Although he’s been stealing the spotlight in Apple TV’s great series, Shrinking, Harrison Ford is best known for roles like Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Those two iconic characters cemented themselves, and the actor, into pop culture history, and haven’t become less popular despite decades having passed since their debuts. In fact, both series still remain incredibly big, with new movies, toys, TV shows, etc. having released recently, not to mention what’s also in development now.
That said, while his likeness is included in MachineGames’ latest effort, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Ford’s voice is not. He’s been replaced by venerable voice actor, Troy Baker, who does a really admirable job in support.
Although it originally released onto Xbox Series X/S later last year, I didn’t get around to playing this game until it came to PlayStation 5 in April. That wasn’t the plan, but it’s how things ended up due to health issues, being busy and the like. Now, I see what all the hype was about, as The Great Circle is honestly pretty damned great.
Things begin in the South American jungle, where Indy and some guides are traipsing through foliage in search of something. Then, the story jumps back in time, and moves to the college in which Indy is working as a professor. When the Connecticut-based post-secondary school is broken into during the middle of a stormy night, and something peculiar is stolen, Indy finds himself grappling with a rather strange new foe. Following this unfair fight, he discovers something that sends him on a new, very global, adventure.
While the first stop is the Vatican City, players will also follow the whip-cracking archaeologist to Egypt, Thailand, and a snowy mountain pass, among other locations. There, they’ll use the whip, as well as environmental items and weapons, to solve puzzles and get past enemies. Thankfully, the puzzles aren’t too obtuse, and are quite well designed. You can even use a camera to take pictures of them, and doing so consecutively will bring up hints.
Given that this is an Indiana Jones experience, you can expect lots of running, jumping (from platform to platform within tombs, for instance), and using the whip to both swing from one area to another or climb up some walls. Said whip can also be used in combat, to disarm foes or stun those who aren’t holding weapons, but I often forgot to use it.
Indy will often carry a gun, but it’s not something you want to use often. Ammunition is scarce, and guns are loud, so it’s not too advisable. The same is true of the rifles, shotguns, pistols and machine guns that can be found throughout the environments. Indy isn’t a tank, and can only take on a limited amount of enemies at once. He doesn’t last long when he’s being shot at.
What you need to understand about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is that it’s a first-person adventure, which originally shocked and worried me. As such, all of the combat — be it fist fighting, shooting, or using weapons — is done from a first-person viewpoint. You’ll need to learn how to block, and when to attack, though it’s not like it’s difficult or rocket science. The thing is, though, that there’s a stamina system. Blocking doesn’t help you regain it, so be warned about that.
You’ll find a lot of random items strewn throughout the game world, including batons, bottles, shovels, sledgehammers, pickaxes, guitars and more. These are all things that can be used as weapons, until they break. It’s possible to repair the odd one, but this only seems to work for specific weapons that Indy can carry for longer periods. As such, the repair kits that I kept finding mostly went unused.
Those aforementioned ‘weapons’ are very helpful, because they can become the difference maker in fights against both regular enemies and brutes. You can sneak up on them, then hit them over the head from behind or sweep their legs out from underneath them. Needless to say, it’s very helpful when you want to stay quiet and sneak past a large group of foes.
That said, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle doesn’t necessarily do a great job of informing players about how certain systems work. This includes the weapon kits, but also factors into the confusing health system. I kind of got the grasp of it, but didn’t love it.
You see, Indiana Jones has a limited amount of health bars that circle his picture in the bottom left-hand corner of the HUD. You can carry three bandages, and can heal using them. However, it’s also possible to carry three cookies or bread items, as well as three pieces of fruit. These can be eaten to gain an extra layer of health.
Along the way, those who do a good job of searching everywhere will find skill books. These, combined with points earned by taking pictures of things, finding collectibles (notes, recipes, books, pictures, etc.), allow you to unlock new abilities. They can increase your damage, make the whip more effective and make you a better gun user. On top of that, it’s also possible to unlock the ability to gain a second wind while downed, which is accomplished by locating Indy’s hat and picking it up.
This isn’t an open world game, but it does have a few open hubs, wherein one can explore and both discover and complete secondary objectives. This can be as basic as finding 20 hidden medicinal bottles, which can be traded in for health and stamina upgrades; finding all of the hidden relics or locating several different radio signals. However, there are numerous much more advanced and involved side quests, including unique tombs, caves, and other similar sites to raid. You can keep yourself pretty busy doing this.
The first open hub is the Vatican City, which took me a while to complete. I still might go back to it and complete some of the things I missed, as the game does have some limited fast travel.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Gina, who’s a female reporter you’ll run into early on in the fifteen (or so) hour long campaign. She joins your party, and does so with the hope that she’ll find her missing sister. Through this, she becomes a very helpful ally and an important part of the story. Thankfully, her AI is good, and she’s very helpful. At times, though, you’ll have to assist her by helping her up.
The story, itself, has to do with the titular Great Circle. I won’t spoil it, but there are a lot of Nazis to deal with as you’d expect. There’s even a Nazi archaeologist named Voss, who becomes Indy’s adversary. Going further, there’s even an ancient race to learn about, as well as some interesting secondary characters to befriend. They’ll give you side tasks, like finding a golden fishing hook or saving a lost nephew.
It’s a story, and a campaign, that is full of everything you’d expect from an Indiana Jones movie, which is what it feels like. There’s lots of action, impressive set pieces, an intriguing mystery and some great humour, a lot of which involves the main character’s fear of snakes. It’s well-made, and it’s also well-written.
To be honest, I didn’t care that much for MachineGames’ Wolfenstein games. I understand that I’m in the minority there, and that’s ok. As such, I worried about them being at the helm of this one. Thankfully, they proved my fears unnecessary, because Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is great. They knocked it out of the park.
At first, I wasn’t sure about this game either. However, it really grew on me and hooked me after a few hours. I ended up really enjoying it, and hope to find the time and energy to play through it a second time, but on Xbox.
On the presentation side of things, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a treat for the eyes and ears. I played through it in 4K, and used a headset. That provided an optimal experience. Of course, it helps that the game is very visually varied and beautifully so, and sounds great to boot. Not only is it often stunning, but its voice acting is stellar. That’s accented by some great sound effects, good music and more.
I did not encounter any major bugs or glitches while playing.
If you’re a fan of Indiana Jones, action-adventure games and/or first-person experiences, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle should be on your short list. They really knocked this one out of the park.
This review is based on the PlayStation 5 version of the game, which we were provided with. It was played on a PS5 Pro.