Summary
Ahead of its release, one of the most common criticisms ofIndiana Jones and the Great Circlethat still persists today is that it is a first-person game based on one of the most beloved film franchises in cinema history. SinceIndiana Jones and the Great Circlestars the iconic archaeologist that many players have likely spent years seeing rather than being, the thought of stepping into Indy’s shoes for a first-personIndiana Jonesgame might seem a bit counterproductive. However, MachineGames wanted to develop a video game that made players feel like Indiana Jones rather than simply witnessing him on an adventure, andIndiana Jones and the Great Circledoes just that.
At the same time, for a character that is as firmly established as Indiana Jones, it’s almost impossible for even a first-person game likeIndiana Jones and the Great Circleto be entirely first-person in its storytelling and even its gameplay. While, yes, players may end up feeling like the beloved character while they play throughIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, there are still some elements of the game that will be unavoidably a third-person experience. This isn’t due so much to the intermittent cinematics that portray Indiana Jones in third-person, but more so,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s commitment to authenticity.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Still Feels Like a Third-Person Game
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Is a First-Person Game to Enhance Immersion
Regardless of how contentious a feature it may be,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s first-person gameplayis necessary to enhance immersion. Sure, if the game were in third-person instead, it might make players feel as though they were watching an authenticIndiana Jonesfilm unfold before their very eyes. However, being in first-person,Indiana Jones and the Great Circlegives players the unique chance to actually be in anIndiana Jonesfilm, rather than merely watching it, as many of those who are fans of the movie series likely have plenty of times.
For a character that is as firmly established as Indiana Jones, it’s almost impossible for even a first-person game likeIndiana Jones and the Great Circleto be entirely first-person in its storytelling and even its gameplay.
This effectively puts players into Indiana Jones' shoes so they can feel, hear, and see everything the character has felt, heard, and seen throughout each of the films he has starred in. With that,Indiana Jones and the Great Circlebecomes a more immersive experience than it might have been otherwise, and since it’s the first first-personIndiana Jonesgame to ever see the light of day, it helps the title to stand out in its own IP, as well asthe action-adventure genre.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Indy Still Feels Like a Separate Character
Even thoughIndiana Jones and the Great Circleis afirst-person game, however, it is still a third-person story. As players explore dungeons, gather artifacts, and find clues, Indy is frequently heard talking to himself, as if narrating the story and lore for the players. It can often feel as though Indy is actually telling players the story, and they are simply bearing witness to it. In that sense, even thoughIndiana Jones and the Great Circleis played in first-person, the story is still witnessed from a third-person perspective, so to speak, as players essentially watch Indy externally processing things as they go.
Players might technically be driving Indiana Jones as they play throughIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, but at the end of the day, they are still only Indiana Jones. They don’t get to be their own character, nor do they have any large-scale influence over what Indy can or can’t do. Instead, they must adapt to fit who he has already been established to be in theIndiana Jonesmovies, thereby still making the player more of a spectator than the character they are controlling in first-person. Therefore, despite any negativity surrounding the perspectiveIndiana Jones and the Great Circleis played from, it still manages to strike a delicate balance between a first-person game and a third-person story.
