Review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It's simple — one of the best games of 2024

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is one of the most original games of this year, which Microsoft carelessly «threw into the cold» (the game was released in December) without a proper marketing campaign and at the most inopportune time for gaming. And yet, mind you, this is the perfect and proper return of the classic "Indiana" since the third movie: with a thoughtful and detailed environment, recreated cinematic atmosphere, young Harrison Ford, iconic soundtrack, engaging puzzles, and a thrilling plot.

Even though another game appeared in the Xbox collection that received high ratings from the press and fan base recognition, it went almost unnoticed by the wider audience. The game didn't even make it to The Game Awards tier list due to its late release date, although its chances of winning could have been very high. In this review, we will explain why you should pay attention to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, even if you have never been a fan of the Indiana Jones universe.

Indiana Jones is the world's most famous archaeologist, created by George Lucas and portrayed by actor Harrison Ford. One of the most iconic cinematic characters of all time, his thrilling adventures filled with action, humor, and historical discoveries have captivated generations of viewers worldwide. Despite the frankly poor return of the franchise in the form of The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Dial of Destiny, the character's nature has always remained unchanged: a charming, witty, and charismatic archaeologist, ready at any moment to set off in search of a mysterious artifact capable of destroying all life on the planet if it accidentally falls into «the wrong hands».

The original trilogy directed by Steven Spielberg quickly gained cult status and inspired not only filmmakers but also video game developers. For example, in the Uncharted series, character traits, plot twists, and many spectacular scenes were almost literal quotes. Just recall the truck chase from the fourth part, which Naughty Dog borrowed from the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark.

However, the new films, namely The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Dial of Destiny, were met with mixed reactions as they were made according to entirely new Hollywood production standards. The introduction of alien conspiracies into the plot, as well as an excessive amount of CGI, dull dialogues, and unrealistic action, significantly distorted the original vision of the storyline. The franchise, originally based on real-world mythology and ancient civilizations, turned into a fantastical blockbuster with no hint of groundedness. Ultimately, the image of Indiana Jones ceased to feel authentic and natural. The digital age is clearly not a place for an adventurer-archaeologist.

After the financial failure of The Dial of Destiny in 2023, Disney abandoned the idea of further developing the series. The «Indiana Jones era» could have ended on a rather sad note if Todd Howard hadn't appeared on the horizon, wanting to revive the hero in his classic role. As early as 2009, the «father» of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout tried to acquire the rights to the franchise from George Lucas, but it wasn't until 12 years later that Lucasfilm Games and Bethesda Softworks reached an agreement. The latter was actively developing Starfield in 2021, so the game development was entrusted to the Swedish MachineGames, with Todd serving as producer and story writer.

MachineGames is known to many players for the Wolfenstein series. Despite the developers primarily specializing in first-person shooters, The Great Circle did not become another «meaty» action game with Nazi shooting. Most of the studio's staff consists of former Starbreeze employees who were responsible for developing other equally famous series — The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and The Darkness. These games became sources of inspiration for the Indiana Jones universe project. The authors deliberately abandoned the well-trodden adventure blockbuster formula in the spirit of Uncharted, focusing on implementing more important mechanics that set Indiana apart from other archaeologist characters.

As a result, MachineGames created a game whose genre is difficult to explain in two words. Most of the time, the main character explores vast locations, collects items, solves puzzles, and stealthily infiltrates areas hidden from prying eyes. A rather unusual set of mechanics for a franchise project that once inspired the creators of Tomb Raider and Uncharted. On one hand, an immersive sim in the Indiana Jones universe sounds very cool. On the other hand, games in this genre often barely recoup production costs. They are simply difficult to market.

Until the very release, many wondered: what exactly is The Great Circle and why should we anticipate its release? Instead of clearly explaining the game design of the upcoming title, the Xbox management simply «ignored the PR campaign», revealing nothing about the project until its launch. It's no surprise that The Great Circle didn't gather a large audience on Steam and quickly faded from the public eye after its release. And that's sad, because MachineGames managed to create a «true» fourth installment of the franchise, which Spielberg and James Mangold couldn't realize at the time.

The plot of The Great Circle unfolds in the time period between the first and third films. It begins with a short flashback, allowing players to participate in the iconic scene of stealing an artifact and escaping from a giant boulder from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Events then shift to Marshall College, where a giant named Locus breaks in under the cover of night. He steals a cat-shaped statuette, beats up Indy, and escapes through the window. Waking up in the morning, Jones decides to retrieve the stolen artifact and sets off on a journey.

A key feature of all Indiana Jones stories has always been the desperate race for an artifact that the Nazis want to use for personal gain, giving them an advantage that could help them conquer the world. The Great Circle is no exception. The missing statuette contained an element related to the mythical «Great Circle» — a series of ancient relics that grant unimaginable power. Naturally, the Nazis are interested in finding the artifacts, so Indy must thwart the villains' plans and gather the remaining elements of the «Great Circle» before they fall into the wrong hands.

The Great Circle is skillfully integrated into the chronology between the classic films, successfully exploiting the chaotic mythology of the franchise. Fans of the series will constantly encounter references and hints to familiar characters. The new characters are no less impressive than those in Lucas and Spielberg's original films. The companion Gina is a very charismatic and pleasant character who travels with Indy throughout the adventure. Unlike other modern games, she doesn't burden players with a complex personality, doesn't try to push modern trends, and actively assists Indy even in the most dangerous and risky situations. The new villain, archaeologist-occultist Emmerich Voss, is the highlight of the entire project. His impeccable charisma overshadows almost all the antagonists in the series. His delightful exchanges with high-ranking officials and absurd attempts at psychological manipulation are noteworthy.

The key strength of The Great Circle's story lies in the superb acting. Troy Baker mimics Harrison Ford's voice so accurately that you won't even notice the difference. David Shaughnessy flawlessly replaced the late Denholm Elliott, who passed away in 1992 and played Indiana's patron and loyal friend Marcus Brody in the original films. Meanwhile, Marios Gavrilis brought the villain Voss to life, making him a multifaceted character. Most dialogues occur in lengthy and well-directed cutscenes that rival projects with much larger budgets.

The local story is on par with the classic trilogy in terms of quality and content. The direction, lighting, and even the color palette are recreated with incredible precision and love for the original. Imagine watching a film that Spielberg and Lucas shot in the '80s but decided to release at a later time. The plot is intriguing, and the main twist revealing the true purpose of «the Great Circle» is thrilling. The local music recreates the classic motifs composed by John Williams without resorting to outright copying. MachineGames conducted extensive research and created a game that resembles the original film trilogy more than the modern sequels. The Great Circle offers fans what Disney's The Dial of Destiny in 2023 couldn't — a return of the legend without unnecessary fluff and excessive fantasy.

From a gameplay perspective, The Great Circle can be best described as an «Indiana Jones simulator», where archaeology, puzzle-solving, and overcoming obstacles play a much larger role than chases, explosions, and battles with enemies. The core gameplay focuses on leisurely exploration and stealth. Most of the time, you'll be carefully sneaking into restricted areas, neutralizing enemies with fists or stunning them with improvised items, solving puzzles, performing acrobatics with a whip, and interacting with a multitude of characters. Shooting and action become a last resort, often leading to dire consequences.

Structurally, the project is divided into two components: progressing through linear narrative levels and exploring vast locations with immersive non-linearity akin to Deus Ex. The first-person perspective, unusual for adventure games, offers more opportunities. Each location feels more realistic and natural. You can «see with your own eyes» the scale of the pyramids in Giza and the beauty of the Vatican. Missions on a giant battleship stranded atop a mountain in the Himalayas and an escape from Shanghai on a fighter plane are far more spectacular than in other adventure games — the player is not merely an observer but a direct participant in everything.

The first-person view gave developers more freedom in implementing puzzles. After the Silent Hill 2 remake, we thought we wouldn't see smarter puzzles this year. But MachineGames showed creativity and made us think hard. A couple of times, I even had to grab paper and pencil to do calculations. When picking up artifacts, clues, or notes, you'll directly manipulate objects and place them in the necessary spots to solve puzzles. Sometimes, The Great Circle resembles a classic 90s quest where item-based puzzles were the foundation of game design. By the way, at the beginning of the game, there's an option to reduce puzzle difficulty if you don't want to spend too much time finding the right solution.

Most of your time will be spent in three large locations: the Vatican, Giza, and Sukhothai. Each is filled with numerous additional activities, puzzles, and interesting places. Side quests are executed just as well as the main ones. For each such task, the developers created unique cutscenes, locations, and gameplay situations. Additionally, they are often connected to the main story and reveal more plot details. For example, when investigating mysterious explosions in the jungle, you encounter Indy's former student, who is trying to obtain an ancient demonic artifact. And exploring one of the many tombs turns into a hallucinogenic run through Marshall College, which previously appeared in The Last Crusade.

Unfortunately, other activities not related to story branches turned out to be monotonous and somewhat «tedious». All these underground fight clubs, searching for missing cats, collecting plaques, collecting lost exhibits, and solving mini-puzzles don't offer significant rewards for your efforts. Yes, for each activity, you'll receive a certain number of experience points, which can be spent on improving Indy's characteristics and abilities. However, to acquire certain skills, you'll have to literally «vacuum» the locations and collect textbooks, without which you can't gain abilities.

And if in the Vatican you could still endure the task of finding a nun's diary, in Giza, we were given roughly the same assignments and asked to clear the area of notes and artifacts all over again. The locations in The Great Circle are not small, and you'll have to run back and forth constantly. Moreover, most of the time, you'll be crouching and avoiding direct confrontations with enemies, and each additional activity takes an immense amount of time. Of course, you can skip leveling up and run through the game strictly by the story, but then you'll miss out on a slew of interesting abilities that transform the gameplay.

On large maps, there are several closed locations that can be accessed in various ways. Overall, mission completion often entirely depends on the player's ingenuity. Let's not forget that we have an Immersive sim here. For example, in the Vatican, you need to rescue a lad locked in solitary confinement by fascists. There are several ways to get into the restricted area where the cell is located. First, you can sneak across the scaffolding using the whip. Second, you can bypass the checkpoint, crawl under buildings, and emerge at the desired location through a hatch in the floor. Third, find a blackshirt uniform on the location and calmly walk past the guards. Fourth, lure all the soldiers out of the camp with noise and rescue the lad. Finally, you can simply storm the area with your fists and, in John Wick style, beat up all the enemies with improvised means. If all else fails, draw your revolver and unleash a bloody massacre on the fascists. The only downside is that all the enemies on the map will rush to the noise.

Yes, the main character always carries a revolver (sometimes another pistol, depending on the disguise) with a limited number of rounds. Ammunition for it is hard to find, and reloading is very lengthy. Therefore, in shootouts, you'll often pick up enemy rifles, submachine guns, and shotguns. However, you can carry them only until you need to free your hands for an interactive action. Need to use a bandage? Drop the item from your hands and then perform the action. Especially frustrating are moments when you find a powerful sledgehammer on the location, capable of knocking out Nazis with one hit, and then you're forced to climb a ladder, causing the hero to discard the find.

As for melee combat, it's implemented in the spirit of Escape from Butcher Bay, but with less brutal finishers and «juicy» sounds from 80s action movies. You can block and parry blows, maintaining timing, and deliver quick and powerful slaps. Additionally, Indy can use the whip to quickly disarm an enemy and stun them for a significant amount of time. There's always the opportunity to quickly grab the weapon that fell from the enemy's hands and use it against its owner. The whip is generally a useful tool. It's often used in puzzles and acrobatic tricks. And if you upgrade it, you can knock out Nazis with a single blow and avoid searching for melee weapons.

The only downside to the local combat system is the stamina system, which depletes from almost any action. Running, climbing, punching, and even using the whip drain the main character's energy. This creates pauses during action sequences, forcing you to wait or hide while crowds of not-so-smart «dummies» try to do something in response. You can increase the stamina bar by eating fruits and upgrading, but even that isn't enough to forget about it entirely.

The platforming sections with acrobatics are impressive but at the same time clumsy. Unlike Nathan Drake, Indiana feels more real and alive. He can't nimbly leap between ledges and swiftly move along cornices with his hands. In every action, you can feel the weight and inertia of the main character. During acrobatic stunts, the camera switches to a third-person view, creating problems during complex maneuvers. For example, a double whip jump across a chasm often leads to accidental falls as the camera constantly switches angles, and the brain simply can't adjust in time.

If you don't linger too long in open locations, you won't notice any pacing issues in The Great Circle. The developers have evenly structured the game, so the mechanics don't get repetitive or boring. For example, you first slowly explore the environment, read notes, and interact with characters, then move into a stealth segment that smoothly transitions into acrobatics. This might be followed by a shooting segment or a blockbuster sequence with jumps from plane to plane. The mechanics are shuffled or layered on top of each other, making the overall gameplay multifaceted and diverse. The immersive and non-linear structure of the locations doesn't confine you to specific paths, allowing you to choose what kind of Indiana Jones you'll be today — a tactician, a fighter, or a ninja.

Unlike Uncharted and Tomb Raider, the game focuses more on exploration, puzzle-solving, and the main story rather than shootouts, high-speed chases, and blockbuster content. It's not a rollercoaster with linear progression where the game designer points out the most thrilling spots. The Great Circle offers freedom, allowing you to truly step into the role of an archaeologist — someone who studies ancient civilizations, solves puzzles, and seeks the truth in godforsaken places.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is built on the Motor engine, a custom version of id Tech 7. In some places, the game looks stunning: the landscapes, especially of Giza and Shanghai, impress with their detail and attention to detail. There's also very pleasing lighting that sets the mood and creates the atmosphere of an 80s film. But if you look at the overall picture, it's far from next-gen. For example, in the Vatican, there are many areas with simplified geometry and low detail, which significantly spoil the overall impression and hinder full immersion.

The character models are top-notch. Indiana Jones is an exact replica of Harrison Ford. The developers used photographs provided by Lucasfilm to accurately recreate his appearance. The animations in cutscenes look flawless, but in the game itself, they don't impress. Enemies feel like rubber dummies, and neutral characters often stand in one place, serving as decorations. However, all gameplay animations are well-implemented. Interacting with the environment is a pleasure.

The game has minor issues with control responsiveness, but overall The Great Circle runs well on PC and Xbox. The game is fairly well optimized, ensuring smooth gameplay regardless of the platform. We didn't notice any bugs, but according to news and player complaints, they do occur, especially in the final act of the story campaign. During our entire playthrough, we only encountered one glitch where, after loading, Indy stood with his back to us, and the gameplay never started.

***

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a true return of the classic! The game masterfully captures the spirit of the original films, offering rich storytelling, vibrant locations, and diverse gameplay. MachineGames once again proved they can create captivating adventure projects that seamlessly blend narrative, action, and spectacle. The Great Circle recreates all the best elements of the legendary franchise: from the fonts with location names to Harrison Ford's signature smirk.

We received an unconventional adventure game with a strong emphasis on immersion. It's like «Deus Ex with a hat and whip», where shooting and brawling bring less pleasure than leisurely exploration and a well-thought-out stealth route. If you play it like an action movie, all the magnificence will instantly shatter into a thousand pieces. But if you stick to the rules and behave like the true Indiana Jones, The Great Circle will not only open up but also showcase its best sides.