Just like RPG mechanics like skill trees and dialogue choices, the open-world structure has started to evolve and seep into other video game genres. Now,action-adventure gameswill often drop players into an open area that isn’t quite a fully-fledged open-world, but does still offer a large map to explore, side quests to complete, and collectibles to find.Indiana Jones and the Great Circleis one such game.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circlespreads its respectable runtime over a handful of open areas, each one being packed with optional content that ranges from Fieldwork side quests, to Mysteries, to environmental puzzles, and a few in between. There’s a lot to see and do inIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, and thankfully, its in-game map is there to make the whole journey feel a lot more intuitive.
How Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Map Enhances its Open Level Design
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Map Keeps Everything Clear
A somewhat common issue in non-open-world games that still have open areas is an unintuitive map. 2019’sStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderis a good example of this. Though its environments look great and capture the trademarkStar Warsatmosphere well,Jedi: Fallen Ordersuffered from very poor map design, with BD-1’s Holograph not showing locked doors or open pathways clearly enough, and its vertical layers being plastered over one another, thus obscuring everything.
Thankfully,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s in-game mapavoids this criticism entirely. In fact, the map is one ofThe Great Circle’s best assets. Available at any time by pressing the “View” button on the Xbox controller,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s map will clearly display a bright orange marker on the location related to the player’s current objective.
As well as appearing on the map itself, this objective marker also appears in the game world when players look up from the map. If players are near the objective, the marker will hover directly over it. But if players need to pass through several areas to reach their objective, the in-world marker will instead hover above doorways that will take them to the objective area, guiding them step-by-step as they pass through each one.
Along with an exceptionally clear objective marker system,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s map also features a player-character icon that moves in real-time, showing the direction the player is moving in. It’s far from the first game to use this icon system, but it’s another way in whichIndy’s mapkeeps the adventure feeling intuitive, which in turn helps to keep the game’s pacing feeling natural.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Map Reinforces its Immersion
A major strength ofIndiana Jones and the Great Circle– and something that sets it apart from its adventure game contemporaries – is its immersive sim qualities. Much ofIndiana Jones and the Great Circle’s gameplaysystems work in tandem to create an experience that deeply immerses the player into its world, and its map is one such system.
Rather than pause the game and have players sift through several menus,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s map functions in real-time, and appears in-universe, with Indy holding his notebook in front of him. It’s a rather subtle feature, but it’s another element that keeps players immersed inThe Great Circle’s world.
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?
