Indiana Jones and The Great Circle Dev Details Recreating…

Walking a fine line between college professor and international treasure hunter, Indiana Jones finds himself frequenting a variety of exotic locales across the globe. These globe-trotting adventures have become a staple of Indy movies over the years, so it stands to reason that Indiana Jones and The Great Circle will feature some impressive locations for Indy to visit throughout his adventure. Developer MachineGames has worked hard to ensure the experience feels like authentic Indiana Jones, and the game's locations will play a big part in that.

The Best War Games sat down with Indiana Jones and The Great Circle lead narrative designer Tommy Tordsson Björk to break down some real-world locations and how they fit into the experience. Talking about the importance of making them authentic and the challenges of recreating 1930s locations using modern-day ones, it's clear that players stepping into Indy's shoes have an exciting adventure ahead of them.

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By Jake Fillery

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle Places an Emphasis on Authentic Locations

Some of the most iconic scenes from Indiana Jones' collection of movies, which spans five decades, have taken place in real-world locations.

The likes of Cairo, Hawaii, and Sicily have all been used as filming locations, adding to the exotic nature of Indy's world. For MachineGames, it was important to recapture this for The Great Circle, and Björk explained some of the challenges while attempting to do this:

"For all aspects of developing this game, making the real-world locations feel authentic, not just from a historical perspective, but for the 1930s as well, has been our main focal point when developing the story. We wanted it to feel like you’re stepping back in time and experiencing the world in the most immersive way possible, while at the same time making the game fun to play and making exploration rewarding and exciting. I think striking the balance there with where you can take actual liberties and where you need to preserve what is authentic is key to making this feel successful."

The Great Circle's Locations Will be Faithful to the Time Period

Authenticity seems to be one of the pillars of the entire project, and MachineGames has pulled out all the stops to ensure Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is as close to the movies as possible in terms of the look and feel of the world, as well as Indy himself.

Of course, the passage of time can have a huge impact on the environment, and Björk discussed how, when looking at modern-day locations, the team had to make a lot of changes to fit the 1930s, but this greatly benefited the end product:

"When designing the locations in Sukhothai, we started off with what the historical park looks like now, but soon realized that in actuality, a lot of things looked entirely different in the 1930s. Basically, most of the ruins and statues that we can see clearly now were covered in vegetation and hidden by trees or just lay in pieces...The restoration of Sukhothai was something that took a long time to complete and the experience of seeing Sukhothai now versus then must have been wildly different. However, that also made the place feel more unexplored and mysterious, which made it an even better location for the game and the adventure."

A combination of linear sections with more open areas should allow Indiana Jones and The Great Circle's story to strike the right balance, keeping the narrative wheels turning while satiating the player's appetite for exploration. The game launches on December 9 for Xbox and PC, and PlayStation fans won't have to wait too much longer to get their hands on it, with the game expected to launch on PS5 in early 2025.

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