Try as I might, I can’t think of a better video game based on a film IP than Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It brilliantly toes the line between feeling like the films it derives from and making the most of its interactivity.
MachineGames, the Swedish developer behind the brilliant Wolfenstein reboot, sure has a knack for making the right game at the right time. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus arrived during the concerning rise of white supremacism in the US. Now, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle lands amidst global fears of fascism.
There’s no sanitisation of what makes Indy tick, which is great to see in a landscape where big-budget creative projects often feel made-by-committee in a limp effort to appeal to every possible market. You punch many Nazis and fascists throughout this adventure, just like the Harrison Ford-portrayed Indy we all know and love.
Set after Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a new story that keeps with Dr Jones’ traditional globetrotting ways. After an artifact theft leads the titular character to Italy, a grander conspiracy concerning ancient world-dominating powers takes centre stage.
It’s a thrilling adventure befitting of the series, rounded out with plenty of signature charm and humour along the way. Best of all, it’s a genuine joy to play.
Archaeology 101
Building on the foundations of MachineGames’ Wolfenstein games, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feels familiar yet satisfyingly different. An academic – albeit an athletic one – by trade, Indiana Jones is no super soldier like B.J. Blazkowicz. As such, he relies more heavily on stealth and cunning to achieve his goals. Unsurprisingly, The Great Circle also places more emphasis on puzzle-solving and sleuthing mysteries.
In trying to retrieve his stolen artifact, Indy assumes various disguises and immerses himself in local culture to gather information. Each area is a meticulously crafted sandbox populated by people to speak with, hidden passages to uncover, and countless side-quests to partake in.
The Great Circle feels like the combination of a weighty first-person shooter, like Wolfenstein, with the roaming immersive sim freedom of the Dishonored series. Indy’s main quest is always there, but you can take your sweet time getting to it. Yes, the Vatican might be hiding some dark secrets, but a lost cat needs its photo taken, dammit!
Exploration is also far more involved than following a quest marker. Nearly every quest has multiple paths you can take – climbing up to an open window on a second-floor building yields a different strategy than kicking the front door down.
Whip it good
More often than not, Indy trespasses on restricted areas as part of his adventure. Here, sneaking is the smartest option, but it’s not mandatory. Sneaking requires picking up any objects on hand to use as distractions or makeshift weapons. Empty wine bottles can be thrown to isolate guards, enabling you to knock them out with any blunt object ranging from a wrench to a guitar. Smacking fascists into next week never gets old.
When stealth fails, Indy’s bare knuckles come into play. Mapped to the trigger buttons on a controller, hand-to-hand combat isn’t the most precise means at your disposal, particularly when swarmed by multiple foes. It feels a little clunky to control, although connecting with a right hook and seeing a Nazi comically stagger into unconsciousness with the grace of a baby giraffe makes it all worth it.
And, of course, there’s the trademark whip. Used to disarm would-be assailants and drag them closer for a knuckle sandwich, the echoing crack of Indy’s main tool of the trade is an auditory delight.
Whipping isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be, however. It’s sometimes tricky to gauge depth perception, leaving you flailing at thin air. When used as a navigation tool, the whip is a bit easier to use. An icon appears over objects you can latch onto when within range. At the press of a button, you can swing over perilous gaps or rappel to higher ground. You truly feel like Indy when perfectly timing a sprint into a whip swing over a gaping maw, but it’s still easy to mistime and plummet to the depths below.
Take me down to the Vatican City
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle excels largely due to its impeccable attention to detail. Each location you visit is a living and breathing diorama filled with meaningful interactivity. Every overheard conversation reveals a potential investigation waiting to happen or a diegetic hint on how to proceed.
Opting for a first-person perspective may have been a controversial choice at first – what good is playing as the ruggedly handsome Indy if you don’t actually see much of him? However, this proved to be a masterstroke from a studio that specialises in first-person games. You actually are Indy, not some disembodied camera following him around. The grizzled adventurer still appears in plenty of cutscenes, so you’re not entirely deprived of his stubbled visage.
This perspective sharpens the focus on how intricately layered this game is. Its beautiful locations beg to be examined with the fine-tooth comb of an archaeologist. Paying attention to these surroundings is integral to solving the myriad environmental puzzles before you. Patterns observed in one location might provide the solution needed in an entirely different area – it’s always worth looking around.
Almost every in-game act of exploration earns you Adventure Points, recognising your efforts in roleplaying as Indiana Jones. Discovering new maps, unearthing long-forgotten relics, and finding clues all contribute points. More than an arbitrary rewards system, Adventure Points unlock improvements once you find the corresponding training book in the world – another reward for your archaeological efforts.
These books’ benefits range from health bonuses to increased damage when brawling with enemies. In a nod to the films, one book lets you attempt to retrieve Indy’s hat when knocked down, functioning as a pseudo-revive system.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is so rich in colour. Not just in its cinematic palette, but also in its populous world. Even though the game actively rewards most of your in-game actions, the intrinsic value of learning something or drinking in an awe-inspiring view is far more motivating. Getting better at punching Nazis is just a fun bonus.
I spent 10 hours alone in the Vatican City, the first main location you visit, just slowly taking everything in and investigating various secrets. Words don’t do justice to MachineGames’ beautiful depiction of the Sistine Chapel. I’ve never been, but I may well have with how well The Great Circle doubles as virtual tourism. By the time I moved on to Egypt, I still hadn’t discovered everything.
Looks like, sounds like, and feels like Indy
Harrison Ford’s fantastic-looking likeness draws you in, but it’s not his voice driving this iteration of Indy. That privilege goes to veteran voice actor Troy Baker, best known for his turn as Joel in The Last of Us series.
I don’t envy Baker at all – with such a faithful visual recreation of the beloved character, a voice other than Ford’s would create a sense of dissonance. As far as making the best of a difficult situation is concerned, Baker’s performance is commendable.
He nails the character’s gruff edge and dry wit – a scene where Indy fumbles through a confession while disguised as a priest is a highlight. Even when some line reads don’t quite sound Ford-esque, Baker still superbly conveys the feeling of Indy.
But roleplaying Indiana Jones is more than just donning a fedora, cracking a whip, and throwing haymakers. It’s about thinking like the esteemed academic too.
To that end, The Great Circle contains no shortage of puzzles to decipher, some of which challenge you to interpret multiple clues to find the answer, while others see you interact with the environment to observe what changes. They vary in scale and complexity, but every puzzle tickles the brain in an equally satisfying way.
Indiana Jones and the Great Game
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle isn’t just one of the best games of 2024 – it’s one of the best games based on a film franchise of all time. It’s such a wonderful convergence of cinema and video games, bringing the best of each medium to the screen.
Video game adaptations of films – whether they be direct 1:1 retellings or new stories based on franchises – have a dicey history. Rarely do they capture the spirit and quality of the source material. It’s apt then that Indiana Jones of all people is the one to break the curse.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches on 9 December 2024 for PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, and in 2025 for PlayStation 5.
GadgetGuy received pre-release access for the purpose of review coverage.
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