Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

It has been a long time since Indiana Jones has swung his whip in a game. After the legendary adventures from LucasArts, Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues was released in 2009, followed by the social adventure Indiana Jones Adventure World in 2011. Since his appearance in Fortnite, the famous archaeologist is now facing his next great adventure, developed by MachineGames (Wolfenstein) and executive produced by Todd Howard from Bethesda Game Studios.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle attempts to capture the flair of the 80's films - and succeeds in doing so in a modern game design. Based on the first three films, it takes place between Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). In 1937, sinister forces around the world seek the key to an ancient power linked to the Great Circle - and only one man can stop them: Indiana Jones.

The game is a single-player, first-person narrative cinematic adventure - which is different from Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014) and Wolfenstein: The New Colossus (2017), although the latter two games from Sweden's MachineGames have already proven that they have a knack for cinematic storytelling. Indiana Jones offers a mix of linear, story-based gameplay - with great, elaborately staged scenes and an entertaining to gripping main storyline - and open area maps where players can look around and explore, finding secrets, traps, puzzles and much more information about the elaborately recreated locations. The latter in particular stand out. While there is plenty of action, the emphasis is on adventure. This includes not only a sprinkling of well-placed, typical humour - both in the story and in the gameplay - but also exotic locations around the world.

The journey in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes players from the lecture halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai and much further afield. The main locations are deliberately open and designed to allow multiple approaches - almost like an immersive simulation - while some other levels are more linear and straightforward. But in these great open areas, players can choose to engage in direct combat (melee or firearms), sneak up on enemies or use the environment to their advantage - or a combination of all of these. Stealth options range from disguise to distraction, from hiding in the shadows to hiding defeated enemies - although enemies lose Indy's scent pretty quickly. The whip is always useful for distracting, disarming or attacking enemies, and you can use it as a means of transport to reach other locations when climbing, shimmying and jumping are no longer sufficient. A bit like an old-fashioned grappling hook. And yes, there is action in brawls, reminiscent of the fights in The Chronicles of Riddick, or in shoot-outs with pistols and the like.

Its two elements, action and adventure, are taken very literally in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as the complexity and difficulty of each can be adjusted separately. Action affects sneaking and fighting, while adventure options impact the complexity of puzzles and the amount of help available. Indy's journal is the central reference point for keeping track of everything that's been discovered, experienced and encountered - it also serves as a quick travel option and helps with target marking when needed. In addition, five core skills such as Indiana Jones Fitness, Melee Combat and Survival can be improved through Adventure Books earned during the main campaign and side-quests, further encouraging exploration.

Last but not least. As with other MachineGames' other games, this one uses the id Tech Engine, this time version 7, and while the PC hardware requirements may seem high, it should be noted that the game also supports Full Ray Tracing (shadows, reflections and global illumination). However, this full ray tracing, also known as path tracing, is not available to Advanced Access users. It's coming with an update on 09 December, or with the release of the Standard Edition.

We have been working on this game for four and a half years, that was before the acquisition of ZeniMax through Microsoft. Todd Howard had the ambition and dream to make a really cool Indiana Jones game for a long time. He is an Indiana Jones fan. He approached Lucasfilm Games, pitched ideas and they were excited. Todd came to us then, saying "hey guys, you are up for an adventure, here's something." And we were extremely thrilled and honored to be able to get the opportunity to make the game. We have Todd Howard to thank for everything. And then throughout the production cycle, this close relationship with Lucasfilm Games has been extremely valuable with their expertise in this character and this IP. - Jens Andersson, Design Director, MachineGames

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC (with Game Pass) or Steam on 09 December. The Premium and Collector's Editions will offer up to 3 days of Early Access from 06 December. The game is scheduled for release on PlayStation 5 in April 2025.

Conclusion

With Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, MachineGames, Bethesda and Xbox have created a surprisingly strong single-player adventure game based on the iconic character, with great open-world areas and excellent world-building. It also does an excellent job of capturing the flair of the original films. It's MachineGames' best game so far.