Review for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game information
It’s safe to say that Lucasfilm’s franchises have become rollercoaster rides. Consumers might have a spectacular high one year, followed by a major fall the next. Thankfully, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle proves to be a spectacular action-adventure with loads of entertainment and authentic gameplay, visuals, and story that are faithful to the Indiana Jones franchise.
Developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks, The Great Circle is set between the first and third movies. Indiana is called into action when a mysterious figure breaks into his university’s museum and steals an artifact. This event sparks a worldwide race to uncover the mystery of the Great Circle, which connects several famous cities and possibly a force of nature that the Nazi war machine wants to weaponize.
What will impress Indiana Jones fans is the plot. For one, it harkens back to unearthing Judeo-Christian artifacts, like the first and third movies, but also expands and connects them to other myths. For those who were less than entertained with Indiana finding aliens in Mayan ruins, you will find this an excellent return to form. It is also one of the campiest stories, with Indiana being dragged to a confessional disguised as a priest and a German Commander who makes jabs at American culture. It also balances this frivolity with some profound moments and character growth for Indy and his companion, Gina. All of this leads to the game fitting nicely into the classic trilogy, maybe even serving as the “Indiana Jones 2” people wanted. It even expands upon the lore and Indy’s character in meaningful ways.
What also sells the Indiana Jones aesthetic is the presentation. Indy’s journey takes him to various locations with intricate details and secrets to unearth. Vatican City has libraries and places of worship, yet it also houses ancient tombs of secret orders. Egypt has large stretches of barren desert, but it also contains ancient tombs, burial sites, and well-known pyramids. Khmer is a lush jungle separated by a river and traces of ancient installations that used water-powered technology. The outside areas are brightly lit, but most of the long-lost structures are covered in darkness, requiring torches or a lighter to see anything. It puts you into the shoes of an archeologist who also happens to fight Nazis with guns and fists.
My only problems were technical limitations. For context, this game was played on high and medium settings, with a few functions turned off for performance reasons and to prevent crashes. On high, there were few but nonetheless disruptive crashes in particular areas. The only fix was to set everything to the lower settings. Still, there is no notable difference between the two; the game still looks gorgeous on the lower settings.
The sound effects are probably the best indicator of how much care was put into the game. Punches and the whip are authentic to the point where they could have been ripped from the movies themselves (they probably are). The music’s orchestral arrangements also evoke the cinematic versions when exploring, sleuthing, and fighting.
The acting is excellent — Indiana Jones’ in particular. Voiced by the guy who is everywhere, a.k.a. Troy Baker, who comes the closest to imitating the young Harrison Ford. Troy mostly maintains a low, gruff tone, but his real voice does come through if you listen carefully. The other cast members are also well voiced, especially Gina, Indy’s energetic and impulsive companion, and Emmerich Voss, his cold, calculating rival.
The character designs are somewhat mixed. Some like Indy and Voss are very detailed, the former being a perfect recreation of Harrison. Others like Gina are okay, but I can’t help but feel that their facial appearances could have been improved. Facial animations, however, are fantastic, displaying emotions so realistic and, at times, comically exaggerated, creating both humorous and serious moments.
The gameplay itself is a departure from MachineGames’ usual repertoire. They made the modern Wolfenstein games, which are fast-paced, gory, and portray the role of an elite soldier. The Great Circle is much slower, emphasizing stealth and fist-fights. Stealth is the usual fare, with a few nuances. The detection system is simple, but you can sneak around enemies with distractions or plan your moves correctly. However, the system does not account for lighting. It only calculates how far you are from the enemy. You aren’t allowed into some areas without the proper disguise or by finding a subtle way in. Captains, however, can see through disguises and call on others if you are not careful. This poses an obstacle in Vatican City, but after that, you can run out of a camp if spotted, fast travel, and no one is the wiser. You can take enemies out silently, but only with an object with which to hit them over the head.
There is gunplay, but it’s nothing like Wolfenstein or modern shooters. You can get through most of the game without it, and aiming feels somewhat awkward. You mostly shoot your pistol towards the air to tame wild dogs in Egypt. I thought this to be a bug at first. Finding out it’s a game mechanic, I thought “neat” since not many other games have means of diffusing a conflict instead of facing it head-on.
Fist-fights are what you will usually have with enemies. You can punch, block, parry, and dodge. There is grappling, but I found only a few moments where it was helpful. When you get used to it, you will probably find yourself mostly parrying and then following with a punch. There aren’t any unblockable moves that you MUST dodge. Enemy speed can vary, forcing you to adjust, and you have a stamina bar that can drain quickly if you are not fighting intelligently. Still, it boils down to the same strategy.
Unless, that is, if you decide to use the whip. In stealth, it can cause a distraction if you don’t have a throwable item. A few upgrades can modify it to trip enemies and then punch them out. In combat, it can pull enemies close to you for a grapple. It can also be used to tame wild dogs. There aren’t many moments where these applications were necessary, but they can be utilized.
The whip is mostly for exploration and puzzles, which most of the gameplay revolves around. You will walk around a lot, following either the main or side missions. The whip helps to climb up walls, swing over obstacles, or pull objects to progress forward. Climbing gradually depletes stamina so unless you are upgrading it, you will have to stop and rest to regenerate.
Speaking of upgrades, it’s done in a very unusual way. You find skill books throughout the game world and must buy the skills with adventure points. Adventure points are earned when you complete missions or find the collectibles. Upgrades for health and stamina are purchased with medicine vials which you find across the world. These upgrades and collectibles are only found in certain areas, but if you reach a new location, you can go back and find anything you missed, especially when you obtain a new gadget to go somewhere you couldn’t before. WORD OF WARNING: any upgrades you acquire will not be saved UNLESS you get to a fast travel point or complete a mission. Traveling to another country without first doing one of these requisites means you lose the upgrades and have to travel back to the country and collect the upgrades again.
Puzzles are a mixed bag. Some are rather easy, others are challenging yet fair, but there are also the occasional “need a guide after countless trial-and-error” challenges. I commend the game for this, though. Many action-adventure games have the most straightforward puzzles so you can get right back into the action. Having challenges of varying difficulty and exploration is a good fit for Indiana Jones. He’s an archeologist and explorer, poring over notes and using his intelligence to solve conundrums and retrieve lost treasures. Still, the slower puzzle-based gameplay may not be for everyone.
For me, I was enthralled. I wanted to keep going to see how the mystery made sense. I persevered through puzzles to see if I could solve them without assistance. I advanced through many situations stealthily, leaving most enemies untouched. I was so absorbed, I am now re-watching the Indiana Jones movies. The game took me nearly 38 hours to complete, and I wouldn’t take any of it back. MachineGames succeeded in producing an authentic Indiana Jones game with The Great Circle and I will attempt it again when I have the time.
WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available at:
We get a small commission from any game you buy through these links (except Steam).Our Verdict:
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a story that fits superbly into the Indiana Jones mythos. The slower exploration and puzzle-based gameplay may not be for everyone, especially given MachineGames’ previous endeavors. Still, it kept me hooked until the end. This game should be played at least once, but I would happily play it again.
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