REVIEW: Cinematic Storytelling Excels In ‘Indiana Jones And The Great Circle’ (XBX)

If I look far back enough, I play video games because of Indiana Jones. Not only did this arrogant Nazi-punching archaeologist pretty much set my type, but the adventures he went on were something I was obsessed with. Then, when I got the original PlayStation, Lara Croft was the closest I could get to actually being Indy. Now, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has not only highlighted why I love the man who wears the hat but also why exploring long-buried places is a core gaming memory.

Developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle may not be the first time Indy has come to consoles, but it will be the most memorable. A single-player adventure set in 1937 after the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and before The Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has a cinematic story that both differentiates itself from the films but fits neatly into the canon, or more specifically, into Steven Spielberg’s legacy.

The story opens with Dr. Jones investigating the halls of Marshall College after a mysterious colossal man who speaks an ancient language steals one of the artifacts in its collection. As one would expect, the legendary archeologist is hot on the tail of a world-shattering secret that takes him across the globe, from Vatican City to Egypt, the Himalayas, and more. From a first-person perspective, he takes on familiar enemies and forges new alliances.

We all know Indy hates two things: snakes and fascists. So, of course, the legendary archaeologist is trying to thwart Emmerich Voss and the Reich as they loot excavation sites and collections in search of an ancient power to call their own. As the enemy threat tries to harness sinister forces connected to the Great Circle, Indy is one step behind them.

In a game that captures every one of Indiana Jones’ trademarks, The Great Circle also includes Gina Lombardi. An investigative journalist, she’s not concerned with solving one of history’s greatest mysteries. She just wants to get her sister back. Brash and confident, Gina is the perfect companion for Indy and continues the franchise’s longstanding embrace of powerful women—and yes, the romantic tension is there.

In addition to Gina, Voss is also a formidable villain. There are multiple interactions where the meanness of Voss’s words cut deep and intimidate. He’s a master manipulator who just so happens to be working as the occult specialist for the Reich right now. But it’s clear that his interest in The Great Circle is his alone. His anger and disrespect for those around him are fitting to his standing, which makes any interaction where you or Gina get to hit him even more satisfying.

MachineGames brings Indiana Jones and his world to life with fidelity and care.

To talk about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is to highlight MachineGames’ absolutely astounding ability to bring the Indy we know and love. This includes his flaws, his strengths, and, of course, his hat and trademark whip. The cinematic fidelity can be commended directly when talking about the game’s animation.

At times, character models look more lifelike than not, thanks specifically to the lighting team. The reflections in glasses and eyes, the skin textures, and that iconic Indy smirk are captured wonderfully and make the cinematic action-adventure game increasingly immersive the longer you play.

Troy Baker’s take on a young Harrison Ford is so well done that you never think about it. Appearances from Tony Todd, who passed earlier this year, Alessandra Mastronardi as Gina, Marios Gavrilis as Voss, and the rest of the cast give performances that stand out, and the fidelity of their character models is definitely something to commend.

The real quality comes from the animation directors’ ability to capture Spielburg’s signature use of light. The Great Circle isn’t just concerned about Indy one-liners or notable Easter eggs for movie fans. They have taken the extra step in composing each scene, particularly on character introductions. In each scene, Spielberg himself adjusts the character markers.

Still, the game isn’t just cinematic in its visuals, without forgetting its medium, of course. The Great Circle’s writing is right at home in the Indy of the past. The quirks and absurdities of the mystery fit right at home in this world. The trademark humor is present, and the relationship dynamics stick out.

It’s hard to capture how much MachineGames and Lucasfilm have been able to work together to capture the magic of Indiana Jones, but they do. It’s a game I didn’t know I would ever get. This game will surely capture the hearts of those who love the Indiana Jones franchise, full stop. The reverence for who Indy is at his core and the stories that came before it are so clear that it’s exciting. And surprisingly, I found myself engrossed in the many cutscenes that I thought would start to wear thin.

Exploration is the true joy in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

Outside of the direct story, MachineGames has also created beautiful landscapes, architecture, cities, and ruins to explore. The depth shown in each location is breathtaking. The small details come together beautifully as you capture them with your camera. Whether it’s the Pyramids of Egypt, the heart of the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel, or the Sunken Temples of Sukhothai, each location is clearly crafted through the “spirit of discovery.”

Yes, that was one of the marketing lines, but the layered environments that beg you to explore every nook and cranny of the areas make those words ring true. I mean, you wouldn’t be a brilliant archaeologist if you didn’t follow every weird symbol on a building to its natural and which is either a world-shaking conspiracy or just another reason to stop the Nazis.

The actual play time will vary from player to player due largely to the sprawling open-area maps. It will be hard for anyone not to get lost in exploration. In fact, sometimes reading through your Fieldwork, solving Mysteries in each local, and Discoveries are essential to getting further in your Adventures (the section dedicated to your main quest).

More often than not, I’d be doing Fieldwork (side quests) only to wind up with something imperative to completing the main quest. The fluidity between the different objectives in your journal is essential to creating an experience that unravels a world of fascinating secrets and, more importantly, just being an explorer. Sure, Indy’s most valuable tool is probably his whip, but the depth the development team has put into his personal journal really is unmatched.

Using the journal and collecting hints, artifacts, and photography all make the choice to make the game first-person excellent. While I was questioning at first, the approach to the perspective is always utilized. Add in how cool it is to see Indy’s shadow in the environment as you move through it; it all works.

Additionally, the skill system in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle depends on finding books scattered throughout the locations you visit or buying them from limited vendors throughout the game. You can either use the money you’ve stolen or won in the underground boxing ring, or you can exchange medication bottles you find throughout the world for them as well.

Immersion: brought to you by a journal and a minimalist HUD. 

To aid in your search for constantly upgrading Indy’s kit, you don’t necessarily have to break into every location and hope you find one. Instead, you can purchase maps that unlock the locations of Books, Discoveries, and Medication in each area. It deepens how you explore the map and also rewards you for doing so. The books themselves range in quality from just expanding your satchel, increasing your health and stamina—or, in the case of “Lucky Hat,” bringing Indy’s signature film move into the game as a second wind mechanic.

The limited HUD makes using the journal essential. As much as Indy uses his wits, so do you. Puzzles aren’t terribly difficult, but they do require a level of attention to the environment that is extremely appreciated. And for those who get stuck, you can take multiple photos of a puzzle location for hints to help you. Whether you’re jumping across deadly traps or solving large environmental mechanics, it all works.

Ancient riddles are central to the game. Honestly, you’ll see much more of them than any direct confrontation. It’s also what makes the game exhilarating to play. While using the whip to scale walls isn’t always perfect, and some platform magnetism can be too much, it’s still some of the best times I’ve had with a game all year.

With intense set-pieces to explore, the narrative-driven gameplay shines much brighter than the melee combat you find yourself in as you travel. Every element of the game that pushes you to use Indy’s cunning resourcefulness is where the game excels. It works hard to put you at the center of a thrilling story, but more importantly, it trusts the player to understand how to rely on the worlds around them to make it through each and every ruin or situation.

In many ways, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the successor to Tomb Raider’s exploration that I didn’t get from other titles clearly inspired by the classic, which is only fitting, given Lara’s own Tank Girlification of Indy himself. It captures the excitement of realizing that every time you think you have the next piece of the mystery, two more emerge to find. I have never been more enamored with a Journal in a video game than with his.

The final note on immersion has to be the game’s score. A critical piece of Spielburg’s work and the era is the music. With old favorites making returns and new themes and songs lulling you into every place you enter, The Great Circle’s ability to tap into the sonic memory associated with the titular character is second to now.

Still, this Indiana Jones game isn’t without its flaws.

The only time the game starts to lose gas is when it comes to its combat. In an attempt to keep embracing cinema, Indy doesn’t really walk around with any weapon. Instead, you rely on what’s around you to attack enemy forces. Like Star Wars Outlaws‘ and Life Is Strange‘s stealth elements this year, The Great Circle also wavers on its rules to be found and how long you’ll be pursued.

Even when you can hit unsuspecting patrols with an object, you will not be considered stealth enough for a silent takedown. Bottles are the best for one-shot knockouts, but they can also be heard. The game aims to combine stealth infiltration with its exploration formula, but there are rough edges it doesn’t smooth out.

There isn’t much of an explanation for the stealth system in practice, which leaves you going through trial and error that isn’t always consistent. While this isn’t the largest negative—I mean, Indy kind of messes up these takedowns in the films—it can become annoying depending on how long it has been since your last saved checkpoint.

The lack of health bars, when you attack enemies that would be considered bosses (though not in the traditional sense), can make each confrontation interesting, to say the least. You’re never quite sure how much longer you have to last or how much damage your hits are doing. Not to mention, the restrictions on loading speed and ammo availability make gunplay something not to rely on. For larger enemy encounters, the whip is essential to disarming the fascists fighting since your life does not go a long way when bullets hit your totally not armored leather jacket.

Then, there is the thing I was worried about most – hand-to-hand combat. Brawling is what you will spend most of your time doing. Learning how to pace your stamina, block, parry, and dodge are important in mini-games like the underground boxing rings you’ll find in different locations (which you can only access while in disguise). However, because of the first-person perspective, it can be hard to focus and not get vertigo if you’re someone who gets motion sick. That said, the combat itself isn’t constant, giving you enough of a break to readjust your eyes after the fact.

One of the trickier elements of writing a review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is that it can feel like you’re playing two different games at times. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does split apart the story and gameplay in a way I haven’t really seen this year, despite its focus on never separating the two. The commitment that MachineGames has to not using separate animation styles for cut-scenes allows you to move in and out. You move from a cut-scene into playing as Indy, and more often than not, from playing as Indy to entering a cut-scene.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle isn’t for the impatient. Oftentimes, you’re locked into NPC animations after turning in a quest that you can not skip through. Like a movie, you’re locked into the pace that MachineGames wants you to take. I’ve gone back and forth about whether this is positive, negative, or neutral for my review. While the dynamic mix of gameplay and story is a standout, for this title, sometimes it is taken too far. It’s most notable when turning in quest items and getting locked into substantial dialogue that leaves you with nothing to do but stand there.

Cinematic storytelling excels in The Great Circle without losing its gameplay.

At the same time, though, it wholeheartedly accomplishes the developers’ goal of creating a cinematic video game, not just in its visuals but also in how it bridges gameplay and story into one usually seamless package to explore. I wouldn’t say that the game offers truly immersive action, but it does put you into a striking world that you always feel connected to.

Truthfully, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a stark departure from the award-winning studio from the recent Wolfenstein series. Connected through killing Nazis, that’s where the resemblance ends. And that is the game’s largest accomplishment. Outside of a few hiccups here and there regarding stealth and some whip swing and climbing animations, the game is exceptionally polished. Not only that, but it’s also a deeply endearing adaptation of one of pop culture’s most beloved adventurers.

The Great Circle is a massive game with a world that always feels like you’ve just scratched the surface, even as you scour every inch of the map. There is a lot to do and a lot to love, and more importantly, enough elements are introduced with each new area that none of it ever feels iterative of one concept.

The small touches added at every level of play are inescapable. MachineGames have shown that they understand why people love Indy and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the best recent addition to the franchise. By looking to the past, the franchise keeps its solid footing in pop culture. Your love of the game will be dictated by how open you are to a game that is aiming to put you into a film. Ultimately, this video game is an adventure for any Indiana Jones fan. In the end, your connection to the franchise will minimize the hiccups.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle does what this franchise has always done best. It takes the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact and thrusts Indy into a cataclysmic mystery, ensuring that the charismatic man shines. Punch Nazis, celebrate history, explore the world, and then save it. What more could you ask for?

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is releasing in early access December 5, 2024 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, and will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass on December 6, 2024.