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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review

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I wasn’t a Spider-Man fan, but I absolutely loved the games. I wasn’t a Star Wars fan either, but the Jedi games are among my favorites from the past few years.

You can probably guess where this is going: I’m not an Indiana Jones fan either (what am I even a fan of?). But a first-person adventure game where you unravel an ancient secret? Something like Uncharted, but from a first-person perspective? Count me in.

For the Fans…

It doesn’t mean much to me personally, but Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes place between the movies Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in 1937. Indy (can I call him that as a non-fan?) stumbles upon a historic mystery known as The Great Circle. This Great Circle consists of several sacred sites that together form a circle across the Earth.

Of course, Indy isn’t the only one chasing the secrets of the Great Circle. He comes up against a Nazi expedition with the same goal, led by the incredibly slimy antagonist Emmerich Voss. Mythical powers are rumored to await whoever solves the mystery, which sets up a race against time—and against one of the most “punchable” faces I’ve ever encountered in a game.

That’s a questionable honor for Marios Gavrilis, who lent his voice and likeness to the character. To his credit, he pulls it off masterfully, as Emmerich Voss is one of the best antagonists I’ve seen in years.

The Gameplay Excels Where It Matters Most

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle offers a lot to love. Nearly every action feels satisfying, whether it’s knocking out a Nazi or simply unlocking a door. The core gameplay elements—exploring stunning environments and tombs, engaging in highly entertaining combat, and solving puzzles with what I found to be the perfect level of difficulty—all shine brilliantly.

The game is set across various beautifully crafted hubs, each with its own distinct identity. For instance, you’ll traverse the scorching heat of Giza or the icy peaks of the Himalayas. While the main objective is fairly linear and guides you toward your goal, true to the spirit of an adventurer, you’re free to explore and uncover secrets at your own pace.

Unraveling Mysteries

Beyond the main quests, there’s plenty of optional content, including so-called “fieldwork,” which functions as side quests. These side activities feel almost as polished as the main story, complete with cinematic cutscenes, important bits of lore, and engaging gameplay.

You can also discover and collect various mysteries and ancient relics. These are often uncovered by reading notes or conversing with characters you meet during the main quest. Solving these mysteries typically involves smaller puzzles. Sometimes, these are visual challenges; other times, you’ll need to piece together clues from multiple notes to find a logical connection that advances your progress.

The game handles this very conveniently. Each mystery gets its own entry in your journal, where a single button press lets you view all the related notes. Indiana even holds and flips through the journal as you browse, never breaking the immersion. These small details go a long way in drawing you deeper into the game world.

“Whether it’s part of the main quest or optional side tasks, I often found myself focusing and taking a few minutes to figure out the best way to approach a puzzle.


The mysteries are generally like a demo of the main quest, which follows the same principles but features more complex puzzles. In game design, puzzle creation is one of the most challenging aspects. Combat difficulty can be adjusted, but finding the right balance for puzzles is a unique challenge. Many puzzles in games tend to be real obstacles—tedious to complete and simply frustrating. They also have a tendency to disrupt the game’s flow.

A game like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle needs to execute this gameplay element flawlessly, and fortunately, the developers have done just that. Whether it’s part of the main quest or optional side tasks, I often found myself focusing and taking a few minutes to figure out the best way to approach a puzzle. It was never too long, so it never became frustrating, and they were rarely so easy that I could solve them in a second.

Luckily, developer MachineGames has provided a safety net in case you really get stuck or don’t have the patience. There’s a hint system that can offer some guidance when needed.

But Indiana Jones isn’t just about using his brain. Luckily, he also gets to let his fists (or pans, guitars, clubs, and even fly swatters) do the talking from time to time.

Combat Is Immensely Enjoyable, and the Improvised Weapons Are Fantastic

Many of the treasures and relics are hidden in Nazi territory. As you search for your next artifact, you’ll often encounter Nazis who are anything but hospitable.

The level design is well thought out, offering multiple ways to infiltrate undetected. For example, there are often conveniently placed gaps in fences, and the environment provides natural cover in the form of parked vehicles, crates, or walls.

During these stealth sequences, one of the game’s few shortcomings becomes apparent: the AI. You can silently take out enemies and hide their bodies, but I rarely felt compelled to do so. More than once, I encountered a guard who showed no interest in the fact that one of his comrades was unconscious just a meter away.

This makes it all the more tempting to go for a more direct approach. Who has the patience for stealth, anyway? If I had the choice between sneaking past Nazis or knocking them out with a frying pan or fly swatter, I wouldn’t think twice. Jetzt geht’s los, as Emmerich Voss would say.

Weapons in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle have a short lifespan. Normally, I’m not a fan of breakable weapons, as it makes me hesitant to use them. But in this game, there are so many objects you can use as weapons that it never bothered me. If my club broke, it was just a good reason to grab that stray bottle of wine lying around.

Some items can take more damage than others, but weapons typically break after about 4-5 hits. Depending on the weapon’s strength, this is almost always more than enough to deal with an angry Nazi.

When you approach an enemy from behind without being seen, you can knock them out in one hit if you’re holding a weapon. Each weapon has their own animation and they are always fun to watch, especially when paired with Indy’s commentary, such as “I’m sure you did your best, champ” or “Down you go, pal.”

If you find yourself in a situation without a weapon, you’ll enter a fistfight—and that’s certainly not a bad thing either. You can throw punches, dodge, block, and counter. You can also grab your opponents to land a few free shots or shove them off ledges, which is all very satisfying.

You’ll need to keep an eye on your stamina while perform these actions, though. Stamina can be upgraded later, but early on, Indy tires out pretty quickly during fights.

Of course, you also still have your trusty whip. You can use it to disarm Nazis, trip them up, or pull them toward you. The sound of the whip cracking also causes dogs to lose their aggression, which is a nice touch, as you’ll occasionally face them as well.

If you want to turn the tables on the Nazis, you can even use their own guns or rifles against them. Personally, I didn’t find this as satisfying. The animations for using their weapons seem a bit underdeveloped. I landed headshots that enemies barely seemed to notice. This is one of the reasons I often preferred using the improvised melee weapons.

Another downside is that combat isn’t particularly challenging. I played the game on ‘hard’ but found the fights pretty easy to manage. With heavier weapons like hammers, I could easily dispatch a group of enemies. The only time I struggled was when I was surrounded by at least three Nazis and had no weapon.

This usually happened if I triggered an alarm in enemy territory. Everyone becomes alert and attacks as soon as they see you. In those situations, it’s better to make a run for it, because those aren’t fights you’re going to win.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Is a Feast for the Eyes and Ears

As I mentioned, this game excels in nearly every aspect, and that includes both its visuals and audio.

The environments are beautifully designed. No matter where I ventured, it truly felt like I was walking in Indiana Jones’ shoes. The first-person perspective pulls players even closer to the action, allowing you to fully appreciate the intricacy of the surroundings.

One detail that really stood out to me was how effectively light and shadow are used. This becomes especially noticeable in the dark tombs you explore. The way light streams in from outside looks breathtaking and atmospheric. Once you leave the sunlight behind and reach for a torch or your lighter, the light reflects in stunning ways off the ancient, timeworn temples.

Dust floats around skeletons, ancient murals, and scurrying mice (and sometimes, scorpions—yuck!).

The sound effects for everything happening in the game are exactly what I’d expect, and the music that accompanies the action fits perfectly with what I imagine the film scores would sound like (if the stories are to be believed, it’s spot on). The music evokes the feel of a classic, epic adventure film, and it greatly enhances the game’s atmosphere.

“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is not only one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played in recent years, but without a doubt, also the funniest.”


I also want to take a moment to highlight the outstanding performance of voice actor Troy Baker as Indiana Jones. Baker won my heart for the first time in 2013 as Joel Miller in The Last of Us. He frequently appears in major games like Uncharted 4 (Samuel Drake), Death Stranding (Higgs), and Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Simon Krieger). He has excelled in each of these roles, but Indiana Jones might just be my favorite Troy Baker performance so far, and that says a lot.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is not only one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played in recent years, but without a doubt, also the funniest. As I mentioned, I wasn’t familiar with the films, and therefore not particularly well-acquainted with the character of Indiana Jones. I was surprised by how genuinely funny the character turned out to be. His one-liners were often dry and sarcastic, which just so happens to be a type of humor I truly appreciate.

The credit for the humor doesn’t only go to the writers of his lines but definitely also to Troy Baker for his delivery. I primarily knew the voice actor for his more serious roles, but his delivery of Indy’s dry comments had me laughing out loud on several occasions. And that doesn’t happen a lot when I’m gaming.

Baker’s performance in this role proves just how much more versatile he is than I had realized, and it was an absolute pleasure to listen to him.

I’ve Never Felt More Like a Treasure Hunter Than I Did in This Game

The Uncharted and Tomb Raider games are huge names in the treasure-hunting genre, and I love both franchises. However, none of them have succeeded as well as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in giving me the true feeling of a treasure hunt.

Both of these franchises have a stronger focus on action, occasionally interrupted by puzzles here and there. In Indiana Jones, I felt much more like I was solving ancient mysteries with every step. This isn’t just because there are simply more puzzles to solve, but also because of how Indy analyzes his surroundings and points of interest.

Throughout the game, you can pull out your camera at interesting spots (the game indicates when something special is nearby). After taking a photo, Indy provides brief insights about what it is. Every time Indy opened his mouth, I thought, “This guy knows what he’s talking about.” No, better yet: “I know what I’m talking about.”

MachineGames made a brilliant choice by creating this game in the first-person perspective, which contributes greatly to the immersive experience. Every action flows seamlessly. Reading notes, picking up and using objects; all of it happens right before your eyes (and in Indy’s hands). Even upgrading skills happens via folders or books Indy flips through.

There is almost no action that breaks the immersion, which is one of the game’s greatest strengths.

Even when you dive into the game from the title screen, the only thing that changes is the shift from third-person to first-person perspective. The menu remembers your place and immediately lets you jump right into the action.

Conclusion

As a gamer, you’re always on the hunt for your next treasure, and with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, you’ll undoubtedly find it.

The game excels in terms of graphics, visuals, and gameplay, offering pretty much the complete package. Puzzles strike the perfect balance of challenge, the combat is thoroughly enjoyable, and it’s simply a joy to spend 20-30 hours listening to Troy Baker’s fantastic portrayal of Indiana Jones.

Perhaps it’s finally time to watch the films?

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