Video Game / Circus Electrique

Circus Electrique is a 2022 Role-Playing Game developed by Zen Studios and published by Saber Interactive.

Ten years after a tragic accident claimed the life of her mother, Amelia Craig is sent to witness and record the grand reopening of the Circus Electrique. But when the main attraction is unveiled - "Dr. Mabrey's Prodigious Pillar of Power" - a band of bobbies abruptly attempt to assault her! But her uncle's performers intervene, and from there, Amelia sets out to investigate the mysterious riots now erupting throughout London. Is the Pillar to blame, or is something else at fault?

The game places players in Amelia's shoes as she seeks the truth behind the outbreak of Vicious roaming the streets, assisted along the way by the various performers hired by her uncle. But that's far from his only priority; even in the midst of chaos, The Show Must Go On!

The game can be found on Steam here.

---

Circus Electrique contains examples of the following tropes:

• All Deaths Final: If a performer falls in battle, that's that. You can expect to see their obituary in the next paper.
• As You Know:
  • When conducting her first interview with her uncle, Amelia notes how she's already fully aware of his story... but figures that she could use some quotes.
    Amelia: So people believe how dumb you are.
    Ringmaster: How flattering.
  • Also seen with the reprinted newspaper articles documenting things like the rise of STEEM, and how their Mecaniques became ubiquitous sights throughout London.
• Chained by Fashion: Escape Artists wear large padlock necklaces, along with wielding lengths of chain as their weapons.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Amelia witnessed the death of her mother during the tragedy ten years ago.

• Defeat Equals Friendship: Most Vicious you beat are killed, provided you don't break their spirit and force them to flee; however, certain special opponents may survive their encounters with you and unlock new recruitable classes.
• Enemy Mime: Mimes can be found among the ranks of the Vicious, using robotic arms to create their various attacks.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Downplayed with the Ringmaster; his full name of Randolph Masters is revealed from the onset, but he's generally addressed as 'Ringmaster'.
• Everything Sounds Sexier in French: Lampshaded by the Ringmaster; during one interview, he complains that Eli was obviously mimicking him when he named his own company 'Circus Mecanique':
  Amelie: Well, his show does focus on steam-based mechanics, whereas yours favors electricity.
  Ringmaster: But neither one of us is French! I chose 'Electrique' because I thought it sounded exotic. But he chose 'Mechanique' to say 'Hey, Randy! Look at me! I can do this without you!'
• Extra! Extra! Read All About It!: Each new edition of the paper is announced by a newsie, who occasionally uses this exact phrase or variations thereof.
• Fun with Acronyms: STEEM is short for 'Solutions & Technologies from Eli Edwards' Mind'.
• Goggles Do Something Unusual: All STEEM Mecaniques require a pair of Control Specs to operate.
• In My Language, That Sounds Like...: The Ringmaster has no idea what a Fakir is, and scolds his niece when she tries to inform him.
• Intrepid Reporter: Amelia; while originally assigned to cover the reopening of her uncle's circus, she wastes no time in Going for the Big Scoop.
• Let No Crisis Go to Waste: The Ringmaster has shades of this; not only does he refuse to let the Maddening get in the way of his circus reopening, he's more than happy than to send his performers out to protect his niece while she investigates... and even happier to take the credit for their heroics.
• Loyal Animal Companion: Leonidas, a heavily scarred and half-blinded old lion who once served alongside her mother, now accompanies Amelia wherever she goes. While not as small as your typical Empathy Pet, his reactions commonly reflect hers. Particularly with all the growling.
• Morality Pet: The Ringmaster doesn't seem particularly concerned about London being torn apart by the Vicious, aside from how that impacts his business. But he does care about his niece's safety, despite their strained relationship.
• Not What I Signed on For: During the Prologue, Bertha is clearly taken aback to be promptly thrown headlong into a fight with the Vicious right after joining the Circus Electrique.
• Palette Swap: Downplayed with performers; each class offers a variety of distinctive hair and clothing styles that individuals mix and match. It's still entirely possible to end up with two characters that look exactly the same, but the odds are lowered to some extent.
• Parasol of Pain: Posh Women carry these, which double as powerful shields.
• Playing with Fire: Fire Blowers naturally have all manner of flaming attacks.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Who better to save London from the Vicious outbreak than a bunch of circus performers?
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Vicious wear glasses and goggles with lenses that glow red.
• Relationship Values:
  • Devotion reflects a performer's loyalty, enhancing the strength of certain moves along with the power of their performance during shows. Some moves require spending Devotion.
  • The Vicious have their own Devotion levels, showing their willingness to stand their ground and fight.
  • Performers also have personal preferences as to what type of acts they prefer working alongside during shows, which impacts their effectiveness.
• The Resenter: Randolph believes that Eli Edwards grew jealous of how P.T. Barnum came to favor him during their apprenticeship.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
  • If one of your Vicious adversaries loses all their Devotion, they'll flee from the fight.
  • This goes both ways; performers without Devotion can decide to permanently leave your employ.
• The Show Must Go On: While the player can opt not to put on performances, doing so helps bring in valuable resources to keep the Circus Electrique afloat. Everyone has wages to maintain, after all!
• Skewed Priorities: The Ringmaster expresses his condolences to the families of the bobbies that were killed during the outbreak... after all, he doubts they now have the funds necessary to come see their wonderful shows!
• So Long, and Thanks for All the Gear: If you've equipped any Gadgets to a performer who decides to leave, they take them with them. Averted if you opt to fire somebody.
• Steampunk: The series is set in just such a universe, where STEEM-based technology rules and you can recruit such wonders as Robot Bears to your roster.
• The Unapologetic: Mr Beaks refuses to apologize after your battle.
• Worst News Judgment Ever:
  • Zig-Zagged; the papers provide regular reports on the outcome of your shows, the enemies you tackled in your last battle, and the resources you're bringing in. Justified in that the Maddening is making it difficult for most of their staff to bring in stories, and the Ringmaster is specifically trying to attract investors by making your earnings public.
  • Another way the newspaper deals with the disruption is by reprinting old articles as headline news. This provides much of the Backstory and lore.
• You Lose at Zero Trust: If a performer's Devotion drops too low for too long, they may decide to leave the circus.

---