Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: Everything You Need to Know
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set to be released on 9 December 2024 on Windows and Xbox Series X/S. It was supposed to be an Xbox exclusive but they’ve changed their minds and the game will also be released on PS5 in 2025. It’s being developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle comes in three different editions, with them being:
- Standard edition – $69.99. This one gets you a copy of the game and The Last Crusade™ Pack with the Traveling Suit Outfit and Lion Tamer Whip
- Premium edition – $99.99. It’s a standard edition that will also get you 3 days of early access, The Order of Giants Story DLC, a digital artbook, and a Temple of Doom Outfit.
- Collectors edition – $225.00. With this one, you’ll get an Allmaker Relic Replica with Game Code (Digital Premium Edition), The Great Circle 11” Globe with Hidden Storage, a New Adventure Journal, a Jumbo SteelBook Case, Digital Artbook, Temple of Doom Outfit.
It’s worth noting that the Collectors edition is sold out on the official websites and you can sign up to get notified when/if they restock it. There are probably some resellers out there but the price is probably outrageous. So I wouldn’t really recommend it.
The Story
In 1937, an artifact was stolen from Marshall College and Indy travels to the Vatican to investigate. There he discovers that there are mysterious sites around the world that when connected on the map create a perfect circle aka Great Circle.
And of course, there are some bad guys who are trying to harness the power related to the Great Circle. He’ll have to travel to those sites and stop the bad guys, so the game story spawns across multiple locations such as Rome, Thailand, Egypt, Shanghai, and the Himalayas.
On this journey full of danger, Indy is accompanied by investigative reporter Gina Lombardi.
The Gameplay
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is filled with a lot of action. For the most of the time, the game is played through first-person perspective, but for some scenes like climbing or swinging, it switches to a third-person view.
Besides being able to use fists and guns to fight, you’ll be able to use a whip. When you think of Indiana Jones, it’s one of the first things that pops into your head so I’m glad they’ve implemented it — now we’ll have to see how it handles in big fights. The famous whip can also be used to get around in certain areas.
From what we have seen in various gameplay trailers and some other sources, the game is also going to be filled with different kinds of challenges and puzzles. Some of them are going to be optional and some are going to be mandatory to advance deeper into the story. As a fan of puzzles, I’ll be doing them all.
There are a few other interesting things featured in the game — some of them still remain to be revealed. For example, what we know is that you’ll be able to use Indy’s journal as a great way to keep up with the current story and quest objectives. There’s also a camera to help you capture some of the breathtaking scenes and historic monuments which can give you adventure points.
Graphics
Hands down, this is the best-looking Indiana Jones game ever created so far — granted the competition wasn’t that great but still point stands. The character design looks great but when it comes to some animations, I’ve noticed a few things that need polishing and tweaking. Which I’m sure they’re already working on. For the audio part, it’s pretty much what you would expect from an Indiana Jones type of game. It just hits you with nostalgic music and sounds, which creates a real immersive experience.
Final Words
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle seems like a nice game on the paper. I’ll definitely have to check it out once it’s released and do the proper testing myself. If nothing, it would be a nice feeling to experience the life of an archeologist that I’ve enjoyed watching as a kid.
