Checking out Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - Preview
Ahead of Gamescom 2024, Bethesda were very kind to invite me to check out the presentation that those attending the show would get to see. The gameplay presented was around 17 minutes in length and showed off a few cool parts, however before that, I got to hear from Jerk Gustafsson the Game Director and Axel Torvenius the Creative Director, about how the team at MachineGames went about not only creating a fun game, but also one that is authentically Indiana Jones.
The trailer that was shared back during the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2024 was not gameplay, as many were hoping, but one that put the focus on character and story, something we know they are very good with at MachineGames. But that was then and this is now and now is the time for gameplay, but before we were able to watch the gameplay, we had to learn a little about the tools that Indy will have at his disposal. The team, much as anyone would, created a tonal piece of art for the game, one that includes hints at the adventures that are to come, I don’t know if they will release it, but it looks very cool. Contained within that art were glimpses of locations and moments, but also tools that Indy will use, such as the camera. The camera and Indy’s notebook are required to understand new locations that players fill find, as well as jotting down clues that are important to the adventure. The journal is where you will find maps of locations you have visited, assuming you find them, as there is no GPS here. It will also be where clues for puzzles will be written, important notes for locations, people and objects. Given that the journal will only fill out with photos you have taken and notes that you have found, it is possible that by the games end, your journal may not look like your mates.
Tools of the trade aside, the team were not just about creating a wishlist of cool moments they wanted to bring to players, as I said earlier they wanted everything to be authentic as well and for that, they did their research. The team were of course very coy about the locations we will go to, we have seem the Himalayas already and Egypt in the reveal trailer, but many others were mentioned here. While I won’t say some, to avoid spoilers, the goal to be as authentic as possible meant they had to do more than just recreate what we know a place to be. The Sukhothai temples, which are located in Thailand, are one such location, if you look up photos today you will see them all cleaned up and preserved, but as the game is set almost 100 years ago, this was before those restoration efforts. So the team used photographs and even drawings from expeditions, in order to gather a sense of what the temple would have looked like, before man started to reclaim it from the jungle. That same sense of authenticity was even applied to the locations that the team were creating from scratch, places that don’t exist as direct adaptations, but are inspired by a number of real world locations, such as the Sunsparker Chamber.
But enough about locations, it was the gameplay that I came to see and I was not disappointed, as we got to see combat, puzzle solving and even a little subterfuge. While it is not something we have seen in the movies, it was mentioned in Crystal Skull though, Indiana spent time in World War 2 working for the Office of Strategic Services. This game will let you embrace that as Indy can dress up in outfits to get by enemies and into locations you may not normally be able to access. Dressing up is not all that you can do, as you trot around the globe, your adventures will earn you Adventure Points, which can be spent on upgrading skills that Indy can use. One such example that was shown to us was a revive, when Indy is knocked out in a fight, giving you one more shot at taking down your opponent. Using a combination of exploring, sneaking and the occasional liberation of paperwork, you will be able to progress through the adventure in many ways.
All that the team talked about and showed off, came together in an extended sequence that had Indy and Gina, his companion for the adventure, sneaking beneath the Great Sphinx of Giza. While getting in was mostly easy, there was a roadblock in the form of a locked ancient door, which required Indy to dress up and enter a tent full of Nazi soldiers. I will however not say anymore, as I don’t want to spoil things, but I was impressed with what I did see, that isn’t to say that I am on board with everything. The only aspect that concerns me right now, is the 3rd person whip sections, basically anytime you swing or climb using it, the camera pulls back to show Indy off in action. This is a great idea, and if you were hanging around on the whip for 5 minutes, would look great, but from what I saw, that was not often the case. There were times when Indy would swing on something for barely a few seconds, like 3 or less, with the camera pulling out to show the swing and then snapping back in once done. Think of it this way, if you were playing any first-person shooter and the camera pulled back each time you reloaded the weapon you had, it would get annoying and I suspect that might be the case here. The game could let you turn it off, I don’t know, but it may also be something that is only present here due to the presentation nature, I will just have to wait and see on how it shakes out in the full game.
As a fan of the Indiana Jones movies, shows, books and of course games, the moment it was revealed that MachineGames were making a new adventure for Dr Jones, I was all in. Getting to see what they have been working on for this time, proves that I was right to get excited about it, as it seams to bring in everything I wanted. While I am not sold on the 3rd person whip stuff, which sounds kinda dodgy when I say it like that, it will not deter me from playing the game whenever it releases.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming on December 9 to Xbox Series X|S and PC, with it also being available day one in Game Pass. PlayStation 5 owners are not going to be left waiting for too long as the game is coming in Autumn 2025
