The last time developers MachineGames made an Xbox-exclusive first-person action-adventure game based on a movie character, it turned out to be one of the best experiences of the entire Xbox/PS2 console generation. That game was The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, back when MachineGames’ heart was still at Starbreeze. I mention this because after seeing an extended demo of the studio’s latest project, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, also an Xbox exclusive, I couldn’t help but be heavily—and I mean heavily—excited for it. strongly – reminded me of the original Xbox classic starring Vin Diesel, in the best possible way. Indy absolutely screams Riddick, and because of that, The Great Circle went from something on my most anticipated list to being by far the game I’m most excited to play this year (specifically, December 9th on Xbox and PC, with the PS5 getting it in spring 2025).
My hands-off demonstration began in (where else?) a huge underground temple, with the sun shining on a small figurine. Indy picks it up and the door closes behind him. He opens the figurine with a rock. Inside is a small block of some sort—a key, perhaps? Naturally, this triggers a cave-in, and our hero remarks, “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
The player takes control of the action as the camera switches to first-person (though it switches to third-person for platforming sequences). As sand fills the room, Indy drags himself to a window that has suddenly become accessible thanks to all the sand. He falls into a stall and then runs, a stamina bar indicating how much longer Jones can keep sprinting. He uses his trusty whip to leap across a chasm as the conditions in the temple become more deadly by the second. He launches into a slide to get out of the temple just in time.
MachineGames promises plenty of such exhilarating action sequences in The Great Circle, which, like Riddick, rarely involves the use of a gun. Sure, Dr. Jones has his trademark revolver, but, as creative director Axel Torvenius explains, “the key to combat is to carefully decide your approach,” adding, “It’s very dangerous in this game to fire a gun.” It won’t happen particularly often, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly when the time comes. “You have to try to use your wits and your whip first,” he continues. “To understand that there are optional ways to solve problems.” [problems]”So don’t call this Indy game a first-person shooter. It’s a first-person shooter. gameOkay, but this is definitely not a shooter. It’s a mix of puzzle solving, platforming, stealth, and combat. Just like this team’s first game that featured a certain bald inmate who can see very well in the dark…
“Adventure is at the heart of the game,” said director Jerk Gustaffson. “We want exploration to be really rewarding.” So one of the game’s main tools is Indy’s journal. It starts out empty, but quickly turns into a packed archive of your travels, which will include visits to Egypt and the Himalayas, among others. To further the spirit of adventure, there will be moments where you’ll wear disguises to fit in, like in a scene I saw where our favorite archaeology professor disguises himself as a priest to infiltrate a heavily guarded area. The emphasis on adventure will even be reflected in The Great Circle’s gameplay structure, with MachineGames revealing that the campaign will consist of a mix of linear areas and more open areas where you’ll be free to roam.
In the meantime, you’ll earn adventure points by finding items and secrets worth writing down in your journal, as well as taking photos of key objects with your camera. These points can be spent on upgrading your Indiana Jones to play more the way you want, whether that’s improving your stealth abilities, combat abilities (like True Grit, which essentially lets you survive a fatal blow to get back into the fight), or other skills. MachineGames says there are “dozens” of upgrades to choose from. You can also buy items from traders, like one I saw that had a monkey next to him at his booth. I haven’t seen what that is yet, though.
Most of the combat seems to be hand-to-hand combat, but like Riddick, your enemies won’t fall with a simple press of the punch button. You’ll need to skillfully parry, block, and chain to achieve victory in close combat. And don’t be afraid to use your whip, slamming it at your opponents’ feet to knock them down, just to name one example of what it can do for you in the game. But your dukes won’t always be your weapons of choice. I’ve seen Indy use a rolling pin in a kitchen to smash a Nazi’s face in. I’ve also seen him pick up a shovel, sneak up behind a Nazi, and strike him in the back of the head. In fact, stealth seems to be a big part of The Great Circle, with stealth being emphasized as a core tenet of the game, much as it was in Escape from Butcher Bay.
Richard B. Riddick didn’t bring any friends with him, though. Indiana Jones, on the other hand, will welcome any help along the way. I saw a few companions alongside him throughout my demo in many of the game’s scenes. They’re not always there, but when they’re by your side, I didn’t see enough of them to know exactly what they’ll be capable of. Will they just help advance the plot and allow for more Indy jokes? Or will they also offer BioShock Infinite-style Elizabeth assistance in combat?
That remains to be seen, but my demo ended with a sequence that showed off a lot of what The Great Circle is going to be about: adventuring, avoiding traps, and solving puzzles! To find a key that would open a temple, Indy had to sneak into enemy territory disguised as a common laborer. After poking around for a while, he finds the golden medallion he’s looking for and stealthily takes it (earning +5 adventure points). He encounters four bad guys at a table and, this time, makes it out of the tent without incident. Returning to the hidden door of the nearby temple and inserting the medallion, the door opens. Indy and his ally head deeper into the darkness, using a lighter to light the way. “This hasn’t been disturbed in thousands of years,” the professor remarks. They slowly explore the dark temple before lighting a torch. At the end of a narrow hallway is an ornate iron door. Pulling the lever causes the floor to give way – revealing spikes below! The companion saves Indy from being impaled. Indy then uses his whip to grab onto a bar above, then lowers himself down to a newly revealed crawl space beneath the floor. He crawls up, finds a pull chain, pulls it, and the door opens. Dr. Jones and his ally both find a mural and take a picture of it (for an additional 10 Adventure Points).
They arrive in a sunny room with a half-obelisk, half-throne at the back of the room, bathed in sunlight. The sun’s rays point toward a golden mask. The puzzle here is to redirect the sun’s rays by tilting the mirrors adjacent to the throne. Your companion grabs the mask once the mirrors are aligned correctly. And in a moment of excitement, she sits on the throne with the mask and the throne seat gives way! As Indy tries to save her, both of them end up being pulled into a dark pit below, where the torchlight reveals a floor covered in… scorpions. (You thought I was going to say snakes, didn’t you?)
The fact is, this core group of developers at MachineGames—many of whom have been working together for two decades—has never failed to deliver. From Riddick to The Darkness to the modern Wolfenstein games, they’re an incredibly successful team. And now, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a playable Indiana Jones adventure that’s built using the best elements of the template this development team used to create their first—and in my humble opinion, best—game of all time. I can’t wait to play it.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Previews Editor and host of IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast unlockedas well as our monthly (or almost) interview show, IGN without filter. He’s a northern New Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
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