Review of Indiana Jones and the Big Circle – in the shoes of an archaeologist

The new Indiana Jones game is a big deal. What was once common is now rare. But the wait was worth it, we got a big, full-fledged, in the cinematic sense, blockbuster, the presentation of which is at the level of the original films. The gameplay is based on the expertise of MachineGames, best known for its modern version of the Wolfenstein series, but also shows the love with which the authors approached the material.

• Platform: PC, Xbox Series S and X (review version)
• Release date: 09/12/2024
• Developer: CarsGames
• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
• Genre: action adventure
• Czech localization: No
• Multiplayer: No
• Download data: 120 GB
• Game time: 15-25 hours
• Price: 1999 CZK (Alza)

I’m confident that most players will accept the Great Circle as a legitimate addition to the world of Indiana Jones. The greatest of the many advantages of action films is that they can evoke the same emotions, the same mood, the same enthusiasm as Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Last Crusade.

This is facilitated by the main character, who is proud of Harrison Ford’s face and, one might say, voice. In fact, the role of the famous archaeologist was taken on by Troy Baker, known to fans of the game. His performance is indistinguishable from the original, but at the same time it does not seem like a cheap imitation, and is not devoid of charisma and charm. Much of Indy’s adventure is driven by the sounds and beautiful music from the pen of Gordie Haab, who returns to the brand after fifteen years and, of course, uses John Williams’ themes.

But the most important thing is the script itself, which, like the films, oscillates between a thrilling adventure in which lives are at stake and a sitcom. Unafraid of their awkwardness, which he proudly flaunts, the Nazi henchmen behave quite funny. However, the authors manage to present several truly serious and intense scenes that will take your breath away.

Besides Dr. Jones and the German enemies led by rival archaeologist Emmerich Voss, a key character in the story is journalist Gina Lombardi. She has similar goals to the main character, so she spends most of her time traveling with him. The characters have great chemistry with each other and their dialogue is snappy and believable, again working both seriously and humorously.

And it will be. Indie from the MachineGames workshops does not skimp on cut scenes. If you’re sad that the first-person view means you won’t see much of the main character, don’t worry. The films are shown frequently, sometimes short, sometimes lasting long minutes. Four hours of videos in a non-fifteen hour main line is already a serious load. But they are truly excellent in writing, directing, camera and have their place. Sometimes first person view is more useful, you won’t lose it.

Indiana “FPS” Jones?

Fears that Indiana Jones would be a remake of Wolfenstein have not been confirmed. Of course, the developers bring their know-how with them, but definitely don’t expect a shooter. When it comes to combat, you’ll have to rely on stealth, fists, and improvised melee weapons scattered throughout the environment. You’ll quickly realize that getting hit in the head with a broom is a much more practical solution than shooting up a magazine, which would alert dozens of other Nazi marauders. Despite this, the shooting is mastered to perfection. In addition, Gina also did not lose in battle, although she is also not a killing machine, but she saved my neck several times.

The event system suited me. I also got used to his performance. Although the combat may seem a little clunky and chaotic at first, I quickly got the hang of it and, on the contrary, appreciated its authenticity. Indiana Jones is not a soldier, three enemies at the same time is the maximum he can cope with; he usually has no chance against more. He is not blessed with miraculous amounts of health, endless energy, or superhuman strength. Some things can be improved as the game progresses, but the final impression of the battle will not change dramatically.

The secrecy wouldn’t come as a surprise. The form of stealth is well established in video games, and anyone who has tried the stealth approach in any of the recent games will feel right at home in Indian Jones.

Think and jump

Apart from the main storyline, you can find action in side missions and tasks. The game presents them on maps of three not very large open locations. Side quests vary in length, content, and relationship to the main story. It is in side missions (usually infiltrating a Nazi base) that the developer is presented with a variety of paths and approaches.

The player’s main tasks usually take place along linear corridors (in the literal sense – often the corridors of underground complexes), whether traveling from open locations or completely separate parts. Most often, they offer large and complex puzzles that vary in complexity and nature. Sometimes they can be described as environmental, and sometimes the codes will be broken. However, in all cases I found them quite challenging, and when I was at a loss, the game offered creative and completely voluntary help.

The third component, in addition to combat and puzzles, is platforming. Its processing may surprise you. It’s very slow and especially can feel quite clunky at first. I again attribute some of this to the authors’ great efforts to ensure authenticity. The Indiana movie is not Spider-Man, so don’t expect any physical feats from the game. Every swing of the whip must be careful, every jump can be fatal. However, over time I got used to it, and with the exception of a few places the game does not require precision and speed of movement.

The platforming also exposes the game’s only technical flaw: the third-person camera. From here you’ll watch as you climb and swing, and you’ll be sure to see glitches, often merging with objects, some strange or rather missing animation here and there, such as when hitting a wall. I can’t say whether this is a cause or a consequence of the decision to play the game in first person, but switching sometimes ruins the visual experience a little.

Otherwise, the console game is in excellent technical condition. In single-player mode, it runs at a visually stable sixty frames. In fact, it also offers a wide-angle display, which, however, does not have a noticeable impact on performance. So it’s just a matter of preference in terms of aspect ratio.

Artifacts, giants, the fate of the world

If I had to name one thing that I really didn’t like about the game, it would be the four boss fights, which are all very similar. Each of them offers something different, but the content is mostly the same, and they also take an unreasonably long time, regardless of whether you play on any of the three difficulties. By the way, for action and puzzles they are configured separately, and partial elements of the gameplay may also be affected.

“Indiana Jones and the Big Circle” is a film adaptation from the realm of dreams. A device? It wouldn’t be fair. “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” is a full-fledged new adventure of an archaeologist with a hat and a whip, excellent in plot, plot, characters, atmosphere, humor – which unusually made me laugh out loud. But it doesn’t lag behind in gameplay, which skillfully mixes stealth, combat, puzzles, adventure and platforming elements. In short, Indy as it should be.