Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a delightful adventure filled with action and mystery that lives up to the beloved franchise and its titular hero. The game is filled with beautiful locations, poignant narrative beats, along with enough action to have you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.
When Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was first announced, it promised another action-packed adventure the likes of which fans of the franchise had first fallen in love with in 1981. As a lifelong fan of the Indiana Jones films myself, I’m so pleased to share that my experience with the Great Circle was nothing short of utter enjoyment.
The journey you are taken on is simply spectacular, and the characters you befriend along the way transform the story into one of the best Indiana Jones adventures ever.
What’s more, the Great Circle doesn’t shy away from making exploration and puzzle-solving the focus of the game, instead leaning into it above the action. Anytime the iconic Indiana Jones theme played, I felt myself smile, the joy of getting to experience another authentic Indiana Jones story is a true pleasure.
After all these years, MachineGames has finally crafted a video game worthy of the character’s beloved legacy. It is a must-play for any action-adventure lovers and, of course, those who, like me, have a special place in their hearts for the Indy franchise.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle screenshots & details
- Price: £99.99/$69.99
- Developer: MachineGames
- Release date: December 9, 2024
- Platforms: Xbox Series S/X & PC (PS5 – TBA 2025)
- Reviewed on Xbox Series X
A story worthy of Indiana Jones’ legacy
As a cinematic action-adventure title, one of the most important parts determining this game’s success is the narrative. After all, what’s an Indiana Jones experience without a bit of disbelief, over-the-top scenarios, engrossing mystery, and, of course, a big finale?
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes place in 1937, between Raiders and Crusade. After a mysterious figure steals an artifact Indy had previously uncovered on an expedition from Marshall College, Indy embarks on an adventure to recover the item. In doing so, he naturally discovers it is connected to a much larger mystery.
Indy isn’t the only one interested in uncovering the truth about the mystery of the Great Circle. Emmerich Voss, a German who allies himself with the Nazis, is also wanting to unlock the power.
While I won’t be going into spoiler territory in this review, how the story plays out had me on the edge of my seat. Each time a cutscene began, I was locked in and hanging onto every word as if I were watching a new Indiana Jones film for the first time.
The twists are unexpected, and the turns are even more thrilling than I anticipated. Moreover, the story never drags or feels like it’s running out of steam. Rather, it picks up momentum and consistently elevates its narrative to a size and scope I was truly taken aback by.
There’s no denying this game was made with passion and a steady hand. The dev team has managed to capture the tone of each Indiana Jones film and channel them all into The Great Circle.
It’s a narrative that not only lives up to the franchise but is also one of the best journeys Indiana has ever gone on.
A globe-trotting adventure
Adventure always finds Indy, whether he likes it or not. In The Great Circle, MachineGames has expertly crafted a journey that pays homage to the character’s history.
Throughout the game, you’re dropped into half a dozen different locations, all of which have been brought to life with remarkable detail, making it hard not to feel completely immersed when exploring each new destination.
Whether traveling through the Sistine Chapel and dodging Priests and Nuns at the Vatican or staring up at the great Pryamids of Egpyt, the Great Circle captures the essence of Indy’s archeological exploits and masterfully translates them for the medium.
For a game that includes multiple different locations, each manages to feel completely distinct. At no point did I dread a new city or space to explore; each time Indy arrived in a new area, I spent hours simply walking around and taking in the sights before remembering I had quests to complete and a mystery to unravel.
While not a completely open-world experience, I was in awe of the size and variety of the content and surprised by its replayability. Quality above quantity was clearly the intention and MachineGames smashed it out of the park.
Even after completing the main story, I was excited that I could return to any location I wanted at the drop of a hat. Some have specific areas you can only access by backtracking but even without this added incentive to return to earlier sections, the Great Circle must be commended for truly nailing the heart and soul of what makes an Indiana Jones adventure so spectacular.
Indy is characterized perfectly and so too are his companions
It’s no surprise that prolific voice actor Troy Baker nails the role of Indiana Jones, once again proving why he is one of the most in-demand names in the industry.
However, a good performance alone isn’t what made Harrison Ford’s Indy one of the most famous adventurers. The Great Circle brings out all sides of the character: his wit, cynicism, womanizing tendencies, and, above all else, his heart.
While the writers brought Indiana Jones’s world to life, they added even more nuance to the character, utilizing the longer form medium of games to flesh Indy out in a way that only the best films in the series have managed to achieve.
The Great Circle doesn’t just feel like an action-adventure game starring Indiana Jones. Rather, it’s an Indiana Jones experience through and through, never wavering in its foundations.
A variety of supporting characters accompany Indy on his journey, all of which manage to stand apart and feel necessary to the story and Professor Jones’ arc throughout. Gina Lombardi, a journalist who never shies away from danger, is Indy’s main companion in The Great Circle.
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As a franchise that helped pioneer portraying women as capable forces, Gina slots in perfectly in this regard. In the same way, Raiders of the Lost Arc has Marion Ravenwood to oppose and complement Indy, the Great Circle introduces Gina in spectacular fashion, and her importance only grows from there.
She’s not just along for the ride but has her own motivations in finding her sister, Dr Laura Lombardi, a poignant and vital part of the game that fuels her tenacity every step of the way.
Supporting characters such as Dame Nawal cleverly shake up the dynamic between Indy and Gina while also furthering the story in directions that feel organic, insightful, and, above all else, emotional.
Simple combat that grows on you
One of my biggest worries about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was its simplified gameplay, particularly its combat. However, the further I got into the game, the more enjoyable it became, and by the end, I was having a complete ball.
As one should expect from Indy, using your environment to get the upper hand is essential. Anything, from a paintbrush, a glass bottle, or even a viola, can be picked up and used to knock out your enemies.
When there’s nothing around you, however, Indy can still pack a serious punch. You can dodge and counter when going hand-to-hand with foes, and while initially, this felt very basic, the more time I had with the game, the more fun I had with these up-close exchanges.
If all hell breaks loose, you have a revolver to help clear a path and enemy guns can also be equipped and used temporarily. From shotguns to pistols and even machine guns, The Great Circle remains faithful to Indy’s classic combat tactics while still adding some additional spice to the gameplay.
Above all else, stealth is the central focus of combat, as sneaking around restricted areas is, at times, your only option.
You can find (or be given) different disguises to wear in each location to keep prying eyes away when exploring. This is something quite simple but once again effective in grounding Indiana Jones and still making gameplay enjoyable.
You can also level up Indiana as the game progresses. Six different umbrella categories include multiple skills:
- Survival
- Fitness
- Packing
- Brawling
- Combat
- Exploration
Of all the different upgrades you can acquire, my personal favorite was Lucky Hat. When Indy gets knocked down, this ability gives you a second chance, so long as you can crawl over to his Fedora and place it back on.
A small animation of Indiana rising back up with a big smirk on his face plays out, allowing you to join in on the action again.
The Great Circle nails it’s exploration and puzzle-solving gameplay
As you’d expect, Indy often explores hidden Tombs, Monasteries, and the like, uncovering previously hidden secrets. You’ll need to utilize your whip to help climb up to otherwise unreachable areas, introducing fantastic platforming gameplay into the experience.
As you progress through the game, exploration becomes more complicated and nuanced. No two tombs feel the same, each with their own puzzles to complete and dangers to dodge.
A pet peeve of mine is when games require too much handholding, outlining every little step or including lengthy tutorials that are tedious and unnecessary. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle does offer support in that sense, but it gave me the space to figure things out on my own first.
Whenever I got stuck during a particular puzzle, I trusted that the game had provided all the information I needed to succeed, it was simply a matter of figuring out things for myself, exactly what Indy has always done when on his adventures.
Performance issues hold the game back from true greatness
While Indiana Jones and the Great Circle captures everything about the franchise in near-perfect fashion, the game is held back when it comes to performance. My first attempt to play through the title was impacted by a game-breaking bug, wherein Indy’s whip couldn’t be accessed at all. This prevented me from making any progress whatsoever and at the time of writing, no fix has been deployed, nor is there word of one on the horizon.
After starting a new save, I thankfully didn’t encounter any progress-halting bugs of this nature again; however, it was a big deterrent early and made me more conscious of the smaller issues I encountered later on.
Graphical bugs, such as characters appearing through walls or not moving as they should have, were also prevalent throughout. In addition, the game lagged in moments, the graphics taking a moment to catch up when entering a new location or when jumping from a cutscene back to gameplay.
Apart from my early problem with the whip not being functional, these glitches never felt like they were taking me out of the game’s immersion however, which is a testament to the quality of The Great Circle as a whole.
Dexerto Review Score: 4/5 – Very Good
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A fantastic narrative and globe-trotting fun | Performance issues and bugs |
| A Cinematic and immersive delight | |
| Great puzzle-solving and exploration gameplay |
While let down by some performance issues, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle captures the essence of its titular hero, nailing the story, characters, and visuals. For action-adventure lovers or Indiana Jones enthusiasts, this game is a must-play.
When the final credits rolled, I found myself eager for more and excited by having Indiana back in the video game world again, a prospect I did not anticipate when I first jumped into the title.
