Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Xbox Series X/S) Review

With December in full swing, it is wholly refreshing to see that game of the year contenders can still throw their fedora into the ring. This is clearly a passion project with what much easily be hours upon hours of time spent researching the relevant history, locales and perhaps most importantly, that true Indiana Jones feel. Straight from Raiders of the Lost Arc comes a nostalgic tutorial, every part from luscious vegetation to rising mountains, looks absolutely superb. This also contributes to the turnaround on first-person over third.

Experiencing every locale throughout the adventure feels much more personal and that little bit more gorgeous through Henry Jr. eyes rather than over the shoulder. This also applies when confronting enemies, with a real heft when taking part in some fisticuffs. The combat system is a simple block, punch, parry affair but all the movements and swagger feel authentic. There is no finesse, just the rough and tumble you'd expect of a historian in a scrap.

As with the movies, getting from A-B all guns blazing is never the right move, with a stealthy approach favoured for most conflicts. Environments are littered with makeshift weapons with some great animations employed for a stealth knockout. Items and cash can be pilfered as well as some more in-depth exploration being rewarded in the form of disguises. Find one of these and it becomes a breeze to complete the optional side quests and explore with most enemies happy to let you pass by with a simple 'Hallo'.

In terms of side-quests, fortune favours the nosey. Going off the beaten track opens up a wealth of tasks often coming from stray conversations or by finding many of the hidden documents that then fill in Indy's journal which is easily accessible at any time. All of these, again, feel authentic. Feeding the player things, you would expect Indy to actively take part in, from stealing Nazi gold to finding a kidnapped child. It is excellent that these do not, at any time, feel disjointed from the main thread, of course Indy would want to explore a random tomb if he came across it, but with such detail involved in creating the mission, it almost always feels like it was an essential part of what he is doing in the country at the time. The main draw here is simply the freedom to approach the environments however the mood takes. The settings are so expansive that hours can be lost in favour of a wander, feeling like what Assassin's Creed should be, plenty to do, stealth done right and no feeling of box ticking.

Puzzles are taxing enough to give the feeling of satisfied smugness, but never unfair. Throughout the full campaign only one tripped up this reviewer, due to eyesight more than by design. If any do baffle, using the in-game camera will give increasingly more clear hints as needed. A great system that allows for the player to take things at their own pace without any hand holding. Indy's camera also adds points to the Exp system by making sure that he snaps anything of interest. Each town or village also serves as a hub world where treasure maps as well as stamina and health improvements can be purchased. Upgrade books that the player picks up also offer new abilities (pick up lucky hat, it's worth it for the animation alone).

To keep banging on about it, this is a game that excels in its world building, in every nook and cranny there is likely a nostalgic reference to the movies, be it a sly quip or an artefact tucked away on an office shelf. One in particular sticks in the mind, a throwaway line that harkens back to the best of the films, The Last Crusade (or Crystal Skull if you like to watch the world burn).

This immersion could easily be broken if the voice acting was not up to scratch and such a distinct voice as Ford, it would be fair to expect some discrepancies. They splashed the big bucks here however and got voice expert Troy Baker involved. A masterstroke in casting, The Bakester sounds more like Indy than Indy does. A peak Harrison in his prime. He is also backed up by a great supporting cast of characters, some familiar, some new but written perfectly, to ensure that it bombs along with blockbuster level exposition.

What a story it is too, fitting perfectly into the mythos, a tale of lost relics, ancient legends, with some power-hungry fascists thrown in for good measure. Spielberg and Lucas were both consulted during the development process, and it really shows, with some classic dialogue and humour (where was this when they thought making Indy Louis Stevens dad).

The biggest compliment to be given here, is that after the original, nearly perfect trilogy, this would have fit in perfectly without tarnishing the legacy. All of this is backed up by a fantastic score, using the iconic theme sparingly and other tracks to hint at a location or set the mood. More than onetime the game manages to jump scare with sound alone.