Hey everyone, welcome to a casual gamer’s review of “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.” No spoilers ahead! I’ll conclude with a verdict for both die-hard Indiana Jones fans like me and those who haven’t seen the original trilogy—yes, that’s a cinematic sin.
The trilogy is one of the greatest of all time. I say trilogy because the fourth movie was so bad I pretend it doesn’t exist. It was horrible—so much so that I stopped following Indiana Jones news altogether. I believe there was a fifth movie, but I avoided it, leaving me sceptical about this game.
However, all my doubts were erased—this game was spectacular and should’ve been the plot for the fourth movie. If you watch this review, play the game, and haven’t seen the original movies, trust me, you’ll love them. It’s worth watching afterward.
The game is set in 1937, between “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Last Crusade.” Interestingly, it starts with the iconic opening of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Initially, this seemed strange, but it was a brilliant marketing move. The developers showcased the graphics’ quality and drew in fans with nostalgia.
The game quickly shifts to reveal Indiana was dreaming about his past adventure. He wakes up, finding himself drinking with his friend Marcus Brody, who’s passed out, possibly drunk, on the college campus where they both teach. Indiana hears loud noises and discovers the campus in shambles.
Investigating, he encounters a nearly seven-foot-tall, pain-resistant man who steals an ancient relic and escapes. This sets Indiana off on a globe-trotting chase, leading to an insane adventure involving an evil army that played a significant role in World War II.
The key takeaway is that the story is well-written and the ending didn’t disappoint—it left me very happy with the game.
Do you need to watch the movies to play the game? No. The game does an excellent job of explaining that Dr. Indiana Jones is an archaeologist and college professor who embarks on swashbuckling adventures to uncover ancient relics. But do yourself a favour and watch the original trilogy! The game has lots of cinematics but even more gameplay. It felt like playing what could have been the real fourth Indiana Jones movie.
There’s more to the story, but I won’t spoil it. I beat the game in about 15 hours, including some side quests, but there’s plenty more to do.
The game features multiple global settings. Most levels are linear, except for three larger open areas that allow for exploration and side quests. These quests benefit you, such as uncovering books that increase fist fighting, combat, and pistol damage.
Other upgrades can be found by helping locals, like collecting medicine for doctors to permanently increase health and stamina. My favourite upgrade is like a second wind. If Indiana is defeated, enemies disperse, thinking he’s down. He can then crawl, pick up his lucky hat, and resume gameplay from where he fell, rather than restarting at the last checkpoint. Speaking of enemies, this game can be tough at times.
You can adjust the difficulty level to make it easier, but keep in mind this game can be tough, depending on your play style. Let’s explore why. The game is in first-person mode, not third person, which is unusual for history, archaeology, and treasure hunting games like Uncharted and Assassin’s Creed. However, the studio made it work brilliantly for “The Great Circle.”
First-person mode adds a welcome challenge, requiring stealthy planning and perfect timing. You can’t rely on unrealistic angles; instead, you must anticipate enemy patrols. If enemies spot you, they blow whistles to call for help, making it even tougher. The game takes a realistic approach to combat and mechanics. Indiana Jones isn’t a superhuman fighter like Master Chief from Halo. He swings his fists like a real person, staggers when hit, and his climbing and parkour mechanics are slow and clunky—just like in real life.
This realistic approach is a refreshing challenge compared to the more fantastical mechanics in games like Uncharted. The game even has a stamina bar for intense actions like running, punching, swinging melee weapons, climbing, and carrying bodies.
I avoided using guns for most of my gameplay because the noise alerts many enemies, and ammo is limited. When Indiana gets shot, it takes him a second to recover, and his aim is thrown off. I opted for a stealthy approach, using silent knock-out attacks and hiding bodies from patrolling enemies.
Sometimes I avoid fights entirely and sneak to the next checkpoint. Indiana may be a typical action hero in the movies, taking hits and beating up bad guys, but he also gets his fair share of damage, defeat, and capture. This game excellently mirrors that balance from the movies.
Unlike the gunslinging mayhem of Battlefield or Call of Duty campaigns, this game is a refreshing change, true to top-notch Indiana Jones games. There are many puzzles, some in side quests and some required for the main story. While I’m not usually a fan of puzzles, I must admit they were well-designed and engaging, just like an Indiana movie. Interestingly, the developers included separate difficulty levels for puzzles and combat.
While graphics don’t make or break a game, this one looks amazing. The facial animations are top-notch, making me feel like I’m playing an Indiana movie. Sure, Indiana in the game doesn’t look exactly like young Harrison Ford, but considering Ford’s iconic status, that’s understandable. Overall, credit to the developers. Despite Indiana looking a bit baby-faced, the game plays smoothly on Xbox Series X with almost no-load time or frame dropping.
Though some bugs are present. Defeated bodies sometimes have limbs going through walls, and Indiana’s hand might go through doors when using a key. There was one comical bug where an NPC fishing had a fish floating in mid-air in front of his face. However, there’s one annoying buggy critical NPC, Gina, who is crucial to the story. I’ll avoid details to prevent spoilers.
She’s quick-witted, brave, skilled, and daring during cinematics and gameplay, but at other times, she’s incredibly buggy and annoying. Rarely, she’ll help fight enemies when unavoidable, but they’ll end up punching mid-air like a Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight. When I’m being stealthy, she keeps moving and never stays still.
This is annoying for two reasons: she’ll sometimes walk in front of enemies, making me think she’s going to fight and expose us, but then she’s invisible to them. Other times, she’ll fight and expose us, causing me to take damage and use scarce bandages (source to heal Indiana). She also blocks my view while I’m sneaking, but enemies can see through her and spot me hiding. Thankfully, her interference is minimal, but it was frustrating when it happened.
The sound is top-notch. For the first few hours, Indiana hardly spoke, which was disappointing since he’s a talkative character. He’s voiced by the famous Troy Baker, known for “The Last of Us” series, not Harrison Ford. As the game progresses, Indiana becomes very talkative, and Troy’s replication of young Harrison Ford’s voice is amazing. There’s a slight difference, but it’s hardly noticeable as you play. Troy and the sound engineers did a fantastic job.
Other characters’ voices are also excellent, with rich dialogue and unique personalities that stay true to the movies. Some characters are tough, some serious, and some downright hysterical, adding classic Indiana movie comedy scenes.
My favorite sound samples are the whiplash and classic punching sound effects you’ll only hear in Indiana movies. Sometimes, I’d purposely fight enemies that are alone just to hear those satisfying sound effects.
Who is this game for? I tried it through a one-month Game Pass subscription, and it was worth every penny. For those skeptical about first-person stealth gameplay, I highly recommend this approach—it’s inexpensive as you can cancel your subscription once you’re done with the game.
For Indiana Jones fans willing to pay full price, especially those waiting for the PS5 release expected in 2025, don’t hesitate. It’s a treat!
If you’ve never watched the Indiana movies and Game Pass isn’t available, I still recommend giving it a try. You probably won’t regret it. There might be a small group of gamers who won’t enjoy it, but if money is tight, at least try it when it’s on sale. It’s highly recommended. Here’s hoping the studio recognizes their success and creates an equal or greater sequel.
