Indiana Jones is easily one of the most iconic film franchises of all time. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the series pays homage to classic adventure stories and real-life paleontologists, with quests that take the titular character around the world in locales rife with history, culture, and mythology. Harrison Ford has brought the character to life for nearly forty-five years, with the most recent entry in the film franchise being Dial of Destiny in 2023.
However, unlike its sister franchise, Star Wars, the franchise hasn’t made as many leaps in the medium of video games. There are select examples that are either more traditional point-and-click adventures, action-packed 3D platformers, or LEGO games, but these are few and far between. Usually, the legacy of Indiana Jones has been maintained in the medium through spiritual successors such as Tomb Raider or Uncharted.
I was cautiously optimistic when Bethesda announced an Indiana Jones game that MachineGames would develop. I’d always been a fan of the Indiana Jones franchise, and I’d been yearning for a proper adaptation to the gaming medium that wasn’t the LEGO games for a while (I do love those LEGO games, though, don’t get me wrong). When Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was properly revealed, my excitement only grew.
After around fifteen hours of playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, I can confidently say that my optimism more than paid off. It’s easily one of my favorite games released this year and is a worthy addition to one of my favorite franchises of all time.
A Globe-Trotting Exploration of the Great Circle
The Great Circle takes place after the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and before the events of The Last Crusade. Whereas in a lot of Star Wars games, the use of a timeline is mostly relegated to explaining why you’re fighting Storm Troopers instead of Clone Troopers, where The Great Circle fits into the series, is a very key part of the narrative.
The game starts a year after the events of Raiders. Indiana is still working at Marshall College, he’s still hunting for the fertility idol that Belloq stole at the beginning of Raiders, and Marion has left him for what is neither the first nor the last time. When the mysterious giant, Locus, breaks in to steal a recently uncovered cat mummy, Indy views it as an excuse to run from all of his issues while doing what he loves.
Along the way, he’ll encounter Gina, an investigative journalist searching for her lost sister, the reliable priest Antonio, the genius fellow archaeologist Nawal, and the revolutionary Pailin. Jones will also once again face off against Locus, played by the late Tony Todd, as well as the diabolical Nazi archaeologist Emmerich Voss.
Of course, you can’t talk about an Indiana Jones story without talking about the man himself. Troy Baker brings the character to life and faithfully portrays Harrison Ford’s personality and mannerisms from the original three films. While Baker tends to appear in most popular games released in the last twenty years, I can safely say that his performance as Indiana Jones is one of his best. He’s able to capture the character’s humorous and more emotional moments in equal measure with ease.
Another key piece of the franchise is the way it tackles real-life history, mythology, culture, and mysteries. Unlike the Crystal Skull, Holy Grail, Ark of the Covenant, or the other artifacts from the franchise’s history, the idea of a “great circle” that connects history’s greatest sites isn’t something that is traditionally believed in the real world. However, there are allusions to Christian, Hebrew, Latin, Egyptian, and South Asian history. The mystery at the heart of the Great Circle is also delightfully compelling, and there were several moments that had my jaw on the floor.
Every location you explore, from the Vatican to Thailand, is beautifully realized. Their cultures are properly woven into the story and honored in their portrayals. Further, the visuals are absolutely stunning. This applies to not just the many locations you explore but also the characters you meet. Indiana Jones himself looks fantastic and feels like he’s been pulled right from the film. There are a few hiccups here and there, but that’s likely due to me running the game on the Xbox Series X|S. I imagine these will be solved when it comes to PlayStation 5.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feels like it belongs alongside the other entries in the series. There are countless pieces of foreshadowing for The Last Crusade, references to Raiders and Temple of Doom, and even some potential easter eggs that hint at more sequels. Personally, I’d be more than satisfied with a sequel to The Great Circle, as the possibilities for further adventures for the beloved archaeologist are seemingly endless.
Part of the reason I’d be thrilled with another entry from MachineGames is due to the gameplay. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s gameplay is delightful and feels like the perfect combination of stealth and action.
Fight With Your Fists, Your Mind, And Anything Else You Can Grab
When they first announced that MachineGames would be working on a new Indiana Jones game, I had a sneaking suspicion it would be first-person. After all, the developers had previously worked on the Wolfenstein reboots. While the choice of perspective was clearly very divisive for people when The Great Circle was fully shown off, I was always slightly optimistic about it. I believed it was a great way to differentiate from similar games like Uncharted and Tomb Raider, and I couldn’t be happier to be right.
The first-person perspective adds so much depth to the gameplay of The Great Circle. Every puzzle, every fight, and even the small moments where you’re exploring countless historical areas all feel more personal and immersive. It’s a bit of a cliche to say that this game made me “feel like Indiana Jones,” but that phrase actually applies here. I appreciate the different perspectives, and I hope that more games utilize first-person instead of the tried and true third-person.
That said, Indiana Jones still does have third-person to an extent. In certain moments, either when Jones is climbing a ladder, moving objects for a puzzle, or traversing along a thin path, the game will pull back and focus on the titular character. It’s a great choice that makes it feel like you’re watching one of the films. The switching between perspectives is never too distracting, and they never break my immersion.
As for the actual moment-to-moment gameplay, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is divided into three gameplay phases: exploration, puzzles, and combat. Starting with exploration, Indy is placed into three major areas throughout The Great Circle: The Vatican, Egypt, and Thailand. These are massive hubs that are all teeming with life. Sometimes, they’re often too big, though. I kind of wish there were more ways to travel, especially since Thailand utilizes a boat and Indy has used a motorcycle in the past, but it’s not too bad; it’s just a frustrating thing I noticed.
There are bad guys you can fight and stores you can purchase items from. There are also NPCs and quite a few different side quests. Some are deep narratives that add to the overall mystery of the titular Great Circle or add to the game’s themes. There are also smaller quests that focus on solving a puzzle, like decoding a cipher, finding bottles of medicine throughout the world, or unraveling a tomb that belonged to the mysterious Nephilim Order.
Exploration feels very satisfying, and the way it blends into the other two phases of gameplay is nearly seamless. Usually, exploration leads to a big puzzle. Despite my aversion to most gaming puzzles, I actually really liked a lot of the puzzles. It was rare that I needed help from a guide, and if I found myself struggling, I could take a picture of the puzzle with my camera. Indy will then discuss one of the potential steps for the puzzle in character. It’s great, and it helps that when you do solve a puzzle without any assistance, you feel like an absolute genius.
Combat, on the other hand, is surprisingly in-depth and unlike anything I’ve played in a long time. For the most part, you’ll be spending a lot of your time sneaking around behind enemies. Make no mistake, though, this isn’t Metal Gear Solid, and Indiana Jones isn’t an elite super soldier. If you get into a fight with nothing but a whip and your fists, you can last pretty long in a one-on-one fight. However, the moment other enemies start barging in, and you take out your revolver, they will respond in kind and gun you down in seconds.
That said, Jones is very crafty. He can utilize items in the environment as tools, such as a bottle as a distraction, or a hammer to knock out an enemy in one hit. Each item has durability, although, there are plenty of these items scattered around a combat area. In combat encounters I’d be switching between my revolver, a hammer, and guns scattered across the world. I felt more like an underdog as I slowly worked my way through enemies, and its very satisfying.
I will say that, weirdly enough, my least favorite part of gameplay was the whip. Maybe I just didn’t understand how it functioned, but every time I’d try and use it against an enemy to disarm them, it wouldn’t work at all. When I’d stun them, it would only lock them in place for a few seconds, so it wasn’t very useful in that aspect either. I didn’t end up using it very much, which is a shame since it’s such a key part of the Indiana Jones mythos.
As a whole, though, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s gameplay is a great time. MachineGames clearly took the right lessons from Wolfenstein and even employed some design lessons from immersive sims, which you’ll never hear me complain about. It’s unique, fun, and filled with opportunities for experimentation. All of this adds to a complete package that is absolutely incredible.
It Belongs in a Museum (In a Good Way!)
In an age of licensed games making a comeback, it was easy to doubt that an Indiana Jones game could work, especially with a first-person perspective. Most modern licensed games follow a specific formula that usually works, so why deviate? The Great Circle is a great example as to why creativity is always welcome, even in a genre that has been done to death, as this is one of the best licensed games I’ve ever played.
Everything is crafted with care and love. The story feels like something right out of an Indiana Jones film; the voice acting and performances are great, and Troy Baker brings the titular character wonderfully. The visuals are stunning, even in spite of some slight stutters on the Xbox Series S. Further, the gameplay is fantastic.
Exploration is satisfying, the puzzles are well-paced and balanced between being not too hard and not too difficult, and the combat feels incredible. There is so much room for experimentation and, similarly to games like Hitman and Dishonored of all things, every player will have a different approach to each encounter. It all feels so faithful to the character, and I can confidently say, cliches aside, that this game made me feel like Indiana Jones.
Blockbusters similar to Indiana Jones, like Star Wars and Marvel, have become multimedia giants that have oversaturated every single form of media to a point that they often feel bloated. In comparison to the eleven Star Wars films, there have only been five Indiana Jones movies. The latter has always felt like a franchise that deserved more attention, particularly in the landscape of video games.
I’d been wanting a proper Indiana Jones game since I played the LEGO adaptations as a kid. I always had a soft spot for the character and the franchise, so I am more than happy to report that The Great Circle is a nearly perfect adaptation that feels worthy of the franchise. This doesn’t feel like a spinoff; it feels more like Indiana Jones 1.5, and I couldn’t be happier with the end result. I can only hope that MachineGames has more planned for the globe-trotting archaeologist/grave robber/professor.
