Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Preview: Whippin’ Nazis

... and taking artefacts.

With Gamescom on the horizon, Stevivor was invited to spend approximately twenty-five minutes of hands-off time to check out Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. So far, we like what we see.

Named back in January of this year, that same event gave us our first look — and listen — at The Last of Us’ Troy Baker as he voiced the digital shell of Harrison Ford.

“Throughout history, mankind has built sites of great spiritual significance,” Baker said in a voice that was — alarmingly — somehow his own, yet almost Ford’s. “If you were to draw a line through these ancient sites around the globe, you get a perfectly aligned circle.”

While some of our hands-off time was merely a duplication of what we’ve already seen from The Great Circle — including why the title has its name — developers at MachineGames were on hand to further detail gameplay mechanics and the overall loop.

According to MachineGames’ Jerk Gustafsson, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s creative director, an early piece of concept art details what they’ve been aiming to produce (or is that reproduce?).

“[The concept art] gives you the sense of a globetrotting adventure where the player is chasing a number of different artefacts, and the nature of the different threats you will be facing,” he said. “We established early on many of the major sites we will be visiting, such as the Vatican and the Himalayas.”

“We have glimpses of classic matinee asset pieces, like being chased by a fighter plane — and, of course, we wanted to include Gina, Indy’s journalist companion, who joins him on the journey,” Gustafsson said.

The art shown — and sadly, we don’t have a copy to reproduce — has Gina wielding a camera, an item that MachineGames says is integral to gameplay.

“It’s up to you to find clever, unexpected uses for each [item],” said audio director Pete Ward. “That includes Indy’s camera — snap photos to reveal historical insights and important clues.”

“The journal is your complete guide,” Ward continued. “It starts as a blank slate, but becomes a detailed archive of your journey with maps, photos, and letters. It’s a reminder of where you’ve been, and — for the sharp observer —  a hint about where to head next.”

The camera is just one way that Indy can generate all-important Adventure Points, which are in turn used to upgrade his abilities and skillset. One such ability detailed by MachineGames was called True Grit, and allows Indy to recover from an otherwise fatal blow to then get back into the fight.

In a sequence that was giving off huge vibes from MachineGames’ previous Wolfenstein titles, Indy will also be able to take advantage of disguises to slip into enemy territory unnoticed. Stealth elements seem to be just as important as all-out combat; items in the environment can be used to distract guards, create holes in (certain) walls, or even to create grappling points so that Indy can swing from platform to platform with his iconic whip.

While the whip looks like great fun in terms of traversal, it’s also extremely useful in a fight, seemingly disarming enemies, or stunning others. Indy also comes armed with a pistol, though it seems there’s a huge emphasis on hand-to-hand combat. From what was shown, the hand-to-hand stuff looked, honestly, the least fun of the lot. In this hands-off experience, at least, it appears to be slow and cumbersome.

The hand-to-hand sequence also cemented something I’ve been feeling since seeing The Great Circle for the first-time — this is a game all about a prolific hero, Indiana Jones, yet we’re playing in first-person. In the gameplay sequence we were shown, MachineGames was very quick to pull out from that first-person experience to a third-person one so that they could show the player Harrison Ford as Indy grabbing an artefact from a well-lit pedestal.

Explaining the choice for first-person — but not necessarily the need to go into third-person quite frequently — Gustafsson said MachineGames wanted the player to be able “to look through [Indy’s] eyes” for the full experience. While I understand that logic, I don’t fully understand the implementation as yet.

While I wasn’t crazy about first-person close-quarters combat, it certainly works when it comes to traversal. Stuck in a room with sand pouring in, we watched as Indy managed to get through an open window and, very Mirror’s Edge-like, parkoured through the environment to safety.

Again though, first-person worked there, but MachineGames has chosen to throw out to third-person when Indy’s swinging on his whip. Pick a lane.

There’s so much more to dive into for those completely foreign to the franchise, but if you know, you know: there are Nazis to punch, puzzles to solve, and relics to unearth.

Despite some small inconsistencies, MachineGames has done a tremendous job in nailing the look and feel of a franchise quite a lot of us have grown up with. I have high hopes for what’s to come when The Great Circle heads to PC and Xbox.

There’s not long left to wait — Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is planned for a 9 December 2024 release on Windows PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store alongside Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. The title will also be made available through Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, and will later be available on PlayStation 5 in 2025.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 9 December 2024 (PC, Xbox); 17 April 2025 (PS5) PC PS5 Xbox Series S & X   Buy on Windows PC: Steam Buy on Xbox: Amazon, Microsoft Store Buy on PlayStation: Microsoft Store