Good ol’fashion adventure in true Indy style
Like many of my age and calibre, I grew up wanting to be Indiana Jones. Maybe a little less of the ‘cultural heritage theft’ and a little more of the ‘adventure, exploration and puzzle solving’. Nevertheless, the absolute winning factor for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the truly immersive experience where I can be Indiana Jones. Well, as close as I can be with a video game. It’s more than the first-player viewing experience; it has nurtured the sense of puzzle solving, knowledge retention, and global awareness that was peak-Indy in IJ & the Last Crusade. This game captures it and then releases it through a strong narrative backed with detailed research and glorious imagery. It’s the kind of game I can sit down and play by myself, but can also sit back and watch EG Dad play with timely suggestions and hints (a new family trend, it would seem). It has adventure, it has secrets, it has narrative, and it has fascinating characters. And the cherry on top: it has authentic recipes that I am absolutely going to try at home. I mean, seriously? The only thing missing is my own hat!
What is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle?
This new video game was technically released in December 2024 on Windows and Xbox. However, it was also released on PS5 in April 2025, which is my preferred platform because of superior graphics on the big screen TV and superious comfort on my lounge. This action-adventure game deserves the best graphics card possible; the vivid depiction of the Vatican or the jungles of Thailand needs it!!
Okay, back to specifics. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an action-adventure game played in first-person, featuring numerous stealth elements and a compelling narrative. It’s accepted as part of the movie franchise, set immediately after Raiders of the Lost Ark and includes a flashback to the opening scene of the first movie. As the player, you are in control of Indy, including the characteristic whip and hat. Walking around, hiding behind barrels, picking up food or items–all of this is under your control, including the freedom to explore as the landscape evolves into an open-world layout. While the game does include some fight scenes, it can be played on ‘story mode’, minimising the violence and focusing on the stealth and storytelling. Heads up: while I prefer the story mode, I am abysmal at stealth missions and still suffered in some scenes.
The story begins at Marshall College, where Indy is awakened from his Raiders flashback by a break-in. Indy noticed the thief’s medallion, resembling the Vatican Secret Archive, before being unceremoniously dumped on the library floor. Tip: You are not meant to win this fight. Just accept it and follow the clues for your global adventure through the Vatican, Egypt, China, Thailand and Iraq. All of these locations are connected by the Great Circle, bringing together multiple cultures and a common legendary story: The Great Flood. In typical Indy-style, Jones is racing against a Nazi archeologist and occultist (Voss) who is determined to use this power for the benefit of the Third Reich, and not for the greater good of all mankind. Along the way, you will find friends, new and old, either part of the story or part of the solution. Maybe even both.
Fans of action-adventure games will love the dynamic nature, with the option to engage in confrontations head-on or employ stealth tactics. Loyalists will appreciate how well this fits in with the rest of the franchise, surpassing the more recent movies. This is the kind of movie I wanted after The Last Crusade, but it’s made even better by having me in the driver’s seat (even if it is on autopilot). Of course, video games make this easier by manipulating the depiction of Harrison Ford into that of the younger Indiana Jones. Kudos to Troy Baker, who delivers voiceover work of exceptional quality.
The Power of Playing as Indiana Jones
This is genuinely the key selling point for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: You can play as Indiana Jones. I mean, c’mon! What more could you want?! (Did I mention I’m still waiting for my own hat?)
But seriously. I’m not usually a fan of first-person styles, partly because I suffer from motion sickness and poor coordination. That’s actually why I play video games – to improve my coordination. Here’s the good news: I had no problems playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. No problems at all. Much of this I attribute to the gradual, immersive experience. I feel like the developers eased me into the role, starting with a guided path across the map and then eventually evolving into an open-world experience, allowing for great exploration through the Vatican Catacombs. By the time I reached the pyramids in Gizeh, I was constantly brushing the rim of a hat I wasn’t even wearing!
While the game is also prioritised as an action-adventure, there is an emphasis on stealth tactics with numerous puzzle-solving elements. I wouldn’t say you need to keep a gamer journal for this one, but you do need to pay attention to elements on the screen and potentially create a bit of a mud map for specific locations. For those more interested in punching Fascists than sneaking past them, I really like the ‘studious’ approach to Indy’s skill tree when it comes to fighting. Books and zines outlining new fighting styles are strewn across various locations, offering you the ability to learn new styles and techniques that improve your fighting skills.
The Attention to Detail
Being part of a grand franchise is both a blessing and a curse. It would be easy to rest on the name Indiana Jones and instantly receive admiration, even with a mediocre game. MachineGames is no mediocre game developer. No, MachineGames has taken the brand and made it even better. They have taken the first-person perspective and transformed it into an epic experience. They knew exactly how much we would want to play as Indy and then applied that to locations and storytelling–even The Hat receives its own “upgrade” with a special in-game feature worthy of an icon!
A lot of that comes from the research and care taken by MachineGames. I was fortunate to chat with Axel Torvenius, Creative Director at MachineGames, who shared how the team took on the responsibility of accurately depicting the world while encouraging players to explore further afield themselves.
“For this project in particular, I was very invested and responsible to make sure that the Indiana Jones experience could be as genuine as we possibly could make it! Since the game is a global adventure where we get to travel to numerous different regions in the world, it became an important mission to make sure that representation and cultural authenticity was spot on!”
Torvenius shared how the team took its fact-checking seriously. Some members travelled to on-site locations, like the Necropolis, while others relied on photos from the 1930s to capture the chronological setting. The inclusion of the in-game photography added an extra visual element that truly takes advantage of this research without becoming a distraction.
“We pretty early on realised that we needed a feature very much like a camera to be able to support the player in various sections of the game. It is a great way to prompt the player to make them understand that there is something in the environment we want you to focus on. It is also a great way to feed the narrative information to the player and a great tool to help you fill out the journal with interesting content to build up the golden path narrative. A good example is when we reveal the pyramids in Gizeh to the player for the first time.”
Using the first-person perspective as you gaze up at the Great Pyramid or across a jungle-framed river in Thailand is breathtaking. Encouraging the player to stop and appreciate it, even take a photo, is a genuine responsibility of any developer. I, for one, am very grateful MachineGames took this responsibility seriously.
School is In: How Indiana Jones Teachers History and Anthropology for Reals
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has a very real likelihood of reviving our interest in history, culture, and anthropology. The original movies founded a generation of students eager to make their mark in archaeology. This game will reignite that passion, thanks to the dedication by the developers to get it right.
“We worked with external consultants to make sure that the time and period was right for certain assets, and that we also treated each culture and nation with respect. We do, for an example, never harm any temples in the game. We do, however, “dig deeper” underneath a lot of these well-known temples and sites to find out an even greater mystery! It wouldn’t be a matinee adventure game in Indiana Jones style if there weren’t mysterious forgotten and hidden away fictional temples! But all artefacts that are real in the game are thoroughly researched, and then we have a lot of made up articacts and assets; for those, we are also very cautious to make sure they fit within the cultural context we are exploring.” – Axel Torvenius, MachineGames.
For anyone looking to reference Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for history, educational, or cultural purposes (maybe even video game tourism?), you can rest assured that all real-world references have been carefully fact-checked. Even the recipes, a beautiful added feature for various locations, have been researched and tested. It’s a lovely touch to the immersive experience for the game. This game would easily fit into any gameschooling syllabus for history and geography.
EG Mum Verdict
Score: 4.5 out of 5 cracking whips
I said it before, and I’ll say it again: This is the kind of movie I wanted after The Last Crusade, but it’s made even better by having me in the driver’s seat (even if it is on autopilot). It captures the character of Indiana Jones and invites you to take it for a ride. I loved the narrative weaving its way through the gameplay, bringing characters and history and culture together with a smooth, natural feel. I found myself researching certain references outside of the game, not for game spoilers but to explore some interesting facts for my own curiousity. I’ve made a list of recipes to try over the coming weeks, as well as a dream list travel itinerary based on this game alone.
I can also appreciate the balance between stealthy strategies and direct confrontations in battle. I love how the game rewards you for not attacking like blunt-force trauma. As adventurous as Indy is, he is also an academic — one who appreciates culture and history. Not the kind of guy who will bludgeon you with a stone tablet while still yelling, “It belongs in a museum!!” MachineGames stayed true to Indy’s character and the narrative, and it absolutely pays off.
The only thing I would change would be some of the puzzles. There were a couple of times when it felt more like a coordination slog rather than a puzzle solution. For example, the cogs in Thailand; more often than not, the problem was with my alignment rather than whether I had solved the puzzle. It’s such a nitpicky detail, and one that occurs in many games that balance the fine line of in-game puzzles. To be fair, this issue rarely interfered with my overall enjoyment of the game.
All I can say to Bethesda and MachineGames is: More of this. I can reference the game for studies and travel. I can scratch the itch of puzzles and adventure. And I can sit back and appreciate the beautiful graphics as the story unfolds. This is the closest I will ever be to my childhood dream, and honestly, I’m very happy with it.
Thanks to Bethesda for providing a copy of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for review purposes. Thanks to Axel Torvnius for his time and response to interview questions. And thanks to Bethesda for providing the time, information, and assets (including images) used throughout this article. All opinions are my own. No money was received for this review, and no AI was used in writing this article.
BONUS: I have just learned that there will be DLC for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle released on September 4, 2025. It’s titled “The Order of Giants”, set during the main game in Rome with new locations, puzzles, and an intriguing new cult. It’s worth purchasing the Premium Edition, Premium Upgrade, Collector’s Edition or Collector’s Bundle to receive the DLC automatically.
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PSST: Do you think I should write a travel article / itinerary based on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle? Let me know in the comments!
Categories: Curriculum of Evil Gameschooling
Evil Genius Mum
Evil Genius Mum
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