Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2025Published by indie.io
Vartio
Developer Pepperbox Studios
Patrol a haunted forest as a lone medieval guard in this short psychological horror experience. Leave the safety of your watchtower, listen for threats in the dark, and uncover what's lurking beyond the trees—before paranoia consumes you. From the Steam store page
44 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 4, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
76
LovedLoved
32 positive · 10 negative
95% range 61–87%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 32 | 10 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
2 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
40 of 53 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
A short, atmospheric horror walking sim that divides players on payoff.
Many players praise the game's atmosphere and sound design, calling it an effective short horror experience. One player noted it 'gave me a good fright' with 'no jump scares' and 'perfect' atmosphere. Another called it 'a good short game about the anxious feeling of walking alone in the woods at night.' [3][19]
However, some players are disappointed by the lack of payoff and minimal gameplay. One described it as 'a lot of build up for next to no payoff' with 'zero scares and an extremely disappointing ending.' Another said 'the game fails to make use of its runtime' and that 'you'll be bored during most of that time.' [28][34]
Praised atmosphere · sound design · short length
Criticised lack of payoff · minimal gameplay · disappointing ending
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 7, 2026. Method
Reactions
44 of 44 · most liked firstA lot of build up for next to no payoff. Nice graphics and atmosphere but zero scares and an extremely disappointing ending. Not worth the half hour it takes to complete.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a very short game. A walking simulator with good atmosphere, essentially. Takes about half an hour to complete. It's an alright experience, keeps you entertained for a bit and is only worth some pocket change.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed the game VARTIO it's very short, maybe 20 minutes long horror walking simulator almost nothing happens I found it quite beautiful! #gamedev #indiegames store.steampowered.com/app/3639120/...
unlabelledView post →I really like the atmosphere of the game. I just wish there was more to it. Like seeing a something in the distance that disappears as it gets closer. Or maybe the path gets harder to follow in later loops. By the third loop I did't feel any sense of danger, and knew I could ignore everything and just follow the path. But I see a lot of potential if the original concept is expanded on.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I liked it. It does a lot with so little, driving you into a state of paranoia thanks to the great sound design. A good game for the price of a coffee.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As someone who is a big baby when it comes to horror games, this game gave me a good fright. No jump scares, but the atmosphere is perfect to put you in an unsettling mood. I would liken the experience to reading a nice short horror story, so if you want something quick to play with a little chill, I would recommend it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Raise your knee. Raise your other knee. Raise your foot. Raise your other foot. Walk in a circle. Not much of anything, I was so very excited for this release. Whole drive home I could not stop thinking about it. And then utter disappointment.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A good, short, unsettling game. If you've ever walked alone at night in the woods, this game will speak to that experience. The sound design is fantastic, and does most of the "horror" work. I think the simplicity of the art lends itself well to the way darkness tends to sort of flatten everything out. I really enjoyed it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A little too slow, and not enough reward.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not here to blow smoke up anyone's bum. I think this was a great little project and well worth two bucks, even if some people were disappointed. Seeing a small project like this get "mixed reviews" makes me sad because there are so many other small games that get plenty of love. I think anyone that downvotes this game just didn't have headphones in, or were expecting something more than a short cool experience. My only complaint about the game is that the audio for the "MORTIS style"…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ever been in the woods and things have just felt off? This game made me feel like that. Love the setting, atmosphere and the art style. I only wish the game was longer so we'd get to learn a bit more about the events happening in the game, I'd love to play a 2-5 hour version of this with more stuff added to it! Despite the short runtime I'd recommend giving the game a look. Hoping the devs do more with this idea!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🪵 Vartio Devlog Here’s a small update from our upcoming game Vartio. Just a few things we added lately. Nothing serious. Probably. 👁️ #indiegames #games #gamedev #steam
unlabelledView post →Vartio is just a disappointment. The game didn't look bad in the trailers, and the visuals are really good, but the game itself is literally nothing. If it were free I would understand, but for now its 4/10.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For how much money and time it's asking it's good enough. Liked the ambient sound work and atmosphere. If this is developer's test try before building something bigger around the idea, then I'd love to see and play that too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Immaculate horror vibes created from mostly audio. Definitely a fun little experience despite the lackluster ending. Worth the price of admission and 20 minutes of your time IMO. My full game playthrough (containing spoilers) can be found here: https://youtu.be/aGrxMMu1WrI?si=kUBtoIYHpEMkH91q
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A thoroughly enjoyable experience! Sets a great atmosphere, and builds tension in an exceptional way. Left me with just the right amount of questions and a looming sense of dread in my spirit. It would be incredible to see a sequel that's more of a proper game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremely simple, but very effective horror. Delicious sound design, I found myself turning in my chair to see if my cat was making noises behind me. She wasn't.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very short and unsettling horror game. Not bad at all but for its length and amount of content it should be free. Very nice!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice little horror walking sim. I grew up having to walk from my house to an outhouse to take a $h!1 in the dead of night, so this speaks to me on a primal level. For less than the price of a candy bar, this is a good deal if you just want a bite sized spooky experience with retro graphics. Fully recommend with headphones.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →a short horror game I liked it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed the simplicity, the atmosphere and the brevity.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay it gave me some shudders and creeps and gasps. Yay. Needs achievments
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good short game that makes you feel that long-forgotten feeling of being alone in the dark. Just listen to "Fear of the Dark" by Iron Maiden (or Van Canto cover) before playing this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This tiny walking simulator attempts to creep you out with as little as possible. Minimal visuals, a soundscape that gradually turns from the noises of a night forest into a dread silence, things disappearing from their places. An interesting attempt, but I can't say it was successful. Maybe it's the bright green trees in the supposedly dark forest that spoil the mood, or maybe it's too much of nothing and not enough of something. In the end, the game failed to make me feel not just fright, but…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's really not worth checking out. there's something of a framework there, but the game fails to make use of its runtime. It's 30 minutes long, but so little happens, you'll be bored during most of that time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really neat and small experience! Remind me of old and small game experiences like Calm Time and Hide (2012) :D
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a waste of time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game concept and artstyle is cool, sound design is at least ok, maybe better than just ok. However, the problem lies in that the game introduces the core that is useless - it's completely linear, or at the very least, feels like so. At some point you just give up on trying to explore anything, because you expect these actions to be useless. Hope one day we would see a proper realization of this game's idea in one form or another. But right now, it feels and plays like a usual itch io…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Vartio is a brief psychological horror experience built around a simple but effective premise: being alone in a place where every sound and shadow can become a potential threat. Developed by Pepperbox Studios and published by indie.io, it casts the player as a medieval guardsman assigned to patrol the wilderness surrounding an isolated watchtower. What begins as an ordinary night watch gradually develops into something far more unsettling as suspicious noises, disturbing discoveries, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Visually deceptive and very unnerving sound design. Very much worth the price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good game, for the price the atmosphere is great. Dark room needed!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →good suspension
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A good short game about the anxious feeling of walking alone in the woods at night. It's very brief, but does a good job building tension, and I enjoyed playing it. The visual style is simple, but conveys things well. I'm now curious about what else this little studio has made.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It certainly was an eyeful
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →does a lot with very little, great sound design.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a short and sweet horror game that will keep you on edge through out it. The sound design does an excellent job on keeping you on your toes the entire time alongside the shifting forest and the horrors within. Would recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →all that ill say is never finished and I instantly became aware of where my door is.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was soo good, is really made me feel afraid of something out in the dark, something following my steps
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Must play with stereo sound! Game creates a spooky atmosphere as you slowly patrol a Forest. You don't get bombarded by loud noises or cheap jump scares. Just a simple path to follow with subtle changes and well crafted ambient sounds to invoke curiosity and fear. The game is very short but that's probably for the best due to the limited game play. Cool concept and worth the small price. One thing I would like to see added is an achievement for finishing the game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was short and the point. I find that since I'm more sensitive to audio, it made this game 100% more scary. I recommend playing this if you want a short experience. Totally worth the time and money. Also it was really scary at the end, like I was paranoid.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Visually interesting, but no real payoff.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great Sound and audio story while not much you get the jest of it Really an awesome game for the price ^^
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing sound design, very unsettling atmosphere that makes you paranoid.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A short horror walking sim set in the same universe as Kaamos. It has good atmosphere but only a few scares and it leaves you wanting for more. Still, it's worth checking out.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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