With a month to go before Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes us back to 1937 to plunder tombs, punch Nazis, and occasionally crack wise in the face of danger, MachineGames has unveiled a “deep dive” look at what’s in store—although if I were to indulge my inner pedant (and I’m going to), I’d say the video is really more about breadth than depth.
I say that because the video covers pretty much everything Indy has to offer in his new outing, from basic gameplay mechanics—stealth, fisticuffs, occasional gunfire, and of course the do-it-all flexibility of the whip—to puzzles, exploration, exotic locales, and the supporting cast who will aid our intrepid archaeologist on his adventures.
I’ll cut right to it: There’s a familiarity to all of this that quite frankly dims my interest. Throw a bottle to distract a guard, scooch around the edge of a cliff, find clues in conveniently placed notes, jump between platforms, insert X into Y to open a door—it all seems so very conventional. Of course, how those elements come together in the broader experience is what matters, and it’s fair to say that familiarity is a big part of what makes the series so popular. Indiana Jones isn’t BJ Blazkowicz, after all.
On that front, MachineGames appears to be on the money: This sure looks and sounds like an Indiana Jones adventure. Senior editor Robin Valentine expressed as much in his recent hands-on preview, saying Indiana Jones and the Great Circle “does a wonderful job recreating [the] look and sound” of the movies. “Environments are remarkably lavish, and clearly painstakingly researched—some imitating specific places from the films, such as Marshall College, others real historical sites. Jones himself looks like he’s stepped right out of the silver screen, and voice actor Troy Baker’s impression of him is startlingly accurate at times.”
The actual gameplay, though, is less certain: “In one cutscene, I find myself genuinely touched by a moment where Jones greets an old friend and gives him an emotionally received gift. About ten minutes later, I’m discovering I can sprint for slightly longer if I make Jones steal lemons from the Nazis and eat them whole to boost his stamina.”
Well, it is a videogame—concessions must be made. We’ll see how it all comes together when Indiana Jones and the Great Circle arrives on December 8. It’s available for pre-purchase now on Steam.