There are times when Indiana Jones only has his hat, a whip, and his wits. That just about describes the challenge you face in the video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Released for both Xbox Series X/S and PC, the game is a thrilling and sometimes groundbreaking experience that keeps you hooked to the story — and the character.
I’m saying “groundbreaking” in the sense that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle often does feel like a 16-hour movie, including almost four hours of cutscenes. While other games have attempted to make an interactive movie work, I feel this is one instance where the idea was implemented with great visuals, sound, and a story to make it all work.
I went into the game with a wealth of experience, testing and reviewing video games as far back as the late 90s and with some distinct memories of games that felt like “playing” a movie.
One example among many is called Alien: Isolation that also pitted a well-known character from an iconic film (Amanda Ripley from Alien) in a game where the story took center stage. I’m a major movie fan, so that’s where a video game will hook me — when it feels like an interactive movie. (Light spoilers below about the main storyline, but it’s contained right in the title.)
In Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, it helps that the name of the game and the primary quest is based on a real mystery. Archeologists really have linked major ancient sites around the world in a massive circle that runs through places like Giza and Easter Island. The theory is that these mysterious sites were all built by an ancient civilization (or an alien race). A bit bonkers? Similar to the Phantom Time Hypothesis that suggests an entire epoch of world history never happened? Maybe, but at least it’s fascinating if a bit crazy. For me, this obvious MacGuffin in the game to uncover the great circle propelled the story and kept me hooked.
I’m starting with the story because I’m someone who really needs a reason to keep playing. Too many shooters these days rely on game mechanics and visuals without developing a compelling narrative. If a game can somehow craft a good story, as gamers we will put up with a lot of repetition and even a few glitches — all to find out what happens next.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle gameplay
I would say the gameplay in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is not exactly novel, but I liked the overall feel and mechanics. You play as the iconic character and, truth be told, this is not a shooter at all. I like that for more reasons than just the one I mentioned above. I’m not into bloody and violent video games for the same reason I don’t like horror movies. My goal is escapism, the feeling that I’ve been transported somewhere else in another time.
What you do have at your disposal is Indiana Jones as an archaeologist equipped with a whip catapulting himself across ancient ruins and on rare occasions brandishing a revolver or other firearm. I haven’t seen a report on this yet, but I imagine there is a way to finish this entire game without ever shooting a weapon. Mostly, you are solving puzzles. Also, in a twist that might come as a surprise to many: You snap a lot of photographs in this game. In many cases, it’s a hint on how to progress to the next level or you use the camera to piece together a puzzle.
Again, I’m okay with that. Those looking for the adrenaline rush of excitement mowing down a horde of Nazis with a variety of weapons might want to look into the other video game developed by MachineGames — the recent Wolfenstein games. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is definitely more of a story-driven adventure. It’s mostly plot and puzzles.
Combat is also fun and not cumbersome at all. You will engage in quite a few fisticuffs and, depending on the difficulty setting, will need to learn how to dodge out of the way. My main tactic involved landing a few blows, then running away to build up my health. You’ll also use the whip for both melee combat and swinging from one place to another.
Game visuals in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Roughly 10 years ago, I started wondering if video games had reached an apex moment in graphic fidelity. I wasn’t sure if the visuals could get more realistic, and I feel Indiana Jones and the Great Circle might be proof of that completely unsubstantiated opinion.
This is a game that does look breathtaking at times, especially in a few scenes later in the adventure. Standing on a rocky precipice looking out over an archaeological dig does have that transportative feel I’m craving in a video game. In fact, at that moment about one-third into the game, the gameplay switches to a sandbox mode of sorts before it goes back to the linear story.
That said, the visuals are about what we’ve all experienced in recent years. I liked how the lighting in some of the darker portions of the game, crawling around in catacombs below the Vatican for example, helped create an eerie and even tense atmosphere. Overall, the visuals never get in the way of the story and enhance the gameplay, without making you feel like it is a massive leap forward in graphics realism. In short, the graphics propel the story.
Other interesting elements
Apart from the great story and the fun gameplay, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has a few other elements that complete the package. For starters, the voice acting is amazing. Troy Baker is the voice actor portraying (e.g., impersonating) Harrison Ford in the game and it is utterly convincing. His voice captures the tone and even the humor of the iconic tomb raider. David Shaughnessy matches the cadence and feel of Marcus Brody from the original trilogy as well. (The original actor passed away in 1992.) Those scenes early in the game reminded me of the movie Alien: Romulus in that a character (the android Ash) was also digitally recreated.
I loved how Indiana Jones and the Great Circle mixes up the action sequences with smart puzzle solving and cutscenes you never feel like skipping. I never felt like I was spending too much time flipping a lever on one side of the game map and constantly running back and forth. Okay, maybe there’s a little of that but not enough to be annoying. The story compelled me to push through any of these puzzles and it was fun to complete them. I never skipped a single cutscene in the game, which is extremely unusual for me.
The use of sound in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is another great enhancement. It’s not overwhelming or a distraction from the gameplay, but instead helps build tension or rewards you with a familiar portion from the original soundtrack. What this all means is that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a near-perfect mix of story, gameplay, sound, and visuals.
In the world of video games, it just doesn’t get any better than Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.