Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review

I wasn’t over the moon about the prospect of a triple-A Indiana Jones game before starting The Great Circle. A new MachineGames joint, now that’s something I’d hang my hat on, but Dr. Jones? How many stories could there be left to tell about the Connecticut-based archeologist named after Illinois’ weird little neighbor? Well it turns out he had at least one damn good videogame left in the tank⁠—MachineGames’ finest to date.

The pairing made great sense on paper: The neo-Wolfenstein games were pulpy, swashbuckling adventures with tons of heart where a lovable, all-American protagonist gave those dastardly Nazis what-for. But I didn’t believe it, feel it until Indy donned a Catholic priest’s vestments to go undercover in a fascist-occupied Vatican—a miniature open world that I can only compare to the best hubs of the Deus Ex series. The combat, stealth, and puzzles are all simple but fun enough (maybe not the stealth⁠—more on that later), but paired with The Great Circle’s phenomenal levels and nailing of what makes Jones such an iconic character, the result is a Batman Arkham-tier “who knew a licensed game about this guy could be this good?”

Crouch walking

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