Overall – 85%
85%
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle goes to show that MachineGames has an eye for fortune and glory. Not only is this title another great addition to Xbox Game Pass, it’s an absolute must for fans of the infamous Indy.
Storied archaeologist Indiana Jones has been away from the gaming scene for some time, but Bethesda and MachineGames are providing a new outing for this hero with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle worthy of the series, or should you skip it like you did the last movie?
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review
The game starts with a classic:
Indiana Jones makes his way into a temple, looking for an artifact. After a tutorial, the big rock we’ve all come to know and love chases you out.
Boom: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
With the artifact in tow, players head back to Marshall College to return to work. On your first night back, a massive man sneaks in and attacks you, stealing a completely different artifact from the College and leaving before you even know what’s going on.
Getting one’s bearings, you figure out what was stolen and then find a clue. The burglar had a pedant revealing he was from the Vatican, giving you a new area to check out.
Taking place in 1937, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle pits players against Nazis and Mussolini’s fascists. Mussolini has already taken over Rome, so you have to sneak in as a priest. Here, you run into Gina Lombardi, a journalist who is looking for her sister.
You agree to help her since you know her sister as well, and the two of you adventure together. You are also introduced to Emmerich Voss, the leader of the Nazi’s in the area and the big bad of the game. He is an archaeologist as well and is searching for The Great Circle.
Similar to Wolfenstein, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review is in first person, so you can literally punch some Nazis instead of just talking about it on the internet.
Combat in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feels fantastic, packing a punch.
While I always want to brawl when given the chance, gunplay is also a highlight, as players can feel the weight of each gun differently.
Of course, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle features the whip. You can disarm, trip, slap, and even distract enemies with it. It’ll be your most useful tool and trusted ally – especially when climbing.
Along the way, players will use said whip as a grappling hook to get up and down and all around the areas of the game.
There’s only one downside; its stamina. Running out hurts, and it makes Indiana Jones and the Great Circle a surprisingly vertical game because of it.
Thankfully, the stamina system in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle works, taking the best elements of of Dishonored 2 when one explored the town for loot and cash. The areas in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle aren’t massive open-world sections, but they still get the job done.
The Vatican gives you a city to explore, with buildings, quarries, shops, and other spots. Then you hit Gizeh, which is the desert, Pyramids, and the Sphinx. There’s a jungle and the College to explore as well, and exploring is encouraged.
One of the first tools you get is a camera, which will give you hints for quests but also earn you skill experience. You can spend that on skill books you find or buy throughout the game for buffs. You have basic ones like increased HP or stamina, but unique ones like retrieving your hat to get up after a KO. Given enough time, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle lets players become an unstoppable force.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also incentivizes exploration with quests and cash.
Cash is on a per-area basis, so the money from Rome won’t be spent in Egypt, and vice versa. Said money can be used to buy map locations and new equipment like a lighter. Then, you can find quests, relics, mysteries, and other spots like an underground boxing ring.
Put simply, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle features a wealth of content beyond the main story. Some of the side content is worth doing for more than skill points and cash.
There is stealth in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but there are no instafail areas. Since you can change disguises, the stealth is pretty good. Clubbing someone in the back of the head feels good; it’s just hard to stay motivated when wed rather be brawling.
Note that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle features both guided and nonguided modes at the offset. With guided mode, you keep waypoints and markers for key objectives.
However, those looking for a real challenge should turn to a guide; some of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s puzzles were hard enough with the markers.
Thankfully, Gina will occasionally be with you to provide hints. While we were stumped a few times, everyhing eventually clicks – be ready to use your brain!
When it comes to quibbles, this title does not let you skip cutscenes, and there is a fair amount of backtracking around quests. There was one instance where we ran back and forth from the Sphinx at least three times in one mission.
While there was a single crash, this title’s autosave was only a minute behind – so it didn’t hurt too bad.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle goes to show that MachineGames has an eye for fortune and glory. Not only is this title another great addition to Xbox Game Pass, it’s an absolute must for fans of the infamous Indy.
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