Two Tokens Gaming

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Rewind to a couple weeks ago when sweet, harmless, oblivious little ole me hadn’t yet watched a single Indiana Jones film. Now I find myself constantly whistling that genius melody from The Raiders March by John Williams while uninvitedly spewing from my face any cheesy eighties quip I can think of. Yes, in the week leading up to December 9^th, I watched the original trilogy by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Needless to say, I am now an expert on Indy and the gang, ready to review with a well-trained eye. Get ready for amazing adventure vibe music, stunning graphics, and insanely detailed environments mixed in with some stealthy gameplay and a good Indiana Jones story.

Music and Mood

When I am wanting to get sucked in by a video game, immersivity built on beautifully crafted environments and good music usually gets the job done. While watching the films, I immediately wondered if the music was made by the same dude that did the Star Wars music. Well, it looks like George Lucas, the mind behind both Star Wars and Indiana Jones, favors the music made by John Williams who elevated both fictional stories to great heights with the catchy scores that we all love so much. I want to draw this parallel because of how the best Star Wars and Indiana Jones video games did the same thing by inducing a wondrous mood via the music. Gordy Haab is responsible for recapturing the vibes introduced by Williams in the seventies. Haab was employed to give us those amazing Star Wars jingles which made him the perfect choice for the new Indiana Jones installment.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle deliver those environments and musical aids giving me all I need to get sucked in. But, what about the gameplay? This game is marketed as an action-adventure title, which I find to be pretty accurate. But I feel like the word “exploration” should be in there somewhere. Maybe “exploration-action-adventure”? Or is the “adventure” part good enough? I don’t know. What I do know is, this game is INDYd very good. Sorry about that. Let’s move on…

Story

I consider myself a connoisseur of good storytelling. After watching the films, Indiana Jones’ storytelling has left so much to be desired. The plot is always very simple, and some of the events just do not make sense. What this game does is pick up from the events in the movies and deliver us a good story with both memorable characters and historical fiction ideas that will stick with me. I can’t help but compare some of the sequences to what I loved most about Assassin’s Creed games; secrets containing hints about real historical figures and events tying in the events of the game are plentiful.

This game also gives us that mysticism that was barely touched on in the films. With all the completely off-the-wall scenes in the movies, I don’t see why we couldn’t add more magic to the list of beliefs to be suspended. We are in luck though as the writers for this game weren’t scared to hammer it in. And let’s not forget to take a moment to appreciate TLOU’s Troy Baker for his continued success as an actor in the video game space. He absolutely nailed it playing as Harrison Ford’s Indiana.

I will say the story is a tad bit too drawn out, this could have been a shorter game. There were a few moments where I thought the game would be wrapping it up, but we just kept on going.

Puzzles

The puzzles in this game can get elaborate, which is quite refreshing after the nonsense displayed in other recent action-adventure titles, I’m looking at you, Stellar Blade. I’m spending some frustrating minutes sifting through Indy’s notebook and nearby clues trying to open chests, doors, and just progressing through the story. This is fitting for what we should expect from an Indy adventure. Get your real-life notebook and pencils out if you nerds have them, because it gets gritty and especially unnerving after having snuck your way around a Nazi camp.

Stealth

One of the most anxiety inducing aspects of any game for me is stealth gameplay. From TLOU to Death Stranding, I will shake in my seat trying my damndest not to get caught and murdered. In this Indy game, you may be thinking Indiana ‘Bones’ Jones’ boxing skills will be enough to get you out of being stealthy, but let me tell you, as the game goes on, these Nazi’s do not play. If they catch you, you will be no better off than a greedy health insurance CEO. Not to worry though, stay crouched behind cover, and find the path of least resistance, you will survive.

Combat

Punching out Fascist and Nazi’s has never been so satisfying. In the moments where you can catch a few punk ass bad guys isolated, a good dodge, tap of the left bumper for parrying, and some nice nose crunching punches are good enough to take them down. You are equipped with a revolver and limited ammo, which I find myself forgetting half the time. There are moments where shotguns and rifles are available, and Machine Games’ aptitude for making first person shooter games shines in these moments. Unlike other games where shooting enemies is available as a last resort, this game has satisfying gunplay.

Graphics and Environments

They absolutely popped off on the graphical fidelity here. The cutscenes show off great textures and lighting, and even while running around Gizeh, the scorpions and pyramid stones look super good. The expanses of the locations featured in this game seem endless. If you are into perusing around just for the vibe and random secrets, boy are you in for a treat. The sound design is great too. From the whip cracks to the sounds of ancient sliding stone doors, my ears are loving this adventure.

Final Verdict

For this game, I will give a final score of 8/10 for what it is trying to do, that is give us a new Indiana Jones adventure in the form of a fun action-adventure video game. There is little wrong with the game itself, I am having so much fun. The story is my favorite out of the previous Indy titles, and Machine Games gave me plenty to do in between story beats. Although I found myself collecting stuff simply for the sake of a little dopamine pop which can get old fast, I think it is worth looking in the dark corners of the Vatican locations at least for some extra boost to climbing speeds and punching strength. Overall, the game is mostly a banger, and for being available day one on Game Pass I am thankful as I probably wouldn’t be sharing this review with you right now if I had to shell out seventy bucks for the game. But I would say if you are into Indiana Jones and historical fiction, your money and time will be well spent and enjoyed here.