I like Indiana Jones, but I wasn’t expecting some genre-defining masterpiece, as licensed games often tend to miss the mark entirely. What I got instead was something that feels confident in what it is trying to be, even if it doesn’t always nail it.
I went into Indiana Jones and the Great Circle with morbid curiosity. Visually, from the start it does a great job at setting the tone. The environments are a big stand out here. Old universities, ruins, and cities all feel textured and believable rather than over designed. There’s a sense of history in the spaces you traverse through, which matters to me personally for a game like this. I enjoyed their portrayal of Indy this time round, worn down and flawed, not some perfect goody two shoes hero. Sure, the animations can be uneven at times, but nothing that completely pulled me out of the experience.
The story is where things really clicked for me. An across the globe mystery, featuring rival groups chasing the same thing, and of course Indy being dragged deeper into something he initially treats with academic curiosity. He’s written as brilliant but human, the dialogue is overall nuanced and subtle, which I honestly appreciated. It lets moments land without constantly trying to be funny or dramatic.
The pacing is pretty decent, there are stretches where it slows more than I’d like, but it didn’t spoil the experience. The game often asks you to explore, read and think before moving on, which fits the character sure, but occasionally it lingers a bit too long in one place for my liking. A few transitions and backtracking sections could have also been trimmed down. Still, I never felt like it was wasting my time on purpose.
Gameplay wise the games action feels suitably measured. Combat doesn’t seem to be a huge focus here and that seems intentional. Combat is clunky and honestly best avoided. I found it more efficient to go the stealth route and use the environment rather than charging blindly, this is not your average Call of Duty campaign. Enemy behaviour can be pretty janky at times and there’s a few mechanics that feel like they should have been tightened up before release. These are moments to me where the ambition of the developers showed more than the end products polish but none of that ultimately ruined the experience for a one off playthrough.
The iconic whip is pretty fun and utilised well enough. It’s useful without becoming overpowered, and it fits naturally into traversal, puzzles, and the occasional bit of combat. Puzzles are one of the stronger parts of the experience to me. They rely on observation and logic rather than brute forcing trial and error, and the game generally trusts you to be able to work things out eventually. Sure, it will eventually nudge you along if you’re stuck, but it doesn’t constantly babysit you through the process.
Thankfully the game doesn’t go overboard on nostalgia either. There are familiar musical cues and visual touches, that give you that warm fuzzy feeling but they’re subtle enough It doesn’t feel like it’s constantly reminding you what franchise you’re playing. It just lets the setting and character do the work instead.
By the end of my experience, I think I can safely say the developers nailed what the Indiana Jones franchise is all about to me. It shows it’s not all about flashy action, but the curiosity of the unknown and showing how Indy survives more on wit and gut instinct. Sure, it’s rough around the edges, but ultimately for me an enjoyable take on the franchise and exceeded my initial expectations.
Author: Terry, Kingston Store
