While it might have made sense for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to be playable in third-person, it made just as much sense to developer MachineGames to allow the player to become Indiana Jones rather than merely govern his actions. This is the core design philosophy of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as it provides players with the chance to experience the look and feel of an authentic Indiana Jones film firsthand in a video game.
The Best War Games recently had the chance to chat with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle design director Jens Andersson about the game and how the studio has gone to great lengths to ensure players feel like Indiana Jones. While Andersson went over a number of different aspects of the game during the interview, it's clear that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle cares most about its players becoming the star character.
How Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Makes Players Indiana Jones
Whenever a game or film enters production, it generally does so with one overarching goal in mind. Just as it is with building a house, this one goal acts as a blueprint that every material used to build the house relies on as a standard. For Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, that blueprint is the character of Indiana Jones and all that entails. When asked about MachineGames' design process for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Andersson replied:
From the get-go, we wanted you to be Indiana Jones — what does that mean?
It's a simple design principle, but it arguably doesn't need to be more complicated than that. Before development began, MachineGames established that players essentially becoming the character of Indiana Jones would be the cornerstone of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and, brick by brick, it built the game from there. Many of those bricks included Indiana Jones' charm, humor, and his iconic whip. As Andersson continued,
It's this beloved character, and he has the whip, of course — that's one of the central features we know we needed to get right. It's all the different elements that need to come together — the charm, the humor.
As expected, for MachineGames to be able to truly replicate the Indiana Jones experience and make players feel like the iconic character, they would need an acting talent who could bring Indiana Jones to life in a way that accurately represents Harrison Ford's representation. While other actors have played the character of Indiana Jones before in much smaller roles, Harrison Ford is not only the one most well-known for playing the character, but he has given Indiana Jones such a memorable face and personality that he is considered the very embodiment of the character.
Fortunately, MachineGames was able to snatch up Troy Baker, one of the most recognizable and versatile voices in the gaming industry, to play the role of Indiana Jones in the game. Regarding the authenticity of Troy Baker's performance in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Andersson fondly stated,
It's about portraying Indiana Jones and reminding the player that they are playing as Indiana Jones. Troy Baker does such a phenomenal performance of both the voice acting and the physical acting. He took it very seriously by replicating the smirk of Harrison Ford and finding everything that makes Indiana Jones feel like Indiana Jones.
So, all of these elements work together in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to create an experience that aims to make players feel as though they are right in the middle of an Indiana Jones film, but with the added benefit of being the titular character and being in full control of him in an unprecedented way. While Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's first-person gameplay has been polarizing, the intent behind it is noteworthy — placing players directly in the shoes of Indiana Jones rather than reducing them to a glorified steering wheel.
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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
- Engine
- id Tech 7
- Franchise
- Indiana Jones
- Number of Players
- 1
WHERE TO PLAY
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them - Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.
YOU ARE INDIANA JONES
Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS
Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.
WHIP-CRACKING ACTION
Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.
THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps,and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
