Despite being four years deep into the console’s lifecycle, Xbox owners would probably struggle to think of a true killer app for their big green machine. No matter what which way you slice it, Microsoft just have not matched the first-party line up of Sony or Nintendo. It’s a fact that has haunted the system for years now as legends like Halo, Gears of War and Forza all show their age. To say, Xbox needed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to hoist to their mast was an understatement.
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With so much riding on this one game, MachineGames were handed the reins on this much-loved movie IP. It makes sense, this is the team behind the brilliant latter Wolfenstein games, series set in the same time period with the same antagonists which was long dormant in digital form.
Labour of Love
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) . This was the right choice, planting the game in the golden era of those first films. It also says quite a lot about the modern Indy movies that the game would bypass them so readily.
This intent is made absolute clear to the player in the first level, a near-frame-for-frame reconstruction of the start of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Not only does this set the stage perfectly for the adventure that awaits, it also shows that MachineGames have that same reverence for the source material that you do.
A Great Circle
The Great Circle follows Indy during 1937, and picks up after he has left his fiancée, Marion Ravenwood. Following the theft of an artifact from Marshall College, Jones heads to the Vatican to investigate the enigmatic giant responsible for the noisy pilfering.
Indy quickly discovers that other sites of spiritual significance have been burgled. These religious sites, built throughout history, form a perfectly aligned great circle around the globe. It’s textbook Indy, and it’s a wonderful way to set up a globetrotting adventure as you traipse the path.
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The Vatican City, Peru, Connecticut, the Sukhothai temples in Thailand, the Egyptian pyramids, Shanghai, the snowy Himalayas. The game gives itself an excuse to dazzle you with cool places that would fit into any of the 1980s Indy films. As always, Indy isn’t alone on this search for The Great Circle. The Nazis are also out for the same prize, believing it will give them ultimate power. Again.
Despite the by-the-numbers Indy plot, the writing is incredibly sharp and cinematic, and, above all, compelling. You constantly want to find out where the next twist and turn will lead. MachineGames have, of course, shown this level of plot mastery in their Wolfenstein series entries, and credit is due for their work here.
Playing Indy
Gameplay, on the other hand, is very refreshing. What at first glance may seem a standard FPS is actually more like the criminally underrated The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is almost entirely melee and exploration focused.
Throughout the game, Indy is thrown into large, open levels to explore and stealth your way around, finding loot, secrets and solving puzzles. If you get spotted, its time for the game’s brand of fisticuffs.
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There are guns in the game, including Indy’s signature revolver, but honestly, it’s a pea shooter. This is a little bit of a let-down, especially when you think back to the iconic Cairo swordsman scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, combat is still fun and extremely satisfying. Each punch landed delivers a meaty crack. You can also get inventive and find myriad make-shift weapons laying around.
The impromptu smashers of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle always raise a smile. From spades to brooms to pots and pans. You name it, Indy can grab it and whack seven bells out of some unsuspecting fascist. Half of the fun is finding these over-the-top items to bash the fash with. My own personal favourite was the fly swatter.
Cool Whip
Indy also has his trusty whip, which fares a lot better than his hand cannon in terms of utility but ultimately feels like more of a tool than a weapon. The whip be used to stun enemies, as well as help you get around the place.
It’s worth noting that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is mostly focused on stealth. However, it’s never forced. Instead it’s just the best option if you want to do thing as cleanly as possible. And, to its credit, the system at play here actually works. While it might be a little too forgiving, I feel I can’t complain too much given how hard it is to balance stealth gameplay.
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle often lets you find your own path. There are a number of routes to your goal, and the game is comfortable leaving it up to you in how you want to approach things. This throws a spotlight on just how incredibly well forged the level of design is. Each locale is oozing in player choice and agency, whether it’s a tight dungeon-esque set piece or an open area.
Thinking Man’s Action Hero
The level of care in design is also readily visible in the puzzles you’ll find throughout Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Each one will, honestly, make you feel like you’ve uncovered some long-hidden knack, trick or code. But, if you are truly stumped there is a hint system, which, again, is well implemented.
There is just one real issue with the gameplay as a whole. The progression system is a bit clunky. You find books to earn points, from which you can learn new skills. However, beyond a handful of skills, the progression feels somewhat pointless. The gameplay is so tight and mostly balanced already, many skills just don’t have the intended impact.
Capturing the Magic
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is visually stunning. Each of its locations feel alive. The game’s levels teem with detail. Bustling crowds, wildlife or shifting sands bring dynamism to every single scene.
The variety on show within the game is also worth highlighting. You will be shuttled from a city, to the desert, and then up a snowy mountain top, to a lush jungle slowly eating the remnants of a lost civilisation.
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Each space feels unique, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle never lets the eyes get bored. The icing on the cake are the pixel-perfect cast, including Harrison Ford, the late Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina, and Tony Todd.
Sound is on par with the visuals of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. An epic soundscape, infused with the iconic John Williams score, delivers the sound of the original movie trilogy. That movie music sound is also a perfect backdrop to the action unfolding moment to moment. Voice acting is also top tier, with Troy Baker taking absolutely nailing Indy. To the point you will forget it’s not Harrison Ford at the microphone.
Making It a Quadrilogy
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle does two things you may have never thought possible. Firstly, the game has made Indiana Jones, as a while, good again. Indy’s back on top, and this is, hopefully, the start of more things to come.
Secondly, and more impressive, is that Microsoft finally have at least one game to stand up to the quality of something from Sony or Nintendo. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the system seller that the green corner has lacked for over four years.