ActionAdventurePuzzleFirst-PersonStealth

INDIANA JONES AND THE GREAT CIRCLE

Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory. Franchise: Indiana Jones

PCPS5Xbox Series XNintendo Switch

Published by Bethesda Softworks / Xbox Game Studios · PC · PS5 · Xbox Series X · Nintendo Switch

Storyline & Lore

The year is 1937. Somewhere between the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail, there is a mystery that could unravel the fabric of civilisation. And only one man is stupid enough to chase it.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade — the sweet spot of the franchise, when Indy was at his most reckless, most resourceful, and most magnetic. Troy Baker voices a younger Jones with a performance so precise that Harrison Ford himself praised it. This is not an imitation. It is an inhabitation.

The story begins at Marshall College, where Indy discovers that someone has broken into the university and stolen an ancient artefact from his office. The trail leads to a sinister conspiracy: Emmerich Voss, a brilliant and terrifying Nazi archaeologist, is assembling pieces of a puzzle connected to the Great Circle — an ancient alignment of sacred sites across the globe that, when activated, could grant unimaginable power.

The chase takes Indy across the world. The Vatican. The pyramids of Giza. The jungles of Thailand. The streets of Shanghai. Each location is a meticulously crafted open-ended level — not an open world, but a series of dense, explorable sandboxes where every alley, every rooftop, every tomb hides something worth finding. Voss is one of the best villains in the franchise — not a cartoon Nazi but a cultured, calculating opponent who believes he is saving civilisation through destruction.

Along the way, Indy is joined by Gina Lombardi, an Italian journalist with her own reasons for tracking Voss, and a supporting cast that includes allies and antagonists who feel ripped from the best Indiana Jones films. The writing captures the franchise’s signature balance: thrilling one moment, funny the next, emotionally resonant when you least expect it.

MachineGames — the studio behind the Wolfenstein reboots — has built the most faithful Indiana Jones adaptation since Raiders itself. The whip cracks. The hat stays on. The punches land with that distinctive meaty thud. And the score, by Gordy Haab with themes by John Williams, recorded at Abbey Road Studios, makes every discovery feel earned and every chase feel cinematic.

This is not a movie tie-in. This is the Indiana Jones game fans have wanted for decades.

Gameplay & Core Systems

The first time you pick up a frying pan and throw it at a Nazi’s head, you know MachineGames understands Indiana Jones. The second time, you realise they understand games.

First-Person Exploration & Puzzle-Solving
The game is played primarily in first-person, with third-person transitions during climbing, cutscenes, and certain action sequences. Each level is a dense, explorable sandbox — the Vatican, Giza, Thailand, Shanghai — filled with environmental puzzles, hidden treasures, and multiple paths to every objective. Indy’s journal and camera are your primary tools: photograph discoveries, solve clues, and earn Adventure Points that unlock new abilities.

Combat — Brains Over Bullets
Indy is not a supersoldier. Guns are limited, ammo is scarce, and going loud attracts overwhelming attention. The game encourages creative problem-solving: use the whip to disarm enemies, grab environmental objects (chairs, bottles, frying pans) for improvised weapons, set traps, and exploit the environment. Stealth is always an option. Disguises let you blend into hostile areas. The combat feels scrappy, desperate, and exactly how Indiana Jones should fight — barely in control, always improvising.

The Whip
The whip is the signature tool. Use it to swing across gaps, disarm enemies, grab distant objects, interact with the environment, and (yes) whip Nazis. It is the game’s most versatile mechanic and the one that most consistently makes you feel like Indiana Jones.

Progression & Discovery
Adventure Points earned through exploration, photography, and puzzle-solving unlock new abilities and skills. The progression feels organic — the more you explore, the better you get, which encourages the kind of obsessive treasure-hunting that defines the franchise. Hidden artefacts, collectible notes, and environmental storytelling reward players who look beyond the critical path.

Key Game Mechanics

Dense Sandbox Level Design

Each location is a handcrafted sandbox filled with multiple paths, hidden areas, environmental puzzles, and secrets. The Vatican has catacombs beneath its streets. Giza has tomb networks behind every sand dune. The levels reward exploration obsessively and support multiple playstyles — stealth, combat, or pure archaeology.

The Whip

Swing across gaps, disarm enemies, grab distant objects, and interact with the environment. The whip is the game’s most versatile and satisfying tool — a single mechanic that ties traversal, combat, and puzzle-solving together with the iconic crack that every Indiana Jones fan recognises.

Improvised Combat

Grab chairs, bottles, brooms, frying pans — anything in the environment becomes a weapon. Guns are scarce by design. The combat is scrappy and desperate, forcing creative improvisation that makes every encounter feel like an Indiana Jones set piece. Stealth and disguises provide non-lethal alternatives.

Journal & Camera Discovery System

Photograph discoveries. Solve journal clues. Earn Adventure Points. The journal and camera tie exploration to progression in a way that makes every discovery feel meaningful. The system encourages curiosity and rewards attention to environmental detail.

Gordy Haab Score (John Williams Themes)

Recorded at Abbey Road Studios by a full orchestra. Grammy-winning composer Gordy Haab channels John Williams with a 37-track score that makes every whip crack, every tomb entrance, and every chase sequence feel like a scene from the films. The music is not just accompaniment — it is the emotional backbone of the entire experience.