Indiana Jones and the Great Circle acrobatically tries to stay true to the original source material while trying to outdo the game franchise it was most inspired by, Uncharted. The adventure game has the charm of the movies, but unfortunately falls short in gameplay.
The Great Circle is the latest in a long line of video games starring archaeologist and explorer Indiana Jones in new adventures beyond the original films. Swedish studio MachineGames, best known for the new era of Wolfenstein games, was tapped by major publisher Bethesda to bring its expertise making modern Nazi-fighting shooters to the legendary Indiana Jones franchise. Needless to say, there are high expectations for the upcoming game, which will be released on December 8th.
The Great Circle takes place in 1937, which puts it right between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, the first and third films in the Indiana Jones timeline. Indy embarks on another globe-trotting adventure after an artifact is stolen from Marshall College, where he teaches archaeology. As in the movies, he must discover lost secrets by solving ancient puzzles while on the run with the Nazis, who are also trying to obtain a secret power found in magical artifacts.
The game did a great job immersing me in the interwar world of Indiana Jones with great voice acting, character exchanges, and experiences taken straight from the movies, but the stealth gameplay left a lot to be desired.
Explore the world with Indy
There’s a certain tone that an Indiana Jones game needs that combines a sense of wonder and adventure with the charm of Indy. The Great Circle hits these notes again and again.
The fidelity to the source materials comes right at the beginning of the game, as the tutorial level is a recreation of the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark when the audience was introduced to the adventurer exploring a South American tomb . It’s amazing how the game captures both the look and feel of this iconic sequence with a stunning digitized Harrison Ford, revealed just like in the film when you don’t see his face until he cracks the whip guy who was about to shoot him. There’s even Alfred Molina’s character, Sepito, in the opening sequence.
Acclaimed voice actor Troy Baker provides Indy’s voice, and it’s a spot-on impersonation that made me really believe Harrison Ford was delivering the lines. Baker expertly recreates the different tones Indy has throughout the films, from the calm, professional voice when he’s at Marshall College to sarcastic shouts when things go wrong. The remaining main voice cast is just as charming, with plenty of playful banter between Indy and the other characters, which really gives the game an Indiana Jones feel.
As you’d expect with an Indiana Jones game, there are various locations around the world to explore, starting with Vatican City by following the tutorial stages. Developer MachineGames delivered the zone with the kind of grandeur that was expected. It gives a sense of wonder and mystery as if behind every wall is a 1,000-year-old secret.
After uncovering clues in Vatican City, Indy continues his travels to learn more about the Great Circle in Egypt, Thailand and other areas. Each region is a bit of an open world where Indy can take on a few missions, which usually consist of collecting items and seeing places of interest.
Indy gets the camera in the Vatican, an important item he uses to take photos of historical monuments that will reward players with action points. These points can be used to improve Indy’s health, stamina and other attributes when he encounters certain books scattered around the world – a bit of progression that rewards exploration and eases combat. Money can also be found and used to unlock the locations of some of the treasures in the area, which will bring more action points.
As Indy explores each area, he’ll encounter ancient puzzles, another aspect of the game faithfully reproduced from the movies. Puzzles are light challenges, usually involving moving around certain structures, shooting levels, and bouncing sunlight off mirrors or the like. There are a few puzzles between them, and sometimes Indy’s partner will give him a hint of what to do. Some harder puzzles let you figure it out for yourself, though most of the time I was confused, it was because I didn’t look up to see a ledge I could jump to or a pole Indy could use his whip to climb . the next area.
It was during the puzzles that I found myself enthralled with the score. Composed by Gordy Haab, the game’s background music recreates the legendary score composed by John Willaims for the original films while adding a few new touches of his own, but what made me smile the most were the little cuts of music during the puzzles Just these subtle hints on the soundtrack felt like thinking music to me.
Stealth, why did it have to be stealth?
It makes sense that an archeology professor wouldn’t go guns blazing against the Nazis. While I’m not a fan of stealth games these days, it’s understandable that The Great Circle’s gameplay focuses on being stealthy, and there are plenty of tools at your disposal to avoid attention. While Indy can do well fighting multiple combatants at once, stealth will be key to surviving the squads of soldiers in his path.
There isn’t a particularly unique stealth mechanic in The Great Circle. You just follow the standard playbook of trying not to be spotted by enemies, but you have a bit of a timer since an enemy spots you before they get aggressive, so there’s plenty of time to hide behind a crate or vehicle When there is a group of bad guys around, there are usually some bottles nearby that can be thrown to distract them.
One tool that is available is the variety of costumes that help blend in with the local area. Once Indy gets a costume, he’ll be able to access more enemy-protected areas, but you have to play the role. If Indy is seen grabbing items from a table or attacking someone at random, all nearby enemies will notice and immediately become aggressive. Among the villains are captains who will spot the disguise right away, which gives an extra level to the stealth game in certain areas.
Stealth works well in The Great Circle, but it just doesn’t add anything special. There were also some frustrating moments where enemies spotted me sooner than I expected, forcing me to quickly hide or simply run away until I had a better understanding of the ranges that enemies needed to spot.
It’s not that easy to beat a Nazi
Like the stealth, the combat in The Great Circle is both faithful to the movies and logical. Indy isn’t a great Marine who can dispatch a battalion of Nazis with a single rifle; as in the films, he’s left to throw punches, using various melee weapons scattered around, and occasionally brandishing his pistol. Unfortunately, this isn’t as much fun as it sounds and it gets a bit tedious.
Melee combat is pretty straightforward. Indy can throw punches with his left and right fists, or you can hold down the punch buttons to finish and deliver a more powerful punch that drops the defenses of blocking enemies. You can also block an enemy’s attack, give them a small push to gain some space, or do a quick dodge.
Pipes, shovels and even fly swatters are scattered around the world to serve as makeshift weapons. Each has its own strength and durability, with some knocking out enemies in one or two hits, and can last several hits before breaking. One frustrating aspect of weapons is that Indy will constantly drop them when picking up other items or performing other actions, forcing you to pick them up again and again.
Indy has his trusty gun on him, but don’t get too excited. It only comes with a few bullets, and more ammo is rare to find. Some soldiers carry machine guns that Indy can use briefly, but when you find them, you’ll likely be outgunned, making stealth the best option.
There’s also Indy’s iconic whip. He’ll always have it on him, but it’s mainly a tool for crossing gaps and climbing up or down. When used in combat, it can distract an enemy and even knock weapons out of their hands. Its unique function is to subdue guard dogs that cry and run away when broken.
Despite this mix of tools and approaches, the combat unfortunately dampens the fun. It’s just a little boring. Okay, if you’re stealthy, there won’t be many fights, but if you’re in one fight after another, it’s boring without more to spice it up.
A globe-trotting adventure ideal for movies, not games
The Great Circle tries and succeeds in staying true to the source material, making players feel as if they are in the world of the classic and original films. While this achievement is surprising for such a celebrated film franchise, this reserved tone does not extend to the more interactive parts of the video game. I felt giddy when I watched a cutscene, figured out a puzzle, or heard Indy tell the story of some artifact. That fun disappeared when dealing with the same boring stealth and combat sections.
Still, if you can get past the more monotonous parts of The Great Circle’s gameplay, there’s a fun story to live up to with the great character writing, voice acting, and music. This is one of those cases where you’d rather watch the cutscenes than play the actual game because MachineGames did everything right. I mentioned earlier about the comparison to Uncharted, and in terms of presentation, it’s right up there. When you consider whether the game is fun to play, the Great Circle can’t compete.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle arrives December 8th on Steam for $70, but can be played three days earlier when you buy the Premium Edition for $100. It will then launch on Xbox Series consoles for $70 on December 9th and will be available on the 1st with an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
