Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review: MachineGames Nails the Adventure
MachineGames has delivered a first-person adventure that captures the spirit of Indiana Jones with remarkable fidelity, creating an experience that feels like playing through a lost film from the franchise's golden era. The Great Circle takes place between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, sending Indy on a globe-trotting quest that visits nine distinct locations from the Vatican to the Himalayas. Each environment is a sandbox filled with environmental puzzles, hidden treasures, and multiple paths forward that reward curiosity and lateral thinking. The opening sequence in Marshall College sets the tone perfectly, establishing both the game's humor and its commitment to authentic adventure.
The gameplay strikes an excellent balance between exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat that mirrors the films' own ratio of action to adventure. Exploration is the clear star, with each location offering dense, meticulously researched environments that beg to be investigated. The puzzle design is consistently clever without being obtuse, using a photographic clue system where Indy's journal and camera work together to guide players toward solutions. Combat is intentionally de-emphasized, with stealth and improvised tools being the preferred approach, though the whip mechanics provide satisfying options for players who prefer a more direct confrontation.
Troy Baker's performance as Indiana Jones deserves exceptional praise for walking the impossible tightrope of evoking Harrison Ford without simply imitating him. Baker brings his own subtle inflections to the character while nailing the dry wit, reluctant heroism, and genuine vulnerability that define the role. The supporting cast is equally strong, with a new companion character named Gina who provides a compelling foil to Indy's improvisational approach. The villain, a Vatican archaeologist with apocalyptic ambitions, is appropriately grandiose and threatening, serving the story without overshadowing it in the way that weaker blockbuster antagonists often do.
The Great Circle's primary weakness is its linearity in the back half, where the open-ended exploration of earlier levels gives way to more scripted set pieces that, while spectacular, reduce player agency. The final two chapters feel rushed compared to the generous pacing of the opening acts, suggesting possible development timeline pressures. Technical performance is solid overall, though facial animations occasionally fall into uncanny valley territory during close-up dialogue scenes. Despite these minor issues, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a triumph of licensed game development that proves MachineGames understands what makes adventure gaming magical and delivers it with confidence and style.