Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is about as faithful as a video game adaptation of the franchise could get. Its story follows familiar beats while charting its own course, the characterization of the franchise's leading man is pitch-perfect, as is Troy Baker's performance of him, and the game perfectly captures the scrappy essence of Indy's clumsy fighting style.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's The Order of Giants DLC is no different. A side adventure taking place during the Vatican portion of Great Cricle's main story, The Order of Giants feels just as authentic as the base game. That said, in one very specific way, this DLC is a slight departure from the vast majority of Indiana Jones movies, novels, comics, and video games that came before it.
Indiana Jones Rarely Flies Solo
Every Indiana Jones Movie Features at Least One Companion
While most Indiana Jones silver screen adventures begin with the eponymous hero setting off to uncover some mythological secrets by his lonesome, he almost always ends up encountering at least one more person who's willing to come along for the ride.
Raiders of the Lost Ark saw Indy teaming up with Marion Ravenwood so he could use the Staff of Ra headpiece her father gave her. Willie Scott and Short Round accompany Indy on his excursion to Pankot Palace. Elsa Schneider, Marcus Brody, Sallah, and Indy's father all embark on the hunt for the Holy Grail together. Marion returns in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull alongside her and Indy's son Mutt. And Dial of Destiny sees Indy's goddaughter join the quest to recover Archimedes' Dial.
Companions Are a Staple of The Indiana Jones Expanded Universe Too
This long-running franchise tradition is upheld in the vast majority of Indiana Jones' expanded universe material as well. Novels like Indiana Jones and the Army of the Dead see the hero joining forces with George "Mac" McHale. Comics like Dark Horse's Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix have him teaming up with Russian Major Nadia Kirov. And video games like Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis introduce Sophia Hapgood, who showed up again in both LucasArts' Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine and the Thunder in the Orient comic run.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle embraces this tradition wholeheartedly. While Indy sets off to retrieve his stolen cat mummy on his own, he meets Gina Lombardi in the Vatican, an Italian reported investigating her sister's disappearance. Gina joins Indy for the rest of his globe-trotting adventure, assisting with puzzles and joining his numerous tomb raids.
Indiana Jones: The Order of Giants Breaks From Franchise Tradition
Aside from Father Ricci, who tasks Indy with investigating the Nephilim secrets underneath Rome's city streets, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's The Order of Giants DLC doesn't feature a proper companion. Taking place before he leaves the Vatican, Indy hasn't teamed up with Gina yet, so his exploration of Rome's underground sewer network is done solo.
This lack of a companion makes The Order of Giants a very unique Indiana Jones experience. With no companion there to bounce jokes off or exposit mythological lore to, Indy is left with only his own thoughts, and players only get to hear the ones he mutters aloud to himself.
While this leads to a slightly quieter mini Indiana Jones adventure, it's no less entertaining. Indy still has plenty of quips under his fedora, and he isn't afraid to speak aloud when players need a bit of an explainer of who this ancient figure is and why they're important to the DLC's story.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- December 9, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- MachineGames
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda