Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Is The Most “Indiana Jones” Thing In A Long Time

Being a bright-eyed kid, watching the Indiana Jones movies and fawning over the thrill of the arcane, fantasizing about going on an adventure are some of my fondest and most treasured memories. Imagine my excitement when I saw that this legendary franchise was getting a video game adaptation.

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is one of my most anticipated releases, and with the Xbox showcase presenting a deeper look, it seems like we’re in for a treat, a true throwback to the iconic character’s glory days.

It’s Much More “Indiana Jones” Than I Was Expecting

I know you must be confused by my statement. “An Indiana Jones game is too much of it? What does this guy want to say?” So, without further ado, let me elaborate. By too much “Indiana Jones,” I mean how much of an accurate recreation of the movies’ essence it is. I expected this game to feel something different and disjointed, but it went ahead and proved me wrong.

The Xbox showcase presented a trailer, which had less gameplay and more cutscenes. In fact, it showed one particular cutscene in length, which sold me on the game.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is starting to look so damn good. The tone of the narrative looks spot on, the HF impression is growing on me and the combat looks weighty as hell

Now just show me some clever puzzles and we might have a real bonafide classic on our hands pic.twitter.com/KMImmhuwIe

— I Finished A Video Game (@IFinishedAGame) June 9, 2024

We see Indiana Jones with a companion, searching for a stone in a ship perched atop a hill in the Himalayas. Soon, he’s ambushed by Nazis, as expected, and interrogated in what can’t be described as anything other than a hilarious manner. From the “American cartoons” joke to the grenade toss, the punch to the face, and the eventual toppling of the massive boat, I got so hooked on it that I forgot for a moment that it was a game.

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I genuinely felt what I did watching Raiders of the Lost Ark and the subsequent movies (the first three) for the first time. Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is so accurate a depiction of the iconic character’s behavior, the movies’ themes, and the entire tone of the series, that I couldn’t help but applaud the great job MachineGames was doing. They truly nailed the Indy feel with this one.

This trailer also highlights the importance of keeping things humorous and mellow, akin to the original philosophy of the series. I’m glad MachineGames left in just the right amount of ridiculousness and hilarity to preserve what makes the Indiana Jones movies so great. It was an accurate choice and one that deserves genuine praise. Making a game adaptation so true to the source material’s roots is a momentous task.

Need More Gameplay Showcases Now

One thing’s for sure now, MachineGames has done its homework. It knows how to represent Indy, and that’s great. But now, it’s time to answer the second question. What about the gameplay?

Because in the end, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a game, and thus gameplay will be an important factor in determining the overall enjoyability factor. We’ve seen a little bit of the whip gameplay and the first-person parkour, but it’s not enough to create a gaugable impression.

That sequence from ‘Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’ was great (heh)! VERY “Indy”.

I would’ve liked to, y’know, play some of it.

I trust there’s more game they aren’t showing, but it’s just disappointing to not SEE IT.#XboxShowcase

— Dee Riv (@deegeeriv) June 9, 2024

This latest trailer also had a little gameplay glimpse towards the end. However, it was all so quick and little that I couldn’t make a reliable judgment. From what little I could make out, it looked like the whip animations and melee combat were still a little stiff and rough around the edges. We know little to nothing about the gunplay, puzzles, and the exploration aspect as well.

This is precisely why an in-depth gameplay showcase is necessary at this point. You’ve already won the hearts of long-time fans by displaying an authentic Indy representation and what looks like an enjoyable plot. Now, it’s time to clear the doubts regarding the gameplay. If people don’t get ample info and assume it’s rough, like what I did from the clips, it’ll create a bad image. And that’s the last thing MachineGames would want.

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I’m Still Skeptical About The First Person

Finally, let’s address the elephant in the room. I’ll go ahead and say this, I’m not a fan of the first-person choice. It would’ve been a good direction if the character wasn’t as iconic as Indiana Jones, or if it was a game about guns and shooting. And let’s be honest, Indy would much rather beat the lights out of the bad guys or bring out the whip than shoot them. 

You know just as well as I do that melee combat could be tough to execute perfectly with this perspective. A third-person approach would’ve suited the game much better. Still, MachineGames’ expertise with the perspective is some respite that the title is in good hands.

As amazing as this looks, I hope there’s a hero out there who will immediately make a mod allowing for the game to be played entirely in 3rd person.
byu/Curious-Ad-1428 inindianajones

With the impressive Wolfenstein games under its belt, and extensive experience tackling first-person adventures, I’m sure MachineGames won’t mess up this aspect, especially when the dev has flexed its prowess and love for the franchise with the brilliant representation. Thus, to summarize it all, I need to see a little more gameplay, and fingers crossed it’s as impressive as that cutscene was.