The Game Census
The Subject cover art

The Subject

DarkStone Digital · 2018-11-30

Steam

AdventureIndie

Modes: Single player · Perspectives: First person

Releases: Feb 25, 2019 (Linux), Nov 30, 2018 (PC (Microsoft Windows))

You have been taken prisoner and sold to a deep space testing facility. Upon arrival, you are fitted with a device forcing you to participate in their experiment. Released into a massive complex, the dark halls wind around testing rooms and conceal pieces to puzzles. There is no option but to comply.

69%
positive of 61 reviews
Mixed
steam's rating (official)
0–20,000
owners (SteamSpy est.)
70/100
IGDB user rating (0 ratings)
pending
deck/linux tier (ProtonDB)
$4.99
steam price (US)

In 2194 humanity has populated the entire galaxy. As our existence expanded, crime became harder and harder to control in the vast reaches of space. As a result, laws became more strict. Government attempts to wrangle the issue bolstered a growing police force and, over many years, the reach of law enforcement grew larger and more aggressive. The general population, simply wanting to feel safe, grew more accepting and the first fully commercially run prison systems took form. Nearly one hundred years later, in 2290 imprisonment is common place. A blind trust has been placed in the commercial (Storyline via IGDB)

Health check

Quiet
  • · 8 reviews in the last 8 weeks (~1/week).
  • · Review velocity up 0% vs the prior 8 weeks.
  • · Top 54% of 23,645 Adventure games in the census by review count.
Estimated sales: 1.5k–3.7k copies

Review-multiple estimate from 61 total reviews — how this is computed.

All-time low: $0.99 at Steam (2025-07-02) · bundled 1×via IsThereAnyDeal

12-month high $4.99 · on sale 2 of 5 observed days (census price snapshots)

Review momentum

PositiveNegative
131320182025Week of 2018-12-01: 13 positiveWeek of 2018-12-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2019-01-01: 4 positiveWeek of 2019-02-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2019-03-01: 2 positiveWeek of 2019-03-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2019-06-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2019-08-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2019-08-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2019-12-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2020-02-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2020-04-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2020-05-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2020-06-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2020-10-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2021-01-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2021-02-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2021-03-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2021-03-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-01-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2022-03-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2022-04-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2022-04-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-05-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-06-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-11-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2023-05-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2023-12-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2025-08-01: 1 positive
Weekly review counts (Steam review histogram). Positive above the line, negative below.

Price history

$10.99$0.992018-12-012026-03-262018-12-01 — best price $7.992018-12-31 — best price $4.992019-02-04 — best price $7.992019-04-22 — best price $5.992019-05-13 — best price $4.992019-07-09 — best price $4.992019-08-04 — best price $7.992019-09-20 — best price $7.992019-11-01 — best price $7.992019-12-19 — best price $2.742020-04-14 — best price $2.192020-06-29 — best price $7.992020-07-13 — best price $7.992020-10-19 — best price $7.992020-11-02 — best price $7.992020-12-01 — best price $7.992021-01-05 — best price $7.992021-02-15 — best price $4.992021-07-08 — best price $4.992022-10-26 — best price $4.242023-01-05 — best price $4.992023-03-23 — best price $4.992023-05-01 — best price $4.992023-07-13 — best price $4.992023-09-25 — best price $4.992023-11-02 — best price $4.992023-11-28 — best price $4.992024-01-04 — best price $4.992024-03-21 — best price $4.992024-07-11 — best price $4.992024-11-04 — best price $4.992024-12-04 — best price $4.992025-07-10 — best price $4.992025-10-06 — best price $4.992026-01-05 — best price $4.992026-03-26 — best price $4.99
Lowest recorded price across tracked stores, per day (census snapshots).

Details

WindowsLinuxSingle-playerSteam AchievementsPartial Controller SupportFamily Sharing

Player tags

IndieHorrorPuzzleSci-fiMysterySurrealSurvivalThrillerAdventureRealistic

Census log

Computed from census-recorded observations only — dates are observation dates.

Players also track

House of CaravanVignettesAmnesia: RebirthBendy and the Dark RevivalEscape the AyurokMADiSONFears to Fathom - Norwood HitchhikeThe Baby In Yellow

Similarity via IGDB.

Official site ↗