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INDIANA JONES AND THE GREAT CIRCLE
review | XBOX SERIES X
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Publisher: Bethesda Softworks.
Developer: MachineGames. Released: December 2024. Genre: Action/Adventure. Other versions: PS5; PC. Posted 2nd November 2025. By Shane Battams © 2025 |
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One of the most iconic characters in cinema, Indiana Jones became a household franchise thanks to a much-loved action movie trilogy throughout the 1980s. The whip-wielding hero would inevitably find himself in a raft of video games ranging from fast-paced action-platformers to cerebral point-and-clicks that encompassed both direct adaptations and unique stories. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle might be the most substantial effort to date, with MachineGames aiming to capture the spirit of the source material while taking advantage of ninth-generation power. For fans of the whip-cracking adventures, it might just be a golden idol.
Set in 1937, between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, The Great Circle follows the titular hero as he seeks to discover the meaning behind a break-in and theft of an artefact from his college. Soon it’s revealed to revolve around unique artefacts which concern a circular pattern of sites which the Nazis, and in particular Emmerich Voss, wish to claim for power. It becomes a globe-trotting adventure that captures the pulpy zeitgeist of the iconic films, and sees a barrage of quality performers aiding it. Troy Baker nails the character of Indy, capturing his quick-wit and intellect and delivering an accurate impression of Harrison Ford. Alessandra Mastronardi and Tony Todd also impress as journalist Gina and towering threat Locus respectively. It’s a strong new story that’s faithful to the film series.
Indy's back for another globe-trotting treasure hunt, and he's got some old friends at his side
The vast majority of the time, The Great Circle is a first-person adventure that sees you trekking to various locations around the world as you pursue this stolen artefact. Shorter, linear stages are offset with a trio of larger-scale maps in the form of The Vatican, Gizeh desert, and river-covered Sukhothai, which requires a boat to navigate. The shorter stages offer compact yet thrilling set pieces that keep you on the edge of your seat, such as an escape from a collapsing ship that’s run aground. The open stages are even better, offering expansive sandboxes to explore with substantial side content, tons of collectables, and an absence of loading times despite there being several interconnected areas. You can return to stages upon completing them, which requires a brief bit of loading, but otherwise it’s almost non-existent.
Indiana navigates the environment using platforming, which shifts perspective to the third-person for performing actions such as climbing. This works well for the most part, though going slightly the wrong way can see you punished with death. MachineGames also successfully carries over some tenets from their time on Wolfenstein. Hostiles such as Nazis will attack on sight, and you can attack with fists, melee weapons, or firearms, though the latter is rarer due to a scarcity of ammo. Melee combat works well, but can feel a touch disorienting at points due to motion blur and fast attacks. But if you can avoid line-of-sight, items grabbed can also be used to take out guards with a stealth attack. You can also acquire disguises to blend in as well as keys to open certain doors, though higher-ranked soldiers will detect you if you linger too long. The whip has presence in both combat and platforming, as you can disarm foes and swing from hooks, and it’s pretty satisfying to grab foes for a grapple using it. Compounds and restricted zones feel well designed, allowing you to experiment with tactics to clear out foes.
Indiana navigates the environment using platforming, which shifts perspective to the third-person for performing actions such as climbing. This works well for the most part, though going slightly the wrong way can see you punished with death. MachineGames also successfully carries over some tenets from their time on Wolfenstein. Hostiles such as Nazis will attack on sight, and you can attack with fists, melee weapons, or firearms, though the latter is rarer due to a scarcity of ammo. Melee combat works well, but can feel a touch disorienting at points due to motion blur and fast attacks. But if you can avoid line-of-sight, items grabbed can also be used to take out guards with a stealth attack. You can also acquire disguises to blend in as well as keys to open certain doors, though higher-ranked soldiers will detect you if you linger too long. The whip has presence in both combat and platforming, as you can disarm foes and swing from hooks, and it’s pretty satisfying to grab foes for a grapple using it. Compounds and restricted zones feel well designed, allowing you to experiment with tactics to clear out foes.
FOCAL POINT: A PUZZLING AFFAIR
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Arguably, the best aspect of The Great Circle is the puzzles. It makes perfect sense, capturing the kind of thought processes and decoding that Indiana often showcases during the films. The handful of tombs you explore have some clever brainteasers that require you to utilise key items, decipher clues, and they even test your arithmetic and memory. Major puzzles can be elaborate, but you can use your camera to reveal hints that aid (though don’t outright spell out) the solutions. Highlights include the initial puzzle, which challenges you to decipher pictures and country flags to place artefacts in order, using wine to reveal a series of switch positions, and using light sources in a Gizeh temple. Main quests don’t hog all the fun, either: side content includes mysteries that often conclude with a challenging puzzle, collectable relics require placement to open certain doors, and chests often have outlandish solutions, including code-breaking. It’s top-notch.
All in all, The Great Circle will last around 15 hours if you focus on the main story. The pacing slows a tad during larger sections, but it proves mostly compelling. There’s a huge amount of side missions present in the bigger maps, allowing you to partake in Fieldwork and Mysteries. The former offers fully-fledged missions which expand on the lore of each location and reveal more clues to the central mystery, while the latter offers trails of puzzles and more tombs to explore. There are hundreds of collectables, including Journal Notes, pictures of landmarks, ability books and treasures, but for the less exploration-minded, maps can be bought to reveal their location. You can easily double your time with all the above.
This Indiana Jones game makes fantastic use of ninth-generation hardware, proving a stunning game that is regularly jaw-dropping. The myriad of places bear incredible detail, fantastic lighting and plenty of activity, be it locals going about their day, enemy patrols, or even wildlife like birds in flight. Main characters look fantastic, something that’s showcased even further by all cut-scenes being in-engine. They benefit from excellent motion-capture animations, and little touches like the sheen on Indy’s leather jacket. Performance holds consistent at 60fps, making it all the more impressive. The audio is just as strong. The voicework is top-notch, the sound effects are potent, with special mention to the whip cracks, and the music composed by Gordy Haab is incredibly faithful to John Williams’ original score; not surprising considering his work on games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It nails the tone and atmosphere of those classic tracks while adding new twists, such as the use of a Jawbone instrument. It’s just a shame there are some bugs, such as twitchy bodies, animation glitches, and texture popping.
This Indiana Jones game makes fantastic use of ninth-generation hardware, proving a stunning game that is regularly jaw-dropping. The myriad of places bear incredible detail, fantastic lighting and plenty of activity, be it locals going about their day, enemy patrols, or even wildlife like birds in flight. Main characters look fantastic, something that’s showcased even further by all cut-scenes being in-engine. They benefit from excellent motion-capture animations, and little touches like the sheen on Indy’s leather jacket. Performance holds consistent at 60fps, making it all the more impressive. The audio is just as strong. The voicework is top-notch, the sound effects are potent, with special mention to the whip cracks, and the music composed by Gordy Haab is incredibly faithful to John Williams’ original score; not surprising considering his work on games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It nails the tone and atmosphere of those classic tracks while adding new twists, such as the use of a Jawbone instrument. It’s just a shame there are some bugs, such as twitchy bodies, animation glitches, and texture popping.
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It's worth remembering that MachineGames are comprised of former Starbreeze staff, the team behind the excellent Escape from Butcher Bay, so perhaps Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s excellence shouldn’t be so surprising. It’s a fantastic game that manages to capture the spirit of the iconic films, and can be enjoyed on its own merits. A technical powerhouse bolstered by fantastic levels, enjoyable mechanics, and an engaging story; Indy’s adventure hits the mark in almost every respect. Let down only by some unfortunate bugs and pacing issues, neither factor comes close to diminishing this game’s sparkling quality. For those who adore the film series or crave a high-quality adventure, The Great Circle should be sought without hesitation.
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VERDICT"Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a technical powerhouse bolstered by fantastic levels, enjoyable mechanics, and an engaging story. Indy’s adventure hits the mark in almost every respect." OVERALL: 9/10 |
OTHER EXPLORATION-LED ACTION/ADVENTURES REVIEWED
Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword (2001, Game Boy Color)
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Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016, PlayStation 4)
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