Generally speaking, pastIndiana Jonesvideo games have been quite linear. From the earlyLucasArts point-and-click adventures, to action games likeIndiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb, to theLEGO Indiana Jonesgames, most adaptations have seen the player control Indy through a set of linear objectives. Many expected the same fromIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, but it’s a game unlike anything fans of the franchise have seen before.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circleis essentially an immersive sim that sees players get dropped into several large, open-ended areas. While players can choose to stick to their main objective and just head to each quest marker in a linear fashion, they’re given free rein over this open area, an area that contains a wealth of side quests, collectibles, disguises, and upgrades. And if the quality of those optional activities wasn’t enough of an incentive,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s interconnected level design is sure to nudge players over the edge.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Level Design Reinforces The Game’s Immersion
The Interconnected Nature of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Levels Feels Logical
World design is a pivotal component ofthe immersive sim genre. In order to properly engross players in its setting, an immersive sim’s world needs to feel like a real living and breathing place that abides by the in-universe logic and rules that have been clearly defined through gameplay or plot. An immersive sim’s setting can’t feel like it revolves solely around the player-character and their actions.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s various settings all follow these immersive sim rules. The game’s naturalistic lighting and shadows, NPC and enemy AI behavior patterns, physics systems, and its overall atmosphere combine to makeThe Great Circle’s world feel like a real living and breathing place.Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s interconnected level designreinforces this feeling even further.
The layout ofIndiana Jones and the Great Circle’s open areasfeels logical. For instance, inIndy’s Vatican, the central courtyard leads to two main areas, which themselves branch off into various alleyways and building interiors that players can explore. These areas are then further connected by a variety of passageways, such as underground tunnels, surface-level doorways, and rooftop balconies that can be clambered over. All of these connecting paths feel completely natural in the context of the setting, furthering players' immersion in the game’s world.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Interconnected Levels Gradually Build a Connection With Players
A major benefit ofgood interconnected level designis that it gradually builds a strong connection between the player and the game’s world. The more players explore an open area and walk down the same connective paths, the more of the level’s layout they commit to memory. Eventually, players will have enough knowledge of the area’s layout to confidently navigate the world themselves without needing to look at a map.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s excellent map is instrumental in initially building players' confidence and connection to these open areas.
After exploring the Vatican’s chapels, courtyards, gardens, and connecting alleyways over the course of the game’s opening hours, players will probably know the fastest route to a handful of memorable locations. For instance, to get tothe Excavation Sitefrom the courtyard, players who have developed a connection to the game’s level design will probably make their way up the scaffolding at the back of the courtyard, climb through the window, take a left at the lockbox puzzle, take a right through the doorway, and hop over the balcony on the left.
Having this strong connection due toIndiana Jones and the Great Circle’s interconnected level design goes a long way in cementing these locations in the player’s mind, and making them memorable video game settings in the long run.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
WHERE TO PLAY
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them - Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.YOU ARE INDIANA JONESLive the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITSTravel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.WHIP-CRACKING ACTIONIndiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERYVenture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps ,and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?
