Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2021
Growing Up
Developer Vile Monarch
This is the story of your life. Experience the entire journey from toddler to adulthood. Go to schools, learn new things, meet new friends, and have wild adventures! Every choice you make will influence your future career, and decide who your romantic partner will be. Who will you become? From the Steam store page
191 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Mastodon) · newest Oct 5, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
86
LovedLoved
164 positive · 26 negative
95% range 81–90%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 164 | 26 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
1 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
3,275 of 3,735 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 191 · most liked firstGrow up in the United States during peak 1990s. Information • 12 romanceable characters? (There a guides that claim they know each characters’ romantic preferences, but I keep finding conflicting info, and experiencing different stuff in playthroughs. I honestly have no idea what the characters’ official preferences are supposed to be. This is why, for game mechanic simplicity, everyone should be bisexual.) • 52 career endings. • Typical gender binary assigning at birth. No option…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →okay, so, this game was decent. if we're using the rating system i use i would give it three stars. which translates to "there are a few awesome things about it, but there are also a few things wrong with it." to be clear, i played through the first main story, and got to the beginning of when the kid i grew up as had his own kid. the good things are: the writing was decent. i like the way they characterized people and the dialogue didn't feel offensive or emersion breaking, honestly all the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gets very repetative dont mind the simulation, but could do with more story.. College -> Adulthood. Its like it has the start, gets to the middle and resets. While the game will let you go through multiple generations there is little in the way of agency, and what you did in 1st gen, will essentially have zero impact on 2nd gen. In fact it practically is a repeat effectively time-warping backwards with random dice roll as to which friends will get introduced. The adults around town also are…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →- Was born - learned to crawl - face planted a lot - got older - made friends with the weird kid who got bullied - turns out I suck at math just like in real life - broke some stuff - set out to be an artist - got older - the quiet kid got a crush on me - helped a negging jerk with his aspirations - got older - dad told me boys won't like me if I'm too fat - barely balanced crippling school work and parental expectations with mental health (apparently playing catch is more important than acing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was hoping for a bit more after we finished school but there wasn't. I love the mind map a lot but can't help but feel there was so much that could have been done with this game or at least have the ending a bet more drawn out and layered based off your personality or something.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If your mental health gets poor, it's simply a game over as you are doomed to take antidepressants forever. Who the hell wrote this as an ending and why do you think this is ok? Beyond the ignorant "Bad End", it's truly a dice roll of events. Everyone person I met was not interested in my character romantically, so I ended up getting a wife slightly off screen and having a child to do it all over again. Best part is that your previous character becomes the same parent that was terrible to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A bit of a disappointing game. Graphics are stunning and the concept is great. However, some parts of it got more frustrating than entertaining. For starters, I think that the mental health/parental support balance is far too unbalanced. The parents get so easily disappointed for things they should be happy their kid is doing (eg. going out and doing things, I understand why it removes some approval but -8 for skateboarding??? An outside activity that most parents would be pretty supportive…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love being able to play with generations of the same family, but the game get's a bit repetitive if you play for long enough. Do recommend though, for relaxing gameplay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Solidly fun. I won't pretend its perfect, as those looking for flaws will find them, but I've been having a lot of fun with this. The biggest issue that I've had is how it ends with graduating high school, and while I know why that is, it still leaves me wanting more. Which, if a game leaves you feeling like its biggest flaw is that you want more of it? It's why I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who's into life sims or other "playing with dolls" type games! (Tho, maaaybe wait for it to go…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i played this game and tried to romance felicity as a woman. cried when i found out i couldn't and set my house on fire. 10/10 game but now i'm in jail someone bail me out please 😔 EDIT: whoever you are.. thank you for bailing me out <3 i'm "definitely" a changed woman now heheh
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love this game down! HATE that it stops as soon as you become an adult! PLEEEEASSE.. DLC for adults/continuation of adult situation that can altered life!!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game isnt as fun as its colorful visuals might suggest. In fact, its very, very repetitive. The player simply has to find the perfect balance between happiness and relationship with characters parents, and stick to that strategy. There are other, more effective ways to improve characther grades and boost mood. Its a shame that once u ve exceeded a certain score on the final exam, u dont earn any more points. Finding the balance isnt that hard — u just have to constantly calculate and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It was fun at the start but gets extremely repetitive, especially the puzzles. I wish there was more content with the player character's family aside from them giving you endless sidequests that also get repetitive. I would have rated this game positively if it wasn't for the disappointing ending. You just finish another puzzle for the SATs and then they tell you what happened to your character with a rushed time skip. If you also didn't feel like romancing any of your friends, the game just…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Normal Rating: 3/5 | Completionist Rating: 2/5 Full YouTube Review: [url=https://youtu.be/IRdSei0dsLs]Click Here! Growing Up is a life management sim where you guide a character from childhood to adulthood over 18 years, shaping their skills and relationships. The core idea of guiding your character through 18 years is quite compelling, and the initial execution, especially the early elementary- and middle-school friendship stages, is super charming and feels genuinely real. However, the game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A great pick for anyone who enjoys narrative-based life or raising sims. I’ve played through a few generations now, and while there are things that could be refined in a sequel, overall it’s a thoughtful and fun game - especially for the price. Visuals & Music The art style is honestly one of the best in the genre. It’s warm, expressive, and fits perfectly with the story’s tone. The soundtrack also deserves praise - chill, nostalgic, and really sets the mood. Customisation Being able to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I always go back to this store page to see if there any other games like this. It's just the best for my silly sim-loving brain. The gameplay is so deliciously mindless but relaxing. The art is fantastic. I just want more incredibly basic 'princess builder' style games like this. Raise from birth and put x points into y to create z outcome.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Growing Up is a stat-raising life sim where you raise a child from birth to age 18 by having them learn skills, organize their schedule, fulfill parental expectations, and manage their mental health. Along the way, you'll have the opportunity to make friends with other characters, and ultimately unlock an ending based on your skills and stats at graduation. The gameplay loop is pretty simple. Each turn, you select which attributes to level up in a minigame called the brain map. Then, you're…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is at times tedious I will admit that. But I love this game.. It's just chill. Every now and then I will play this game for a while daily, then not touch it for a while.. But will always get back to it pretty much. I really wish there'd come more to it tho, but sadly I don't think it'll happen. But I'd love for it to get a DLC with new stuff, new characters... Or maybe a 2nd game with new people. The achievements are decent enough to do, although some of them was a bit... harder to get.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While I really did find the mechanics of the game fun once I figured them out and the overall story can be enjoyable, I think the fact that one of the characters will kill themselves if you do ONE thing wrong is gross. It's basically saying its your fault as the player. Really doesn't sit well with me at all..... I also truly hate the fact that the final puzzle is what seems to determine your outcome in life; sure the higher your exam readiness is, the more moves you get, but it doesn't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →♫ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: childhood i dream - prombl Growing Up is a pretty solid coming-of-age simulator with a visual novel twist, where every little thing really affects who your character will be by age 18. The artwork is super pleasant and cozy, both the characters and the overall environment, making it easy to get lost in the vibe of childhood and youth. The main thing is that the game has you go through the full cycle: from picking your parents at the start to the final graduation exam. You’ve…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not a bad game kinda needs more added to it. Like siblings or something but eh
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Contents include: Suicide, Under-Aged Drinking, Heavy Swearing, Drug Addiction ... I did not get that vibe from the promo materials... not my scene, I tried to get it refunded but like the hours i tried to like this game, not likely... the girl with a prosthetic also spontaneously referred to herself with a slur which i did not like,,, what the heck.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is very much like I Was A Teenage Exocolonist. Many different ways to play, you get better each time, you know more, and get a feel for navigation. I love that you continue the generations with the first character you play being the parent of the next. Very fun!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A really fun, addicting game. I got all achievements because I quickly got sucked into trying to see all the possible endings, careers, friendships, and romances. The gameplay is simple and super repetitive though, and I found myself groaning a lot toward the end when I was just trying to see the last few things I was missing. In terms of plot, don't expect anything too deep. The main appeal is watching your character age and grow as you develop their skills (or don't, and just slack off). The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →5/10 Had a lot of potential but is ultimately disappointing. Gameplay becomes repetitive after a couple of hours. Romances revolve around trauma bonding with romancable NPCs, which means that any resemblance of a story requires you to pick choices that please the NPCs because the player characters has zero personality or personal desire. Strange career algorithm. Presumably, if I max out the journalism skill I should be able to get a job as a journalist right? Nope, apparently my grades are…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I like the slow development idea for sure. It is enjoyable as a kind of strategy game. I'd like to have more interaction with more characters. Very limited interaction with the few other characters who enter the story. The game needs more characters, more personal interaction, more potential for conflict and struggle. What about bad parents? Like, really bad parents?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you liked Volcano Princess, Chinese Parents or the classic Princess Maker series, you'll likely enjoy this too. I loved the different stories that you can have with characters! And it was an unexpected surprise that the npcs have canonical sexualities rather than folding for your mc regardless of what (I still can NOT believe that Felicitie is straight). The gameplay loop was interesting, if a bit stale after some playthroughs, but that is to be expected. I loved that the npc stories tackle…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this through my friend's account so the time played is incorrect. Growing Up is essentially a visual novel where you play through 18 years of a character's life learning new skills, going to school, working, and making friends. Different skills have different attribute requirements you need to meet to unlock them. They all require spending knowledge points, but they also have their own requirement such as intelligence, charm, memory, and so on. The basic gameplay loop consists of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've done 3 or 4 playthroughs now and I gotta say I love this game. It's fun, its relaxing, the character stories are actually good enough I couldn't predict the endings of most of them, and as an avid reader that was a pleasant surprise! I love the puzzles and the way the brain system works. If you ever make another game like this I'd be happy to play it!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Such a cute life sim. At 26hrs in, I've played the game a few times over looking for different outcomes. Its been great! Highly recommend if you like games such as Volcano Princess, Chinese Parents, Magical Princess etc
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So many options and ways for a life to go! Great options for clothing and a mood/health bar just challenging enough to keep gameplay interesting. You can really play this with any future in mind and get a different ending. I love the way you can play through lifetimes and play as your children. If you love cosy, casual, story-rich games this is for you. :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is such a fun game, I really wish they were still adding new characters and features. This reminds me a lot of Whimsel Academy, and I was a Teenage Exocolonist. I had a lot of fun throughout the 22 hours I played. I will say that after about 8 playthroughs, the game becomes very repetitive since there is a limit to the number of NPCs and future jobs.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Your male character is born in a non-white family, and your parents are two dads. Then you have a childhood friend. He turns out to be gay, and later will make a move on you. Then... don't worry, you'll have a second childhood friend, who'll be a straight female. With disability. Then you'll meet another person, who's a nice girl! Except she's into girls, not boys. And then you'll grow up and somehow become a college dean with a random noname partner (or without any partner) that you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it's a good game, and i originally thought i would've played for a bit, then hop off to play it another time, but the whole playthrough i was hooked for almost 5 hours straight in the middle of night, it was very interesting! i was saddened however after you passed the SAT, you couldn't continue your adult life, even when hyped by the game with the SAT heavily influencing the future. 9/10 game, would recommend
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is like a more polished Chinese Parents but set in the U.S. in the 90's. Very similar mechanics and does get grindy, but the friends and love interests actually have interesting and coherent storylines. Their arcs deal with real issues, like substance abuse and body image, and your choices truly do have an impact on how their story plays out. I appreciate that it's open to queer relationships and I was satisfied with Alicia's ending. Honestly, in terms of what could be improved, the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fun game not worth the price
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is super entertaining! But, there's some clear bias towards LGBTQ & POC. I've played through 5 generations and have been going for a straight, white character the whole time. Because that's what I am in real life. A straight white girl. And this game almost DEMANDS that you're gay, or black, or both. That part is pretty annoying. It also sells the idea that you'll never meet the same character twice, and that's not true. Every time you unlock the mall in a life, you meet the same…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A great game, I wasn't expecting to stay so long on it! Full playthrough of one life is about 4 hours, but it is a completely different game each time. Not sure how many combinations of choices there are, but a lot! Also thought it was cute that if you successfully complete the game, your next life will have your first character as a parent. Would love to see a sequel continuing life through adulthood!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really love the game, I recommend it a whole lot. I just have things I wish was in there. A texting or phone system- I kinda wish there were another why to talk to people other than cutscenes and at the school I might be a little nic picky, but I also wish the parents proudness didn't only grow from doing work for school. I wish it's when you earned money or did something that rose certain areas (like Physique and intelligences). I also wish there was more Varity in your life. I don't know…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am so surprised by the overwhelming positive reviews. I love life management sim. I love managing my characters stats and relationships to see how it's going to affect his life. I put over 100h in Exocolonist exactly because of that. But here I got bored almost instantly. I didn't even got to meet any character because of uninterested I was in the gameplay Had it been a game on phone, I would've say "Cool game to kilm some time", but to play on computer/steam deck, the brain map/schedule…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hate myself for buying this. I tried to grow up twice but its so boring that I cant even make it past preschool before giving up out of boredom. Maybe it becomes fun after several hours, but I'm not the type to keep playing a game if it can't capture me in the beginning. It doesn't help that the music is is terrible... So like you're sitting there playing this slow, boring game while being taunted by super gay music. Repetitive torture. I recommend this for people who like dress up mobile…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fun with different stories but repetitive buy on sale
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The gameplay hook is okay for one run-through - but you may need to do dozens. So, you better prep yourself for RSI, because youre going to be doing the same boring clicks again and again... and again! No speeding through dialog you've seen a dozen times before, or skipping mini-games that effectively just waste your time Not a single character comes from a healthy background. Its like some diseased mental hellscape where all the children are broken (and dull). Is this hell? I must already be…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you love a story based game this is awesome. its a lot like bitlife on the phone. but better. I just wish it would go past high school.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game feels pretty boring overall. It’s repetitive, and most choices don’t really feel like choices—you’re basically picking between “study” or “don’t,” with very little in between. There’s rarely anything unique or interesting happening, which makes it hard to stay engaged. I also found the “surprise me” option for parents frustrating. Every time I tried it, I was given a same-sex couple. I’m all for inclusivity, but when it happens every single time, it stops feeling like a surprise and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Generally pretty fun *initially* but it becomes boring after a few playthroughs as it lacks story, meaningful moments/relationships, unbalanced mental health/parents satisfaction, very few choices to make your character your own, no content warnings (i.e. drugs, suicide, self harm, eating disorders, etc.), your parents are awful at points (not to mention characters lose ALL of their personality/characterization), zero impact on generations, etc. Don't get me wrong I do enjoy this game and am…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I absolutely adore this game! My main focus was on my characters ending and the romance part is just a plus. The story with each character is good, but I found it tiring for fixing their issues. Everyone just had a tragic story mc needed to fix. I appreciate creating characters who are straight too. Most games would just want everyone to be bi. Hopefully you guys will release DLCs for additional characters and scenes tho. At first I thought there would be more after graduation. lol Anyway.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its okay.. i expected way more. its pretty repetitive after the first run and gets boring. the mechanism to keep the parents happy and mental health is annoying, the candy land matching thing from exams is annoying since no matter how much u study it doesn't really change that much. 5.5/10 only buy it if its on sale tbh
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Growing Up is a thoughtful and surprisingly expansive life-simulation game that sets out to model the messy, unpredictable journey from birth to adulthood through a blend of narrative choice, stat management, and relationship building. Developed by Vile Monarch and published by Vile Monarch alongside Spiral Up Games, the title distinguishes itself by focusing not on fantasy or spectacle, but on the ordinary milestones of growing up—school, friendships, family expectations, hobbies, heartbreak,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a raising/stat sim, the gameplay loop is pretty good. It can be a pain to get certain endings/unlocks if you don't know what you're doing, and the RNG for certain events can be annoying, but I enjoyed it. The story isn't as rewarding or fulfilling as other games in the genre, though, especially after your first few playthroughs. And there's so little carry-over from one generation to the next that you might as well start fresh every time. It's not for everyone, but if you get it on sale it's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A delightfully charming life-sim with calming puzzle mechanics. The biggest downfall to the game is definitely the repetitiveness of some of the dialogue (specifically with the parents). But overall, the compelling storylines and complex characters within the story more than make up for it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly a bit dissapointed with this. All the reviews praised the game. But I found it very repetitive and a bit boring at times. Theres definitely a lack of characters, and my ending didnt make senes at all, saying "I've always been into technology and computers", when I never even touched that skill.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This one is really fun, though not really a life sim. You control a child growing up and what they're into, but I never got the sense that I was really in control of a human, just a bunch of stats. Like, I got a guy who did a lot of cooking, is friends with the loner weirdo and ended up becoming a teacher. But all I did was invest time and effort in a bunch of stats I watched going up, rather than do what felt like meaningful choices. This is not to say this is a bad game, just not as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lot of fun! wish there were more characters.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this game a few years ago on my phone and honestly didn’t expect it to stick with me at all. Just a visual novel with some pretty rad mechanics, but somehow it ended up leaving a real impression. Even now, certain social situations still make me think of it, and I’ve got this weird little summer nostalgia attached to it for some reason. I bought it and finished it in less than a week cause I really wanted to see the whole story. Back then I gave it a 9/10, and now that number has…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love this game a bit repetitive and challenging but its still rlly fun
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →hated every character in my two playthroughs besides Nathan <3 he's an icon, he's a legend and he is the moment. all in all, my guy is such a cutie patootie, you сan buy the game just to meet him. thx for the attention, fellows. buy on the hu-u-uge sale though
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The main appeal of this game is the visual novel segments, and the gameplay is fun enough to buoy you from scene to scene without feeling like a chore initially; it is insanely easy, though. If you're looking for an excuse to get emotionally attached to fictional characters and something that is technically a game, you should probably go for this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gameplay is very easy but very addicting, great to play when you're bored. So many unlockable careers and romancable characters, however they can get kind of repetitive if you want to 100% it. I love games like this though, need more in this specific genre (like teenage exocolonist-even needy streamer overload, though thats more adjacent). The art is also great. Ways I would improve this game: Give me a sequel first off! More characters, and I would love if we could give ourselves more of a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: Gameplay loop is addictive. Cons: Gameplay loop is addictive.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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