Summary
When it comes to making an authenticIndiana Jonesexperience in the gaming space, developer MachineGames had a particularly tall task ahead of it withIndiana Jones and the Great Circle. However, even an hour spent in the game is enough to plainly see the effort that has been poured into accomplishing such a task, asIndiana Jones and the Great Circleis as true-to-film as a video game based on a movie arguably should be. While there are plenty of elements of theIndiana JonesIP MachineGames needed to nail, however, one of the most important is the character of Indiana Jones himself, whichIndiana Jones and the Great Circledoes with aplomb.
Indiana Jones has plenty of defining characteristics, from his smirk to his intelligence, but his improvisational and resourceful side is right up there with the rest. As players progress throughIndiana Jones and the Great Circle’s story, they will find Indy’s improvisational nature not just coming to life but being projected onto them as they are forced into situations where the iconic character’s resourcefulness is required by the player controlling him.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Makes Players Explore Indy’s Improvisational Side
Indiana Jones Has Always Been Known for Being Improvisational
Throughout the films,Indiana Joneshas always been portrayed as a scrappy, resourceful, and improvisational character whose humanity is one of his most admirable and relatable characteristics. Being an archaeologist with a sense of adventure, Indiana Jones often finds himself in situations where that humanity is put on full display, as chaos erupts when he triggers a trap or a twig snaps beneath his feet, alerting nearby enemies. From there, he has no choice but to quickly flee the scene or conjure an off-the-cuff plan to ensure he makes it out alive, just as any normal person would in a similar situation.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Has Systems in Place to Encourage Players to Improvise
To create asauthentic anIndiana Jonesexperienceas possible,Indiana Jones and the Great Circledoes whatever it takes to force players to improvise, especially when it’s inconvenient. At the core of this improvisation is an unforgiving and seemingly random auto-save system and no ability to save the game manually, which means if players find themselves in danger, they can’t simply reload their save to get out of it. As such, once any sort of danger begins to escalate, players are encouraged to act quickly, often improvising their way out of trouble, just as Indy would in anIndiana Jonesfilm.
A big part ofIndiana Jones and the Great Circle’s improvisational qualities plays out in the game’s combat, which has been intentionally designed to reflect the combat that takes place in anIndiana Jonesfilm. For one thing, weapons break fairly easily when used, often after defeating a single enemy. As such, if players find themselves in the middle of a heated battle with multiple foes, they’ll either be throwing fists, sprinting away, or scrambling to find the nearestfrying pan inIndiana Jones and the Great Circle. Combat inIndiana Jones and the Great Circleis chaotic on purpose, and it ultimately plays into the improvisational side of Indiana Jones.
Throughout the films, Indiana Jones has always been portrayed as a scrappy, resourceful, and improvisational character whose humanity is one of his most admirable and relatable characteristics.
What truly makesIndiana Jones and the Great Circlean improvisational game is its lack of hand-holding, unlike many games like it. Generally, rather than explicitly telling players where to go or what to do inIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, the game relies on their sense of adventure and longing for discovery to drive them forward. This ultimately means that players might eventually come across a route in the game that seems impassable, but they will do whatever it takes to progress, as they sense something valuable lies in wait on the other side. At that point, players can devise clever ways to proceed, whether it be by making a leap of faith or usingIndiana Jones and the Great Circle’s whipto cross a chasm.
InIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, MachineGames has createdan experience that feels quintessentially Indy, not just in its visuals, audio, or narrative, but also in its very soul. By emphasizing the improvisation, resourcefulness, and the occasional stumble into chaos of the titular archaeologist, the game captures the humanity and ingenuity that define Indiana Jones. From its unpredictable combat to its lack of hand-holding,Indiana Jones and the Great Circletrusts players with Indy’s adventurous spirit, rewarding their creativity and quick thinking.
