Summary
- Indiana Jones and The Great Circle will mostly be a first-person experience, which may surprise fans who expected a different perspective.
- The decision to make the game first-person reduces the amount of time players will see Indy in his prime, which seems like a missed opportunity.
- The first-person perspective can provide a unique and innovative experience for an Indiana Jones game, and if executed well, it could be something special.
In January 2021, Lucasfilm and Bethesda Softworks announced that MachineGames would develop a new Indiana Jones game, now revealed as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. In the film space, anything related to the character seems to be met with hesitation lately, but in games he remains untarnished. The recent Xbox Showcase revealed Indiana Jones gameplay footage, some of which was the stuff of dreams, but there were also a few head-scratching moments.
MachineGames cut its teeth on the superb Wolfenstein reboot, which has been one of Bethesda's most reliable series, save for the lukewarm reception of 2019's Wolfenstein: Youngblood. The studio is known for well-crafted first-person shooters, so Indiana Jones seemed like a weird shift. All was made clear this week, though, as it was revealed that Indiana Jones and The Great Circle will mostly be a first-person experience. This could be a lot of fun, but it's also far from what most fans may have expected.
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Indiana Jones has the Perfect Gaming Blueprint
Indiana Jones is a tremendously influential franchise across multiple mediums. Films like National Treasure and The Mummy draw obvious inspiration, and in gaming, Uncharted and Tomb Raider would not be the same without the trilogy of Harrison Ford flicks. Some may argue the latter have improved the formula, and as there are always more adventures to be had and more history to be uncovered, taking cues from Nathan Drake and Lara Croft, reestablishing Indy's crown in the process, felt like the obvious choice.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is looking to launch at some point later in 2024, with no concrete release date set.
Using Indiana Jones' signature whip as a conventional grappling hook or a tool like the rope in Uncharted 4 makes a lot of sense, and the exploration lends itself so well to the third-person perspective. First-person works if a game is heavy on combat and shooting, but as Indiana Jones has always been about more than just bashing the bad guys, it's a strange decision to put the player so closely in the shoes of the character.
The First-Person Perspective Reduces Indiana Jones' Screen Time
Indiana Jones' last two outings have shown the character in his older years, and both The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and The Dial of Destiny got mixed receptions. The Great Circle is set after the events of The Raiders of the Lost Ark, but before The Last Crusade, which sits exactly in the character's prime. To then make the game a first-person one feels like a misstep, because in that perspective, fans get little time to actually see Indy during his golden age.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle Can Innovate in First-Person
The blueprint may have been clear, but Indiana Jones was the one to inspire a new generation, and following in the footsteps of other adventure games and properties simply isn't his style. Indiana Jones and The Great Circle being an action-adventure game in the first person seems far more unique than it could be if it had an over-the-shoulder camera view. It's in the best spot to be a genuinely new experience, and if it manages to reach the same heights of quality that the Wolfenstein games do, then it could be something truly special.
Indiana Jones will be voiced by Troy Baker, the actor behind Joel in The Last of Us and Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite.
MachineGames Know the First-Person Perspective
It was puzzling to some when it was revealed that MachineGames would take on the development of a AAA Indiana Jones game, largely because Indy seemed ideal for a third-person experience. That was revealed to not be the case, and now MachineGames' attachment to the project makes sense. If any studio is going to make this work, the brains behind Wolfenstein: The New Order have the best shot.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle releases in 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.