Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

The last twenty years haven’t been kind to Indiana Jones. After starring in some of the greatest action films of my childhood, everybody’s favorite archeologist has lost a step or two, thanks to a couple of disappointing movies that failed to recapture his former glory. In fact, after suffering through The Dial of Destiny, I wondered if the good doctor’s days were numbered. After playing through the new PlayStation 5 version of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the answer to that question is a resounding no. Hollywood may not know what to do with Dr. Jones, but if this newest Bethesda release is any indication, then he has a long future ahead of him as a video game star. Find out why when I review Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on the PlayStation 5.

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical when Bethesda announced their intentions to make a new Indiana Jones game. Not that I doubted the track record of MachineGames or the potential of the license, but rather that we’ve spent the last thirty years raiding tombs and exploring uncharted lands with video game avatars like Lara Croft and Nathan Drake. These franchises have done a good job of scratching that adventurous itch, which made me wonder what Indiana Jones could bring to the table that we haven’t already seen from the wannabes.

Thankfully, this skepticism was squashed only a few minutes into The Great Circle. Once I cracked that famous whip and heard the first few notes of John Williams’ brilliant score, I was on board. I forgot all about the last twenty years of disappointing movies and swooned at the game recreating the look and sound of Raiders of the Lost Ark. From the way the light hits the camera to Jones’ deadpan delivery, it all fell into place perfectly. Yes, that’s the nostalgia talking, but it’s also a reminder of how much potential this series had.

In true Indiana Jones fashion, it doesn’t take long for the story to kick into high gear. After a literal giant breaks into the university and steals a cat mummy, Dr. Jones springs into action to get it back. While searching for clues, he teams up with a woman named Gina, who is traveling around the world to locate her missing sister, Laura. As luck would have it, these two quests intertwine, thanks to a sinister (and extremely creepy) villain named Emmerich Voss, a Nazi architect who is on the hunt for a series of religious artifacts that could significantly change the outcome of World War II.

At its core, this is a globe-trotting adventure that sees Dr. Jones (and sometimes Gina) explore ruins, uncover secret passages and solve puzzles in order to unlock the treasures of the past. Although we end up visiting a half-dozen locations, there are three that make up the bulk of the adventure. This starts with the Vatican, where we dig for clues in centuries’ old tunnels that may help answer some of history’s biggest questions. Before long we’re in Gizeh, an archeologist hotspot that is already teaming with fascist soldiers. With everybody after the same prize, Indy will need to sneak through the dig sights and solve the puzzles before Voss and his team show up. This all leads to the jungles of Thailand, where our hero is going to need to finally confront his greatest fear – snakes!

These three wildly different locations are large and full of secrets to uncover. Sure, you can stay focused on the mission and not let anything get in between you and solving the mystery of the Great Circle, but the fun of this game is poking around for hidden treasures. We get a small taste of that at the Vatican, but once open up Thailand and Gizeh, you’ll begin to truly understand how many off-the-beaten-path areas there are to explore. And that’s what you want from an Indiana Jones game, to feel like you’re the one going to the trouble to save and preserve these artifacts. You want to be the one solving the ancient brain-teasers and avoiding obvious boobytraps.

At the exact same time, Indiana Jones fans want action and amazing set-pieces. They want humor and great chemistry between our heroes. They want crowd-pleasing moments and dastardly double-crossings. Heroes they can cheer for, villains they can root against. Throw in some religious iconography and supernatural elements and you have the blueprint for a pretty good adventure. But Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is more than a pretty good adventure, because it never forgets that this is still a game.

You see this in the way the missions are structured. While many will inevitably end up with you solving a puzzle in a secret underground room, how you go about getting there is often up to you. Indy has enough moves and techniques to hold his own in battle, and there are almost always hammers, brooms and guns lying around. You can also use stealth to avoid confrontations. This may include looking for hidden entrances or using your whip to climb out of view of the enemy forces. The developers understand how important the whip is to Indy’s identity, and, from using it to unarm soldiers to swinging over large gaps, they give you a lot of opportunities to give it a crack.

A lot of this works because the story is genuinely gripping and you’ll end up caring about each and every one of the characters. The game has a quick pace, especially if you stick to the main storyline. That said, you definitely don’t want to miss out on the side quests. Some of them will give you essential items, like different types of costumes and uniforms. What’s more, some of these side stories are weird and goofy, allowing the game to have some fun. They also do a pretty good job of adding depth to the story. Best of all, you can zip around the map at any time (even after you beat the game), so you can tackle the side quests at your own leisure.

Unlike Uncharted and Tomb Raider, one of the things that sets this game apart is that we see the action from a first-person perspective. I will admit that this decision made the game feel noticeably different from those similar titles, especially when it came to the combat. With a real emphasis on using your fists and melee weapons to fight the fascists, the action is visceral in a way that I haven’t experience since Condemned: Criminal Origins back in 2005. Some of those fights are right in your face, and you’re going to need to do more than button mash if you want to beat some of the tougher enemies.

While I ultimately got used to the first-person, part of me wishes that the game was shown from a third-person perspective. Or, at the very least, give us the choice between the two. There are times when we see Indy from the third-person, such as when he’s climbing and swinging, but no way to stick with one or the other. That’s a shame, because some of the platforming puzzles would be easier if I could see the character. As cool and visceral as the first-person combat is, there are certainly times when it’s hard to gauge when a punch will hit you. This kind of thing would be mitigated if I could switch to a third-person view. It’s a minor nitpick, but every time I missed a jump or got sucker punched, I blamed it on the camera.

It's also worth mentioning that The Great Circle plows a lot of familiar ground, both as a video game and an Indiana Jones adventure. Part of this is because it’s coming to the party after literally decades of Tomb Raider and Uncharted owning this space, so it makes sense that there would be some overlap here and there. And if you’re an Indiana Jones fan, then a lot of these story beats are going to feel awfully familiar. There are a couple of big twists that you will see coming a mile away. That said, I do feel like this game does a good job of having its own personality and bringing something new to the table, even when you’re doing similar things.

One thing that I appreciated about this game is that it’s not all action. For as much as I love the Uncharted series, it can sometimes feel like the games are a bunch of over-the-top set pieces linked together by sarcasm. The Great Circle has big moments, but it also gives us a lot of time to breathe. It allows us to just live in this world and hunt for treasure. It balances humor and humanity, allowing us to get to know people from around the world and understand their plight. It’s easy to compare this game to other games, but The Great Circle has no problem standing on its own. The series you like better will almost certainly come down to what kind of adventure you’re looking for.

The single most impressive thing that this game does is it makes you feel like you’re in an Indiana Jones movie. Yes, I know that’s the most cliché thing I could possibly say, but it’s actually true. With the familiar music in the background and character models that actually look like the real deal, not to mention a spot-on Harrison Ford impression by Troy Baker, there are times when I forgot that I was playing a game. It’s also well written, especially when it comes to the chemistry between Jones and Gina. And I already mentioned how creepy Voss is, but he puts in a performance that elevates him to being of Indy’s most memorable foes. He’s a lot of fun to watch.

Understandably, this was a big hit when it debuted on Xbox and PC late last year, and it’s nice to see it make its way to the PlayStation 5. This is the kind of edge-of-your-seat adventure that every Indiana Jones fan should play, no matter what system they own. In fact, I would argue that this is so good that it gives me faith that even if Hollywood can’t figure out what to do with the character, Indiana Jones will live on through amazing video games.