First things first, let’s establish that, no, Harrison Ford has not worked directly on this game, which somehow hasn’t stopped it from feeling like an authentic new chapter in Indy’s story.
Iconic video game actor Troy Baker (perhaps best known for playing Joel in the Last of Us games) has delivered a note-perfect take on Ford’s voice and mannerisms, delivering such a believable performance that you will almost certainly go along with it.
Helping this work are the incredible graphics, with the team from MachineGames going to great lengths to make Indy’s face look exactly how it should. Somehow, there’s even a twinkle in his digital eye.
The game slots into the Indiana Jones film timeline between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It is set in 1937, fairly early in Adolf Hitler’s time as the Führer of Germany.
The plot is elegant in its simplicity: upon discovering a global archeological conspiracy that could unlock an ancient power, Indiana Jones races to collect the relevant artefacts before Nazi archaeologist Emmerich Voss can get his villainous hands on them.
This puts you on a classic globetrotting adventure, first to the Vatican and then to the Pyramids of Giza, not to mention a number of other eye-catching locales you’ll visit later in the game.
In each place, there are mysteries to unravel, from the artefact-hunting main plot to smaller stories involving locals in trouble. It’s a very good sign that, even though I knew I had to race through this game to meet the review embargo, I really wanted to wrap up all the side quests in each area as well.
This is because the writing is consistently excellent, always bringing a human touch to proceedings, whether it’s the global-threat main plot or something more trivial. The script also finds room for small comedic moments where appropriate, which helps to defuse the tension (and feels authentic to the tone of the films).
Joining Indy on your adventure is Gina Lombardi, a journalist who’s trying to find her missing sister. Although she starts off seeming like a femme fatale disguised as a nun, she develops into a well-rounded character with a big emotional arc of her own.
Indy also has a rich inner life, with the game taking this opportunity in the gap between films to flesh out what’s going on in his head and what kind of regrets he’s harbouring at this point.
Speaking of Indy’s inner life, it’s worth noting that you experience most of the game through his eyes (also known as the first-person perspective). When this was first revealed, I thought it was something of an odd choice, given that Indy has such an instantly recognisable silhouette.
However, in the game itself, it works really well. In a similar fashion to the classic GoldenEye N64 title, this game makes a point of highlighting the fact that you are Indy. You’re in his head, living his life, doing the sorts of things that he does.
At one moment, this might mean exploring a new location. The game uses a best-in-class map system to give you a general sense of the right direction, without spelling everything out. The yellow objective marker only appears when you open the map, and better yet, you can actually walk around with the map open. Or if you’d rather just explore on your own, 100 per cent you can do that.
At other moments, Indy will be faced with a puzzle. They start off easy but gradually get harder. If you want a clue, Indy will offer some musings if you start taking photos of the items in the room. If you’d rather work it out yourself, 100 per cent you can do that.
At other moments, Indy will be faced with a potential combat situation. The path to the artefact is guarded by Nazis, for example, and you’re given a certain amount of freedom to approach this however you like. You can try a stealthy approach, but you’re likely to bungle that unless you’re really careful. Then it’s time to fight.
The combat side of things is the only flaw. Or should I say, it’s the only part of the game that didn’t jive with me personally. The developers have clearly made a deliberate choice that they don’t want this to become a shooter. Indiana Jones is not John Wick, basically, and nor is he Nathan Drake (the Uncharted icon who always has to murder 20 people on the way to his next prize).
In this game, this choice means that you have limited bullets for your revolver. And if you start using them, you’ll soon be swarmed by enemies who can easily overwhelm you and blast you to bits.
The game also refuses to give you a permanent melee weapon. Instead, you’ll forever be looking for random items to pick up — from lead pipes to guitars and even toilet brushes — to whack a few enemies into submission. Each item is only good for a few whacks, so you’ll have to be tactical in how you deploy them.
If you’re totally unarmed, you’ll have to make do with some good old-fashioned fisticuffs, which I never quite got the hang of in first-person. There is blocking, dodging, pushing and a stamina bar to think about, and it never stopped feeling a bit to clunky to me.
But given the sort of hero that Indiana Jones is on screen — more of a scrappy, grumpy, normal-ish guy than your macho action hero — you can see what the developers were going for here. I respect their decisions and understand why they made them, but as a gameplay experience the combat never quite clicked into place for me.
You do have Indy’s iconic whip, of course, which has numerous benefits. In combat, you can use it to stun enemies. You can also use it in some puzzles to help pull levers and the like. But it really shines in platforming/traversal situations, where you use it for swinging and climbing. If you liked the rope system in The Last of Us 2, you’ll love this!
Interestingly enough, the game breaks its first-person viewpoint when you’re climbing and swinging. Who wants a face full of brick wall, after all, and wouldn’t first-person swinging across caverns turn your stomach?
The first-person perspective is also thrown out the window during cut-scenes, where the game really flexes its storytelling muscles. It genuinely feels like you’re watching a lost Indy movie, with some brilliant direction and loads of drama. Again, there are flashes of humour, but it never teeters over the edge into outright silliness.
The performances from the game’s cast also get a chance to shine in the cut-scenes. Troy Baker does a marvellous job, bringing pathos and heart to the character. Alessandra Mastronardi is a brilliant foil as Gina. Marios Gavrilis is genuinely unsettling as Voss. And the late Tony Todd brings his own blend of creepy to a mysterious supporting role.
The game immerses you in a real sense of adventure, offering plentiful mysteries and a real feeling of fun. You can understand why Indy would rather do this than stick to his day job as a professor.
The music is also great, carefully deploying those iconic themes at just the right moments, rather than overusing them throughout. It’s like you’re living a movie.
The game has some beautiful visuals, too. Every time I booted up the game from the main menu, I noticed how visually pleasing the place was where I’d left Indy standing. It feels a shame sometimes to disturb it.
I encountered some tiny tech issues (one or two lip sync problems and one scene when the baddy’s voice was missing) and occasional moments of annoyance (the system for equipping items is a bit fiddly, and at one point I couldn’t work out how to stop holding a lemon when I was meant to be in a fist fight).
But you can tell this is a great game because none of those little foibles bothered me that much. Even the combat, once I knew what to expect, was more of a minor gripe — a personal taste thing — than a genuine criticism.
Whether you’re a big Indiana Jones fan or a more casual admirer of the character, give this a game a go and let yourself be taken on an adventure. You won’t regret it!
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches on Xbox Series X/S, PC and Xbox Game Pass on Monday 9th December. Paying customers can get early access from Friday 6th December. We reviewed on Xbox Series X.
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