed-out newspaper images, and music befitting the era that cracks and pops like a vinyl record. There also are some clever jokes in dialog and in the menus to reward observant players who appreciate dry humor. On a more practical level, there’s a lot of satisfaction in seeing favorite performers grow more lethal in battle as they master their skills. The sheer number of characters in the mix means something new always lies just around the corner.
Though likely to chase away those easily frustrated by complex systems,Circus Electriqueoffers more than enough surprises to entertain players for the couple dozen hours they’ll likely spend clearing its entire campaign. Unforgiving combat and the constant need to monitor resources demand the player’s attention, while the unique blend of genres rewards them with inventive new experiences. Juggling everything at once might be a bit more than some people are ready for, but that’s what a circus is for.
Circus Electriqueis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Game Rant was provided a Switch code for this review.
