Just in case I’ve never mentioned it in writing, I’ll mention it again; I bloody love Indiana Jones. Growing up with the films on VHS as a kid, I have nothing but fond memories of the boulder escape from Raiders of the Lost Ark, the monkey brains from Temple of Doom and drinking from the wrong cup in The Last Crusade, which also scared the living piss out of me. Let’s face it, we all remember that scene. Over the years, the more recent films might have taken a back seat, but I’ve always hoped that a long-awaited game might make things right.
We got an early look at some gameplay from the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, unpacking elements like combat, traversal and puzzle solving on a much deeper level. While we can’t wait to see even more, I must say, I’m incredibly impressed with everything I’ve seen thus far.
Set in 1937 and between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, The Great Circle will take players on a journey as Indy discovers the hidden meaning of why all the world’s greatest landmarks align in a giant circle around the globe.
We looked at most of the game’s main mechanics, shown off over a few smaller missions and environments. We’ll be breaking down not only what we saw, but unpacking just how we think this might affect the overall experience.
Crack That Whip
Indy enters the main room of a secret underground temple and discovers a statue atop a small altar. As he approaches the statue, he hesitates, and snatches it quickly, flinching as if he’s expecting something to go wrong. He then places the statue on the ground and smashes it open with a rock, revealing a small little relic hidden inside.
Naturally, things do go wrong and the cave begins flooding with sand. The camera then shifts to the first-person view as the music swells. We hear Indy mutter to himself “You’ve gotta be kidding me”, as he looks for a way out. The sand rises with Indy and he catches a glimpse of a small hatch not far away. Jumping over the sand so as not to sink in, Indy makes it through the hatch as the flooding and follows closely behind.
We then get a look at a stamina bar and some brief HUD icons as Indy gets out the whip to swing across a chasm. The camera then shifts to third-person mid-swing and then quickly snaps back as Indy releases. We then see him sliding towards a pool of light, as he escapes just in time.
This might have only been a three-minute sequence, but it’s a great indicator of just how well the game combines, cutscenes, first-person action and even third-person transitions when platforming. Troy Baker is as fantastic and believable as Indiana Jones, while the frenetic instrumental score helps everything feel that much more authentic.
Gameplay Overview
We were then treated to a more expensive look at the game’s systems and mechanics, starting with Indy’s tools; the whip, journal and camera. The whip is relatively self-explanatory and applies to both traversal and combat, but it was nice to see just how important these other items play into the experience. As you play through each mission, Indy’s journal fills with notes and drawings for future reference, which can be referred to at any point during gameplay.
Indy can also find items of interest that are logged in the journal but also use his camera to take photos of various locations and items, which earn him Adventure Points. The Adventure points pretty much act like skill tokens to upgrade Indy with new abilities and perks throughout the game. There is an ability called ‘True Grit’ in which Indy can crawl over to grab his hat when defeated, essentially giving him an extra life. I jumped up and danced when I saw this, no joke. I love how these tie together into something that encourages the player to stray off the beaten path, relying on curiosity and interest as opposed to brute force.
Brute force, however, is still an option. We got a look at hand-to-hand combat and it seems like you’ll be doing a bit more than mashing your fists to a pulp. You’ll also need to block, parry and counter in order to get the upper hand, with many of these moves feeling rather devastating when timed right. The sound effects from the films have seemingly returned here, with each punch giving the distinct crack that we’ve heard so many times.
We also got a look at how the game will begin, as a mysterious man, presumably working for the game’s main antagonist Emerick Voss, steals an artefact from Indy’s college museum in the middle of the night. We also meet the supporting character Gina, a witty Italian journalist along for the ride, with her own motivations to hunt down and stop Voss.
We also learnt that Indy can pop on a range of disguises to help access restricted areas and remain undetected. A portion of the game takes place within the confines of the Vatican, as Indy dons a priest’s robes to access certain areas. While these disguises will get you in, however, players must still keep their wits about them, as getting too close to others or behaving strangely could still cause you to be recognised.
We also got a look at the various ways in which traversal plays a part in The Great Circle, with Indy able to scale ledges and swing across chasms. In addition to this, indy can also find items of use in his vicinity. We got a small glimpse of Indy exploring a cave of sorts, as he finds a spear to throw into the wall on the opposite side of a chasm, allowing him to latch onto it with this whip to swing across.
Exploration goes beyond this as well, with certain missions opening up broader areas in which Indy can explore off the beaten path, complete a mission with several approaches in mind, and even visit local stalls and marketplaces to purchase items.
Open Area Mission
We might have gone through a bunch of cool gameplay features just then, but this final open area level sealed the deal for me personally, wrapping up all of the game’s mechanics in a way that felt both natural and authentic.
Indy has reached the Sphinx of Giza and must find a way inside to track down a relic of importance. Around the outskirts of the Sphinx, we get a look at a bustling town, as Indy weaves his way through towards a patrolled border around the Sphink itself. Here, we get a great look at how Indy’s wits play an integral part in both ranged and hand-to-hand combat. There are three soldiers ahead; one slightly lower than Indy on the ground to the right, one atop scaffolding and another to the right, further away and also atop a second level of scaffolding. Here we go.
Indy uses his whip to swing off the scaffolding and down to the first soldier on the ground, crashing into him, and sending him into a daze. He then quickly uses his whip to bring down the soldier to the right above him atop the scaffolding, sending him crashing to the ground and finishing off with a few hits. Before the first soldier can even regain composure, Indy turns to the left and takes out the furthest soldier with a single shot from his trusty revolver. By this time the first solder has come to, and a short brawl sees a final right hook to the jaw put him down for good.
We meet up with Gina outside,m and realise we need to find a key to unlock the door leading into the Sphinx. Indy then tracks down a German soldier disguise to proceed through the makeshift German compound. Passing through a tent, we see a table of German soldiers laughing and drinking, when suddenly one catches Indy walking past and stops him. Yelling for a drink, Indy serves them another bottle of whisky and makes his way out. I love how natural this scene felt, retaining all the tension but also making the environment feel dense and detailed.
We finally sneak, scaling a few ledges from that third-person view which feels like the right choice in these moments, until we find our spot; The Sunsparker Chamber. Indy then aligns a series of mirrors to reflect the outside light into a specific area, which reveals a small altar with a gold mask tucked inside. The significance of the mask is not yet known, but Gina grabs it and heads towards the back of the chamber to sit on the throne. As she sits down, the chamber begins to shake and all the light dims as they are soon trapped. Scorpions then litter the floor, as our protagonists figure out how to escape. And that’s where we left things.
Final Thoughts
Be it Troy Bakler’s awesome performance, or the faithful soundtrack and sound effects, there are some serious Indiana Jones fans over at developer Machine Games. I love just how everything comes together in terms of traversal, combat, puzzle-solving and general exploration, but I also love how it’s so much more than just one of those things. It combines the best elements of not only the character but the franchise as a whole.
I commend Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for feeling like a true, canon Indy adventure, and cannot wait to see what the full game brings when it launches on both Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC on the 9th of December, 2024.
As a bonus, we also found out at the Gamescom 2024 Opening Night Live that the game will also be coming to the PlayStation 5, sometime towards the end of 2025. Be sure to stay Tuned for the latest Indiana Jones and the Great Circle news.
