Circus Electrique

69%
Game Brain Score Based on 183 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Circus Electrique Game Cover
Circus Electrique combines tricky turn-based combat and circus management to create a wonderful game for those willing to learn all the mechanics.
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"Circus Electrique" is a narrative-driven, strategy-based RPG set in an alternate 19th century London. Assemble and manage a team of unique performers, each with their own skills and abilities, and lead them through electrifying circus shows and tactical combat against strange and dangerous foes. Explore and interact with a steampunk-inspired open world, solve puzzles, and uncover the mysteries behind a series of bizarre disappearances threatening the city.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Epic Games
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 183 reviews
gameplay26 positive mentions
grinding18 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique steampunk circus theme with beautiful art and engaging voice acting.
  • Combat mechanics are deep and strategic, allowing for various team compositions and tactics.
  • The circus management aspect adds an interesting layer to the gameplay, requiring players to balance resources and character roles.
  • The pacing can be tedious, with repetitive gameplay loops and a lack of meaningful progression in the mid-game.
  • Players can easily get soft-locked due to the linear map design and inability to backtrack for grinding or resource gathering.
  • Some character classes feel underwhelming or useless, leading to unbalanced team compositions and frustrating encounters.
  • gameplay84 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its similarities to "Darkest Dungeon" but criticizing its balance and execution. While some appreciate the unique mechanics and engaging circus management elements, others find the combat tedious and poorly integrated, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, the game offers a visually appealing and thematically rich experience, but its gameplay mechanics often feel overwhelming or unrefined, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

    • “A good number of well-balanced mechanics keeping the story progressing and the characters leveling at a good rhythm.”
    • “The voice acting is phenomenal, the gameplay is full of depth and engagement.”
    • “Circus Electrique combines tricky turn-based combat and circus management to create a wonderful game for those willing to learn all the mechanics.”
    • “A nice aesthetic and good voice acting/art direction are not enough to let me overlook embarrassing writing, a messy jumble of hodgepodge mechanics that don't belong in the same game, an overly fussy UI, a stale and samey gameplay loop, and weightless, mediocre combat.”
    • “While kinda engaging on one hand, on the other hand, the tedium of some of the requisite gameplay mechanics have me not really wanting to play it any longer.”
    • “Unfortunately, most of these don't mesh well with the core gameplay, leading to a tedious romp.”
  • story66 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its quirky and engaging elements, enhanced by solid voice acting and beautiful visuals, while others find it poorly written or lacking depth. Many reviews highlight the balance between story progression and gameplay mechanics, but some criticize the narrative for being predictable or not compelling enough to drive the experience. Overall, while the story adds to the atmosphere, it may not be the main draw for all players, with gameplay often taking precedence.

    • “The story is fun and I hate story-driven games, but in this game it adds to the atmosphere.”
    • “The game’s strength is in its storytelling and how well the voice acting and art complement the narrative.”
    • “The story is pretty badly written.”
    • “More than anything, there is zero sense of story or drive to your actions.”
    • “The story grips you initially, but it takes a while to develop and a lot of the initial dialogue is wasted on family feuds which offer no real substance.”
  • graphics48 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning aesthetic and unique art style, particularly the steampunk theme that enhances immersion. Many reviewers highlighted the impressive character designs and animations, noting that the visuals contribute significantly to the overall experience, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay balance and mechanics. Overall, the game's graphics are considered a standout feature, making it appealing to fans of the genre.

    • “The graphics are pleasant, using fully animated 3D models for the characters.”
    • “First and foremost, though, I absolutely loved the artwork - simply gorgeous!”
    • “The visuals are simply arresting with a unique style and sense of place.”
    • “Tl;dr - nice first impression, strong aesthetic, but ultimately a poor imitation of Darkest Dungeon with severely lacking balance in both the combat and base-building aspects.”
    • “Beside graphics and theme, this game has very little to offer you.”
    • “This is basically a clone of Darkest Dungeon with a London steampunk art style; the combat is basically the same but the balance is weird.”
  • grinding18 mentions

    Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is poorly paced and often tedious, with players feeling that it detracts from the overall experience. Many express frustration over the high resource and experience requirements, which can lead to mandatory grinding, especially in later stages. While some find the circus management element unique, it ultimately becomes repetitive and lacks sufficient challenge or variety, contributing to a sense of monotony.

    • “It's extremely poorly paced and tedious, with none of the exciting team composition building elements that the game had.”
    • “The experience requirement is so high you would be grinding for hours just for half a level.”
    • “Unfortunately, most of these don't mesh well with the core gameplay, leading to a tedious romp.”
  • optimization16 mentions

    The optimization aspect of the game is criticized for its complexity and reliance on managing a limited roster of characters with distinct skill sets for both combat and circus performances. Players find the need to meticulously plan performances cumbersome, often feeling overwhelmed by the various variables involved, while also struggling with resource management that can lead to frustration. Overall, the game presents a linear experience with repetitive mechanics that may detract from the enjoyment of optimizing character abilities and performance outcomes.

    • “Circus performances are a puzzle with 6-9 distinct variables, but the player can get the exact same reward by paying attention to only 2-3 of the variables as they can trying to optimize them all.”
    • “You have to manage your crew to maximize earning resources through both circus performances and battles.”
    • “Your roster of characters needs to divide their time between fights and performances, as each has statistics that make them ideal for certain show acts.”
    • “By only raising the skills I know I'll use (at most 50% of a character's kit, usually 20%) and avoiding upgrading the sleeping facilities and keeping my roster limited to just the folks I need for combat or performances, I'm still only a couple RNG rolls away from total starvation on normal difficulty.”
    • “Circus performances are a puzzle with 6-9 distinct variables, but the player can get the exact same reward paying attention to only 2-3 of the variables as they can trying to optimize them all.”
    • “It's a very linear game; you move through a district map one fight at a time. There is no exploration, just set up a performance before you go, then fight. No looking through the districts for secrets, just an event then a fight.”
  • music6 mentions

    The music in Circus Electrique is praised for its quality and integration into gameplay, enhancing the overall experience with a great soundtrack and first-class voice acting. However, some users find the music repetitive and lacking tension, which detracts from the game's appeal. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, it may not resonate with all players.

    • “Circus Electrique has wonderful art style and production, first-class voice acting and music, and an imaginative and original setting and scenario.”
    • “The art style, the music, in general it's just great.”
    • “This game has a lot to give, a great soundtrack, unique management elements not seen elsewhere and a fully voiced story (so rare for roguelites).”
    • “Story is boring, so is the music. 0 tension, too few classes.”
    • “The interface is incredibly busy, and the music becomes repetitive.”
  • atmosphere6 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised, characterized by great art, engaging story elements, and a fun, immersive experience. Players appreciate how the atmosphere enhances the overall enjoyment, even for those who typically dislike story-driven games. Overall, it creates a captivating environment that complements the gameplay mechanics.

    • “The story is fun, and I usually dislike story-driven games, but in this game, it adds to the atmosphere.”
    • “The beginning and the atmosphere are very good.”
    • “Great atmosphere and fun mechanics, so far!”
    • “In this game, the atmosphere feels vastly different.”
    • “The story is fun, and I usually hate story-driven games, but in this game, it adds to the atmosphere.”
    • “The game is oozing with atmosphere.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    Overall, the game is criticized for its low replayability, with many users noting a lack of compelling story and limited content to encourage multiple playthroughs. While some initially saw potential for replay value, it ultimately falls short compared to similar titles, leading to a consensus that the game does not justify its price given its short campaign and minimal incentives for replay.

    • “At first, I thought this was a good feature and added much-needed replay value.”
    • “- Not as much replay value as Darkest Dungeon.”
    • “No replay value that I find and not a lot of compelling story to go on.”
    • “Good game, although quite short and not much replayability value in my opinion.”
    • “This game has almost zero replayability at the moment.”
  • character development5 mentions

    Character development in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the unique and varied character designs that align with the circus theme, others criticize the overall character design as generic and lacking depth. The game offers a versatile selection of fighters and an engaging combat concept, but the execution of character animations and designs leaves much to be desired.

    • “The graphics are perfect for what it's going for; the character designs are unique and varying.”
    • “A versatile selection of fighters to find what suits your playstyle, enchanting character design in portraits and posters, and a reliable codex to refer to at any point.”
    • “The character design and animations are overall pretty generic.”
    • “The cartoonish art direction was intentional and meant to match the circus motif, but all you're looking at is amorphous, formless blobs for every character design.”
    • “The art is fine; it looks a bit like a PS3 game, but overall, character design and animations are pretty generic.”
    • “Character design lacks depth and variety, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game's stability is a significant concern, with users reporting numerous bugs that hinder gameplay, such as being unable to complete crafting tasks. Many players express frustration, indicating that the game would be more enjoyable if these issues were resolved.

    • “I would rate it as recommended if the game wasn't so buggy and actually playable.”
    • “I'm stuck crafting cola, but it won't let me craft it; it's buggy as hell.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted for its creativity, with players finding certain skills and elements to be quite amusing.

    • “The game features very creative skills that are quite humorous at times.”
    • “The witty dialogue and funny character interactions kept me laughing throughout.”
    • “I love how the game incorporates humor into its quests, making even the mundane tasks entertaining.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

Buy Circus Electrique

Play time

9hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
5-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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