Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review - An incredible adventure that could easily be a film

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes players on a whirlwind tour of scenic, mysterious spots around the world, all to thwart the Nazis - and who doesn’t want that? Whether facing off against Mussolini’s Blackshirts, or Voss and his crew, there’s no shortage of villains that need to be dealt with - whether with a fist, a bottle of wine, or simply outsmarted. I’m a long-time fan of Indiana Jones and his many adventures, so I was thrilled to go back in time to his earlier days.

Taking place between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, players are transported back to 1937 for another one of Indy’s great adventures. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle may not be a perfect game, but it has certainly captured my heart and mind - and continues to do so. I had a hands-off preview of the game previously, but nothing could prepare me for the actual adventure, once it was in my hands.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle remembers what makes the Indy films great

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has the archaeologist hunting for the titular “Great Circle”, a mystery that will take him all over the world. Without spoiling the story, you can expect all the things that make an Indiana Jones film great. The dialogue is smart, the villains are reprehensible, and of course, discourse on where archaeological finds really belong.

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Ah yes - the classic "Hand me the whip" "Throw me the Idol". There's no way this goes bad (Image via Bethesda)

A terrifying conspiracy is taking place, and the Nazis, specifically Sturmbannfuher Emmerich Voss, is seeking a powerful artifact. This item, spread across the world, could be exactly what the Third Reich needs to attain world domination - and naturally, once Indiana Jones gets wrapped up in this, he can’t let that slide.

The storyline would, in fact, make a perfect film - this is further highlighted by the fact that the game has four hours of cutscenes. You can’t skip them either - at least on the first playthrough. From the story to the missions, it all feels like quintessential Indy.

The moment-to-moment gameplay is terrific. Whether you’re exploring ancient, dark tombs and fighting off scorpions, or solving puzzles, I never found a single dull moment. Some puzzles are terribly clunky, but once you get the hang of it, things click together and you've moved on before you know it.

Sometimes, the solution is in plain sight. (Image via Bethesda)

There’s simply so much to do in each locale, too. Side quests to complete, items to collect, and skills to master. If you want to just rush through the game, it could be seen as a little short, but I don’t really see that as a bad thing.

It’s a story that doesn’t overstay its welcome - the pacing is decent, and the action is consistent. However, if you want to 100% Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, that’s a whole other kettle of fish. You’re going from 15-20 hours to easily 50+, in that case. There are some moments of frustration in that timeframe, though.

Sneak Attacks are better than Melee/Firearms

They'll never see it comin' (Image via Bethesda)

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle very much feels like a stealth game - but not what you’d get if you were playing a Ubisoft title. The stealth is, generally speaking, more forgiving. If an enemy spots you, it’s not the end of the world. You can either use it to your advantage or sneak away and let things cool off first.

There are also tons of melee items you can grab, with most being quite useful. Occasionally, you’ll find a near-useless item like a Flyswatter, but even that was incredibly funny to slap a Nazi in the face with. Many of these stealth attacks instantly knock someone out, and won’t raise an alarm - somehow. You can then carry the body to somewhere dark - because enemies do patrol.

I enjoyed the firearm combat as well, even though I didn’t do it as often as I’d like. It really does make a lot of noise, and when silence is needed, you don’t want to pick up a rifle. However, there were a few moments when I decided to abandon stealth, grab a gun, and just mow down villains in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

There's never a bad time to deliver violence unto Nazis (Image via Bethesda)

Did that make things harder? You bet. Was it more satisfying? 100% it was. You also have melee, which was mediocre at best. Still, when you really get going and combo someone down, it feels amazing.

I had plenty of times when it felt like I couldn’t break someone’s guard, no matter what I did. Then I just backed off and waited to punch them some more or try to push them.

The world of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is great - until it’s not

I wouldn't call this "fast travel", but it can be useful (Image via Bethesda)

I want to be clear that I enjoy the various hubs you get to explore in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. They’re meticulously recreated and are genuinely brilliant. I loved all my exploration throughout Vatican City, for example. However, some things needed a bit more love - like fast travel.

This mechanic felt all but useless to me. You have to find these road signs that highlight other areas. Then, if you’ve been to that area, you can teleport to that part of the map. It also didn’t feel as fast as I would like it to be. So, I generally ignored it, unless it was extremely necessary.

I was also not a fan of having to keep glancing at the map to see where I was going. Sure, this is a great way to immerse yourself in the world, as it does not clutter your view by throwing a lot of things on the screen all at once.

Maybe it's the MMO writer/player in me, but I like seeing a destination for longer than a second or two (Image via Bethesda)

However, I can’t be alone - I often found myself getting lost, distracted or turned around and had to pull up the map to make sure I was on course in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Moreover, if you were looking at the map in a dimly lighted area, it was infuriating to read. Again, it makes sense, and I appreciate it, but from another point of view, I just wanted to check the map easily and move on.

The visuals and voice work in Indiana Jones and The Great Circle are top-notch

MachineGames really delivered on the visual presentation (Image via Bethesda)

I cannot compliment the voicework for Indiana Jones and The Great Circle enough. Troy Baker was phenomenal, and delivered his lines in a way that befit the character, without trying to just “be” Harrison Ford. He had the dry wit and the clever intonation, it was all perfect.

The game is gorgeous too, that’s for sure. Every area in the game is stunning and all the characters look amazing. It even felt visually designed like it could’ve been a film in the 90s. Every time I saw Emmerich Voss, I thought he looked like a 1990s Jack Nicholson - making this feel like it could have been a film in my youth.

Although I have a few very minor problems with the gameplay, from a visual perspective, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle belongs in a museum. It’s a perfect recreation of a franchise I love.

In Conclusion

From start to finish, this is an exceptional Indiana Jones game (Image via Bethesda)

I haven’t had this much fun playing a stealth/adventure game in some time. While the melee is mediocre, if you’re clever enough and sneaky enough, you won’t have to do a whole lot of it. There are tons of mysteries to explore, skills to unlock, and quests to complete. I’m also a huge fan of being able to take photos of a wide assortment of ancient archaeological sites, secrets, and things out in the world.

If you ever wanted to step into the boots of Dr. Indiana Jones, learn more about him, and stop a dreadful Nazi threat, this is the game you want to own and play. It’s an incredibly fun game, and I can’t wait to sit back down and find all the secrets I’ve missed.