Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review

Indiana Jones is an iconic character in the movies, but when it comes to treasure hunting in video games, that place is taken by the likes of Lara Croft and Nathan Drake. While the recent movies were quite divisive, Machine Games and Xbox have high hopes for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, marking the return of our beloved professor to the gaming space.

Much has been said about this game since it was announced, especially with the decision to stick to a first-person point of view over a third-person one similar to the Uncharted games. Whether or not it was the right decision, we can’t discount the fact that Machine Games knows their first-person games, and it definitely shows.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a fantastic outing for the team, staying faithful to the character and keeping intact the essence of what made him the legendary personality he is in the first place. His wit, humor, and love for adventure shine through with every crack of the whip, and it’s a surprisingly more grounded affair that fits the character perfectly.

Punch a Nazi

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle kicks off with a thrilling premise: an important artifact is stolen from Marshall College, leading our hero on a chase that takes him to the Vatican. As Indiana delves deeper, he uncovers a grander adventure that spans the globe, pitting him against the Nazis in a race to prevent them from taking control of a great power.

This new and original storyline is a nostalgic nod to past adventures, quickly immersing players in a compelling story that hooks them from the start. Familiar characters and iconic quotes from the movies make appearances, with the game’s events set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The opening sequence, directly lifted from Raiders of the Lost Ark, sets a fitting tone for the rest of the game.

A notable choice in the game is its first-person perspective, a departure from the third-person view seen in titles like Uncharted or Tomb Raider. While seeing Indy in action would have been a treat, the first-person view works well, delivering a smooth and fluid experience typical of Machine Games’ titles. This perspective helps the game stand on its own merits, avoiding direct comparisons to other adventure titles.

Indiana Jones isn’t a typical fighter, so the game leans heavily on stealth mechanics. Players must hide, ambush, and use disguises to outsmart the ever-present Nazi threat. Some enemies, like Captains, are not easily fooled by disguises, and will start to suspect you as you get close, which is a nice touch. For a game that relies on stealth, there isn’t much Indiana Jones can do apart from taking down enemies from behind using a melee weapon and hiding their bodies to avoid detection. In fact, Indy can’t even instantly take down an enemy if he isn’t holding one of the many melee weapons bountifully scattered throughout the game.

When stealth fails, Indy can resort to his fists, using a simple melee combat system that includes punches, blocks, dodges, and grabs. Nothing too complicated on this end, and combat is governed by a stamina system that requires players to be efficient with throwing punches lest they be caught in a bind. As a last resort, Indiana Jones can use a firearm, but ammunition is scarce, and alerting guards is normally not a good idea because getting swarmed by Nazis can easily spell your doom and a trip to the reload screen. These firearms are wildly ineffective too, so they’re really not a viable option.

Because of its simple nature, combat in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle can get repetitive as you progress through the game. While some enemy variants will require more calculated attacks, the overall feel results in a simplistic affair, possibly the game’s weakest feature. It feels clunky most times, with the whip even being an afterthought.

The game emphasizes Indy’s more grounded and realistic character. Unlike the acrobatic Nathan Drake or Lara Croft, Indy slightly struggles with physical feats like climbing, as he is an archaeology professor after all, which depletes his stamina. While some may find this limiting, it adds authenticity to the character and doesn’t significantly hinder gameplay.

Ready for an Adventure (Action)

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle stands out as an adventure-action title that emphasizes the journey over the typical barrage of shooting and explosions found in other games. This approach offers a refreshing focus on exploration and discovery over combat, something that definitely sets you up for a more immersive experience as the character.

Players will embark on a global trek with Indiana Jones, exploring key zones such as the Vatican’s hallowed halls and the sand-filled horizon of Gizeh. Each zone is a vast plot of land with multiple areas to explore, brimming with mysteries, side quests, and somewhat simple puzzles. The seamless transition between these areas, without loading screens, enhances the experience.

Indy’s journey is player-driven, with numerous activities to engage in while not on the path to the main quest, putting their wits and smarts to good use. These activities, known as Field Work and Mysteries, often involve puzzle-solving or sub-plots that delve deeper into the game’s world. They are not only rewarding but also intriguing and satisfying to complete. They’re nice distractions from the main plot but work to elevate the world-building efforts of the team at Machine Games.

Rewards come in the form of Adventure Books, which allow players to enhance Indiana Jones’ abilities across five main categories: Survival, Fitness, Brawling, Combat, and Packing. There are no traditional skill trees; instead, upgrades depend on the books players find throughout their journey.

Upgrading abilities, such as increasing ammo or health capacity or improving melee effectiveness, is done through Adventure Points (AP). These points are collected by picking up notes and codex pieces scattered throughout the world, as well as completing various activities and quests. This upgrade system works seamlessly, as the activities are engaging and worth the effort. Upgrading these abilities does not instantly make you an action star, though, and while the effects are incremental, they are helpful improvements to augment Indy’s repertoire.

Traversal in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is straightforward, involving actions like climbing, jumping, swinging with the whip, and swimming. While some may argue that faithfully recreating Indy’s character limits the game’s action, the compelling story and diverse activities more than compensate for this. Don’t expect a cover system or even a double jump or wall-running as the game keeps things simple and grounded for obvious reasons.

Fortune and Glory

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a looker, and runs beautifully on an Xbox Series X. As far as we could tell, frames are kept steady at 60 fps even during busy sequences, and throughout our playthrough, the game was essentially bug-free (it had scorpions, though!) despite some minor choppy cutscene segments and animations clipping through objects and walls.

The enemy AI in the game is quite inconsistent, with some instances requiring more thought than usual because they’ll see or hear you from a mile away. Oftentimes, though, you can easily sneak behind them for a good old-fashioned beatdown. Some enemies will go down with a flurry of punches, but others will be more capable, dodging and blocking your attacks. It’s never a good idea to take on more than one enemy at a time because Indy can go down in a few hits, so approach combat with caution!

The game offers fantastic visuals, and from labyrinthine dungeons to jungles and forests, Machine Games has done a stellar job of bringing Indiana Jones and the world to life, with impressive attention to detail. Maybe even more impressive is Troy Baker’s portrayal of the iconic character, sounding exactly like the titular character despite initially turning the role down. Harrison Ford is obviously unreachable, but Baker does a damn good job that even Mr. Ford would be proud of.

Verdict: Buy it!

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a fantastic outing from Machine Games, further solidifying them as not only masters of the first-person view but also of punching Nazis in the face. The sense of adventure that the game conveys is stellar, and when paired with Troy Baker’s superb performance, fans of the fedora-wearing hero are in for a treat because of its respect for the source material.

Expecting an action-filled affair is setting yourself up for disappointment, as the game prioritizes adventure over anything else. Combat is simplistic and might be the weakest link, but the game makes up for it with interesting puzzles, locations, and discoveries. There’s a good story to be had here, but just don’t expect something too explosive or heart-racing!

*Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was reviewed on an Xbox Series X with a review code provided by the publisher.