Indiana Jones and The Great Circle Review - A Faithful Adventure With Flawed Execution
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The Indiana Jones franchise popularized the globetrotting adventure, inspiring countless entertainment works with its timeless charm. The fedora and whip remain iconic, and with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, developer MachineGames takes on the challenge of bringing Indy to a new generation. After scouring tombs, sneaking through Nazi camps, and piecing together ancient puzzles, I found the game largely respectful of the franchise’s legacy. However, while the spirit of adventure shines, some gameplay systems lack enough depth to maintain momentum.
The thrill of adventure is strong
In Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, people have ransacked Henry Jones Junior’s museum and stolen a precious relic, which sparked the professor's interest to follow the only lead he was able to find. This leads to him going on the same kind of quest we see in the movies, as the player travels to various locations from the icy Himalayas, the Vatican City, to even the deserts of Egypt in 1937, effectively placing the game between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade.
Preserving the past
Narratively, The Great Circle feels like another entry that brings all of the franchises’ best qualities front and center. Indiana Jones is just a history professor with immense knowledge of the world’s past, and nothing more. He’s a regular guy with a good amount of luck and trusty friends who come at the right time to bail him out. In this, Indy is relatable and appreciated, as he’s not the typical action hero but a flawed one, and this game perfectly captures that, as everything they did with the character was done with so much respect that I think people will appreciate the final product of reconstructing a younger Indiana.
Troy Baker portrays this version of Indiana Jones, and while I was a bit disappointed by the initial announcement, Baker’s performance turned out to be a solid interpretation of a young Harrison Ford. His pronunciation and delivery of sarcasm and awkward dialogue to deliver a bit of comedy at the right time were done well, and feels like it suited the light-hearted tone seen in the movies. I can hear Harrison Ford in most of his performance, as his best efforts are seen in the most intense and loud moments, but the softer and more commendable delivery shows a range that I bet many didn’t think anyone, even a chameleon like Troy, was capable of in voicing such an iconic role.
Thankfully, the leading man was in good hands, and the supporting characters that surround Indy in this adventure complemented the journey even further. Gina is a likable journalist who bounces off Indy’s personality to add a bit of fun and comedy. Not a complete damsel, but a person who struggles just as much as Indy during the crazy situations they get themselves into.
The nazi camp of the story deserves a nod as well. While German Nazi enemies are one of the biggest tropes in entertainment history, those who portray key antagonists, like Voss, were done so well that I enjoyed seeing this typical German archeologist being all evil, fueled with all the resources he needs to gain the power and some sort of leverage. They didn’t bother with any type of twist to the idea, as they just doubled down and did the best interpretation of the basic concept. If you can get past the trope and accept it, you’ll find joy in either going against them or seeing them on screen during the game’s many cutscenes.
Movie magic
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a commendable cinematic spectacle. Different camerawork and choreography keep the action and the witty humor palatable. I appreciate how they retained the light-hearted nature of the adventure, especially during its big set pieces and major fights. It was entertaining to watch, and at the end of the day, that’s all you can hope for, as I was taken aback by the absurdity that unfolds during the second half of the game’s main story.
This whole presentation is wrapped around amazing visual fidelity and character animation, and it’s probably one of the most good-looking games to date. Facial animations and expressions are spot on, especially for serious and comedic moments, as they don’t look stiff, but move and act naturally. Each location looks stunning either day or night thanks to the use of impressive lighting and shadow effects. It was a treat watching each scene unfold just as high-profile games in the same vein have done it.
Thankfully, there are no noticeable technical hiccups that sucked me out of the game, but with this amount of fidelity, the experience may vary from person to person as this is a rather demanding game, especially for PC users.
Exploring and puzzle-solving takes the spotlight
Exploring, finding cues, and solving puzzles are what captured my interest beyond the story and the game’s cinematic flair, as everything else felt hollow. The shooting is one of those elements, as it didn’t feel all that great to shoot in this game - between the limited ammo, no aim-down sights, and no real weight felt in these weapons, the gunplay was disappointing, especially considering this is a MachineGames product. It was clear that this game was meant to provide gameplay where players need to be resourceful, like how Indy is, but bolstering the shooting to make gunfights more appealing would have done wonders in various sections.
Guns are very limited, and hardly my choice of getting by when enemies are alerted. I’m not so keen to be using them, so when they’re alarmed, I prefer to just load my previous auto-save, as when you’re caught, every enemy in your vicinity is alerted and they start to swarm you. When you pick up an enemy gun you’ll usually have a magazine or two before you’re out of ammo, so you won’t find yourself shooting for long. There’s no weapon wheel that hosts all the possible weapons you have in your possession, as the only weapon that is kept with you at all times is Indy’s trusty Revolver, which had a frustratingly slow reload time without upgrades purchased.
The game fares better when you take the more stealthy approach, as you are thankfully given only your ears and a forgiving window before an enemy is altered of your presence. Infiltrating or going through multiple armed guards silently felt like a puzzle in itself, though not all that difficult to overcome as all you have to do is avoid their line of sight. There are multiple options to reach your objective, making it surprisingly easy to infiltrate. The foundations of stealth are there but sadly don’t evolve to anything more profound at the later parts of the game.
There is a disguise system, but not as involved as the likes of Hitman - the disguises simply give you easier access to certain areas. You still have to be wary of certain enemy types, but there’s no other depth in the disguises, as there’s one major outfit Indy can use to move freely in certain key areas of a location.
Did you break it? Well, find another!
Melee is the most effective form of combat, as melee weapons are scattered all around the game space. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s combat revolves around weapons breaking after a few hits, as Indy can wield pickaxes, brushes, pans, statuettes and busts, a plunger, and more absurd items, as the variety is numerous. The only constant is that they all break eventually, with some lasting longer than others.
The whole design aims to deliver Indy’s resourcefulness, as the game tries to make you think on your feet and use whatever is in earshot to get him closer to the next objective. Ultimately, it’s literally just that – grabbing whatever is close to you, regardless of what it is, as long as It can knock someone out. If there’s nothing, bare knuckles can be just as effective as players can assume a boxer’s stance to dodge incoming melee attacks, push, bob, and weave, to even grab enemies to land a flurry of punches to the face. The punching is rather more satisfying than the gunplay itself, as shooting guns feels so raw, it’s hard to get satisfaction that is at least in the ballpark of traditional FPS games. I feel more capable with my fists than when I have a gun on hand, especially with Indy’s whip, which can easily disarm an enemy’s weapon with a press of a button or sweep them off their feet to leave them open to punishment as they try to get back up.
Players who prefer to take fights head-on can do so, but I feel the game is more suited for a stealth approach with gunfights or bare knuckles being the last resort.
The thrill of leaving no stone unturned
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is by no means a linear game, as each location in the game is riddled with collectibles, rewards, side objectives, and puzzles to solve. It has that open-world gameplay flow, but is only limited to a single map. It’s big enough to an extent that MachineGames bothered to add a fast travel option by means of interacting with signposts.
This approach made me think of how The Witcher 2’s exploration was designed – open but contained to a single location. It looks small in scale, but is riddled with things for those eager to look. You’ll explore a section of the Vatican, a small town in Egypt and its surrounding hallmarks, to a swampy jungle village in Cambodia. Different flavors, but all designed in the same manner. It was fun exploring, solving puzzles, traversing, and infiltrating enemy camps, but by the time I hit the third location, I was hoping for some interesting mix-ups to the formula, but the gameplay felt almost identical to what you experienced in the first area.
The game’s progression system for Indy didn’t help at all in this, as it’s pretty straightforward. In The Great Circle, any note/relic you collect or picture you take of a key object or figure gives you knowledge points, which can then be used to unlock perks that make Indy more effective in all aspects of gameplay. It can be as simple as increased melee damage or more damage with two-handed weapons, to being able to hold more consumables like food or bandages. These passive abilities you can unlock need to be found before you can spend your points on them, giving an additional reason for a player to explore each area.
More exploration and puzzle solving, less gung-ho
The game is more about exploration, stealth, and solving various puzzles. There was a point where 3 hours had gone by and all I was doing was looking around, collecting notes, taking photos, deciphering codes, solving the safe combination, or moving ancient devices to open the path forward. I’m always solving something, sneaking through with or without a disguise, and always thinking, which was fun and abundant as the game’s combat feels like the icebreaker, which is weird as I’m usually accustomed to puzzles fitting that particular role in adventure games.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has the potential to be a favorite for fans of the franchise, delivering an authentic Indiana Jones experience with its story and cinematic presentation. While the game shines in its exploration and puzzle elements, the combat and stealth mechanics’ lack of gameplay variety holds it back. Fans of the series will appreciate its nostalgic charm, but others may find the gameplay uneven and at times unengaging. It’s one of those situations where it will struggle to find its footing if you set aside the Indiana Jones brand, as while their approach to the franchise is commendable, everything else struggles to stand on its own.
Verdict: 3.5 / 5 (Great)
PROS
Faithful representation of the Indiana Jones franchise and the character itself
Impeccable visual, animation, and cinematic presentation
Enjoyable puzzles that get you thinking
CONS
Uninspired combat mechanics
Lack of innovation to evolve the experience as you progress from one location to another
What I’ve Played
Finished the campaign in roughly 16 hours
Did most of my exploring in the first three locations, and soon after I focused on the main story
*This review is based on a Steam review copy provided to the reviewer
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has the potential to be a favorite for fans of the franchise, delivering an authentic Indiana Jones experience with its story and cinematic presentation. While the game shines in its exploration and puzzle elements, the combat and stealth mechanics’ lack of gameplay variety holds it back.