After seeing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's stealthy disguises, punchy hand-to-hand combat, and the iconic whip in action, it's one adventure I need in my life

2024-08-20

GamesAdventureIndiana Jones and the Great CircleAfter seeing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s stealthy disguises, punchy hand-to-hand combat, and the iconic whip in action, it’s one adventure I need in my lifeWhen 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: Xbox Game Studios)

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle - Indiana peers out from the shadows in stealth

As I watch this all unfold in a hands-off demo ofIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, all I can think about is how excited I am to put on the classic fedora and become the legendary archaeologist myself. With its first-person perspective on display, the Great Circle promises to let me step right into the role, which is exactly what developer Machine Games is going for. As a team that’s well versed in creating experiences from this perspective - this is the studio behind Wolfenstein: The New Order, after all - the adventure will not only build on their strengths, but let us feel like we’ve become Indiana.

“It [the first-person perspective] is something that we have been doing now for over 20 years, with the history we have at Machine Games, and it’s a perspective we feel very confident working with,” game director Jerk Gustaffson says. “We feel it’s a very good fit to the game as well, because it’s very important, at least to me, that you don’t just get to play Indiana Jones, you get tobeIndiana Jones, you get to step into the shoes of this character and be in the world, experience the world through his eyes.”

“We also feel that experiencing this game is best through a first-person perspective,” creative director Axel Torvenius adds. “In first person, you will get extremely close up to solving puzzles. You’ll be close to mysteries and weird artifacts, and to us that really is best presented in the first-person perspective.”

Whip it good

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - using the whip to travel down a cave wall

Indiana Jones of course has brains as well as brawn, which is why we’ll be snagging artifacts, uncovering mysteries, solving puzzles, and exploring to unearth clues to embody the role. His archaeological knowledge and academic side is also reflected in some of the tools we’ll have at our disposal, which all play a part in helping us feel like we’ve filled his shoes. Alongside his classic whip, fedora, and handy revolver, the demo shows off the journal, which Gustafsson explains is “your guide throughout the entire adventure”, and will become “this book of memories for you from the beginning of the game to the end.” As we encounter interesting relics or locations, we can also take pictures with a camera that can serve as clues, and “provide hints about puzzles” as we get swept up in a “global conspiracy”.

I love how the journal appears to catalog everything we experience and reflect all of our findings – it looks set to build up a picture of our adventures that we can constantly look back on and use to help us. I’m also drawn to the idea that the photos we take get added to it to make it feel more personal to us - like if I were to take the time to explore and find something notable, I have a photo as proof of that.

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle - traversing through a cave with a flip lighter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

With every discovery and clue, adventure points are earned that pop up on screen. As Gustaffson explains, the Great Circle will have “adventure books” that populate the game “to encourage players to explore and really try to discover things” in the open area locations. These books are a big part of the skill system, says Gustaffson, as they “allow you to improve and update your character” with skills you can unlock with adventure points you earn.

“Adventure points is something that we reward you with based on finding things in the world, discovering things in the world, doing activities,” Gustafsson adds. “So it’s a rather big part of the game, and something that we feel is very important for progression in general.”

“It’s also just a big beat in terms of making sure that we can push the player into exploration,” Torvenius continues, “but there’s always more adventure points and things to find in the world. So the player should feel drawn to explore the world and the maps in the game, and there’s a reward to it.”

Playing the part

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - looking a map in a market

“All of these tools, and all of these different styles of gameplay, will provide a mix for you to play around with and have fun with.“Jerk Gustafsson, game director

“All of these tools, and all of these different styles of gameplay, will provide a mix for you to play around with and have fun with.”

“We want the player to really feel that they can take on different obstacles or challenges in many different ways, and stealth is definitely part of that,” Gustafsson says. “… Something that we have been working with now for a long time, which can be a challenge when it comes to first person, is doing these very intensive hand-to-hand fist fights. We have been putting a lot of effort into that, and of course with the whip, which adds another element to the combat in the game. Overall, all of these tools, and all of these different styles of gameplay, will provide a mix for you to play around with and have fun with.”

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - soldiers look at a piece of treasure

In what Gustafsson describes as “the biggest game we have ever made,” Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is as a “mix of more linear areas and open spaces”, and while there is a “golden path” to follow in the main story, there’s a lot of extra side content and side missions. We’ll have the freedom to “choose and do things in the order you would like to do them,” with plenty of opportunities to make discoveries and earn adventure points.

Within the 30 minute demo I get to see, one of the highlights is undoubtedly when Indiana dresses up as a worker to infiltrate an enemy area. In a Hitman-like move, you can wear various disguises throughout the story to get into guarded locations undetected. I get to see how his worker guise lets him stroll right inside a tent where soldiers are meeting. One demands that Indy get him a drink, which presents the perfect opportunity to avoid suspicion as he heads to the back of the tent to get his hands on a medallion. I’m already curious to discover what other scenarios and outfits we’ll be presented with as we go from location to location and progress through the adventure.

I can’t speak to how good it will all feel to play, but it certainly looks every bit the “the direct sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark” Machine Games is going for. I’m looking forward to trying out the whip and all of the other tools that will be at our disposal when Indiana Jones and the Great Circle arrives. But more than that, I can’t wait to swing into the adventure to discover if it really does feel like I’ve become the famous archaeologist.

Look ahead to more exciting releases with our roundup ofupcoming Xbox Series X gameson the way.

CATEGORIESXbox Series XPC GamingPlatformsXbox

Most Popular

“This is incredibly rare”: How Mouthwashing quietly became 2024’s breakout horror hit

I’m no Grinch, but will someone please direct me to the good Christmas games?

This canceled Netflix fantasy series was one of the best shows of 2024 – and deserves a second chance

Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum explain why comics are still the perfect medium for superhero stories - “Visuals that will never be achieved in TV or movies can be achieved in comics”

Team Asobi’s gigantic 2024 proves it’s time to free Astro Bot from PlayStation’s past

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was the favorite shooter of the year, and it also made me fall even harder for my fiancé

17 years on, Sam Barlow reflects on Silent Hill: Origins: “To pull it out of the bag with a seven-out-of-ten game was incredibly rewarding”

Here’s our Black Ops 6 multiplayer playlist to keep you and your pals connected over Christmas

Spy x Family season 3: Everything we know so far

One of 2024’s best anime shows subverts all expectations, but that’s its biggest strength

How Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth represents the best of Final Fantasy’s past while charting a course for the future

GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs 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"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven 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"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis board game models and tokens laid out on a board

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

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”

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”

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

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”

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”

Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

Squid Game season 2

1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

Whip it good

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Playing the part

Contents