GamesActionIndiana Jones and the Great CircleAfter 9 hours, I can’t bear to leave The Vatican in Indiana Jones and the Great CircleWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesActionIndiana Jones and the Great CircleAfter 9 hours, I can’t bear to leave The Vatican in Indiana Jones and the Great CircleWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Bethesda)
Welcomed to the Vatican City under the influence of fascism, Indiana Jones is kitted out with a clerical outfit and a small staff from his jazz-loving pal Father Antonio. The outfit, in true Indy movie fashion, allows me to cut about the place arousing less suspicion than the classic leather duds. The first proper mission inIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, tutorials out of the way, is to snoop around for ancient reliefs while on the hunt for a stolen cat mummy (it’s a long story). I step out of the Vatican’s library with the goal to acquire a camera, but beyond that I’m free to explore at my own pace as I take snaps for Father Antonio.
(Image credit: Bethesda)
Making it up
(Image credit: Bethesda)
It belongs in a review(Image credit: Bethesda)What did we think of the full thing? In ourIndiana Jones and the Great Circle reviewwe gave it the coveted five stars, saying that it’s “the best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
It belongs in a review
(Image credit: Bethesda)What did we think of the full thing? In ourIndiana Jones and the Great Circle reviewwe gave it the coveted five stars, saying that it’s “the best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
(Image credit: Bethesda)
What did we think of the full thing? In ourIndiana Jones and the Great Circle reviewwe gave it the coveted five stars, saying that it’s “the best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
Whether it’s stumbling completely unprompted on a digital recreation of the stunning Sistine Chapel, or cracking the delivery code to a lockbox that the fascists have stupidly bungled, The Vatican is a ridiculously dense hub area filled to the brim with new mysteries around every corner. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is always ready to let you revel in those small details as well. My first mission leads me to pick up a camera, which opens up yet another collectible for the keen-eyed – snapping picks of architecture like the aforementioned Sistine Chapel, and even small everyday scenes like two priests struggling to rehang a painting.
Seamlessly broken up into little mini-areas, all with different levels of access restrictions tailored to a handful of disguises (a little like Hitman, believe it or not), this small but mighty map packs loads of variety. Before long, you’re even exploring underground sewer systems and abandoned tombs, working out how they connect back up top, and getting used to the many, many shortcuts that connect these spaces.
Several pick-ups are locked behind mini-puzzles that you’ll just stumble upon. The actual main quest could be polished off fairly quickly, with the rest of the exploration yours to undertake as you please. Yet rather than feel throwaway, they all connect back to the whole. Even the tiniest of puzzles contribute to the flavor, from being the consequences of the ramped up fascist presence in the area, to themselves being linked to the mystery of the Great Circle. Many of the best cutscenes that perfectly recreate the tone of the Indiana Jones movies are hidden with them.
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(Image credit: Bethesda)
At one point I realize I’ve broken into the decadent office of Father Ventura within the Apostlic Palace – the Vatican figure who’s been selling out the faith to Mussolini himself. Notes inside lead me naturally to come upon not just some extra treasure, but information that ties into the area’s final tomb (with decorations also pointing to the connection). It’s rewarding not just because it’s something to tick off, but because in moments like this I really feel like I’m inhabiting Indiana Jones as a character as he puts all the pieces together, and doing so under my own steam.
Which is all to say that, with the final tomb now accessible, and the rest of the adventure waiting just beyond… I’m still not ready to leave. Clocking in at around nine hours, this portion of Indy’s quest would be enough to satisfy me alone in most other games. And with only a couple of mysteries left to solve – including at least one door that “opens from the other side” (below the Sistine Chapel) – I think I’m going to stay right where I am, solving all the Vatican has to offer and boogying down to some jazz with Father Antonio.
Looking for some more thrills? We’ve got a handy list of thebest adventure gamesfor you to chart your next journey!
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”