Often called one of the best games of 2024, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a towering achievement for both MachineGames and Microsoft, indicating that the Xbox ecosystem still has some heavy-hitters to unleash on the market. Set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feels, in so many ways, like the most appropriate adaptation of Spielberg's classic films imaginable.
Oddly enough, this new Indiana Jones game has quite a bit in common with 2023's Robocop: Rogue City, though the latter wasn't quite as well-received as the former. Naturally, classic films have been adapted into video games before—there was an era where it seemed like just about every blockbuster movie had a movie tie-in—but these newer games are attempting to add to the mythos of their source material, not just perform a cheap imitation. Like Great Circle, Rogue City takes place between two Robocop films, making it loosely connected to the series' canon while still being an original story. Both games are also played from a first-person perspective with third-person in-game cutscenes, and character models that emulate the likenesses of the films' actors—interesting parallels, if nothing else.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Ancient Relic Grind is Not for the Faint of Heart
Anybody hoping to find all collectibles in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, especially ancient relics, is in for quite a country-hopping grind.
RoboCop: Rogue City and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Could Just Be the Beginning of Ambitious 80s Movie Games
The Benefits of Folding Classic Movies Into the Gaming Medium
For better or worse, Hollywood is constantly trying to revive old IP for the modern era. Looking at just the two aforementioned series, RoboCop saw a new movie in 2014, and Indiana Jones got a new chapter in the form of Dial of Destiny in 2023—neither of these films were anywhere near as well-received as Great Circle or Rogue City. This can be attributed to a number of factors, not the least of which being the usual suspects like writing and direction, but the central conceit of the gaming medium, what sets it apart from film, can't be overlooked.
Perhaps one of the reasons why these classic movie reboots tend to fail is that they are trying to recapture the magic of a bygone era. The truth is, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny never stood a chance at being as exciting as Raiders of the Lost Ark, because audiences have seen Indie travel the world and triumph over massive threats time and again. But playing as Indiana Jones is necessarily novel, especially in a game as cinematic as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. And it's not just novelty that makes this concept work: game designers can use interactivity as another tool to tell stories within established franchises, deepening them and forming a unique bond between the player and the protagonist. They can serve to flesh out an existing franchise in ways that new films cannot.
It's worth mentioning that video games are necessarily free from some of the practical concerns of filmmaking, like aging actors, set design, and safety precautions.
Classic 1980s Movies That Can Get the Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Treatment
Making faithful, cinematic, in-universe video games based on older franchises could be the next industry goldmine. Action games based on Die Hard, open-world Lethal Weapon crime games, and horror games set in the worlds of Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street could all learn from the likes of Rogue City and Great Circle. Maybe these games could be first-person and connect to broader series canon, or they could be third-person with only a casual connection to the original film series, but either way, it's not hard to see Indiana Jones and RoboCop paving the way for such ambitious adaptations.
-
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?
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- December 9, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- December 9, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- April 17, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 14 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 134 GB (December 2024)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
