One of the more sensible yet unexpected gameplay features inIndiana Jones and the Great Circleis undoubtedly the camera. Players purchase the camera at the Vatican’s post office, where they can also buy Map Guides revealing where the Vatican’s notes, relics, and Mysteries are inIndiana Jones and the Great Circle.
The camera is then a non-interpolative means of gaining Adventure Points with players often prompted to equip the camera and take photographs of myriad points of interest, whether they’re story-related or of random landmarks, happenstances, NPCs, or cats. But the camera’s functionality doesn’t end at taking photographs for Adventure Points; it’s also a great way to provide piecemeal hints for puzzles at the player’s discretion.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Approach to Puzzle Assistance is Creative
Unfortunately,Indiana Jones and the Great Circleis not immune toan NPC companion irritatingly prodding the player to move along in linear story sequences. Indeed, even if there are notes scattered throughout a room and items to collect, Gina Lombardi has no issue incessantly nagging Indy about where the trigger is for the next cutscene. However, Gina quits being so talkative when players stumble upon a legitimate puzzle and leaves them to their own devices.
This is perhaps less immersive as Gina’s company would probably be consulted for clues to make puzzle-solving go quicker, but for the player it may be preferable to churn out a solution with the context clues and information around them. Interestingly, when tackling a puzzle in a golden path sequence,Indiana Jones and the Great Circleprompts players to snap a photographand have a tiny hint nudge them in the right direction.
If players are still stumped after reading this initial hint, as well as hearing whatever comment Indy makes about it, taking repeated photographs of the puzzle’s point of interest will sequentially reveal more hints about how to solve it before finally revealing the precise solution. This is surprisingly nuanced and a godsend in a game that should value Indy’s ability to think his way out of a trap-riddled tomb.
Photographic hints are available inIndiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Moderate adventure experience difficulty setting.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Side Content is Packed with Code-Deciphering Puzzles
Many ofIndiana Jones and the Great Circle’s puzzlescan either be solved via brute force or by merely taking a look at a couple of nearby notes and yet there are a startling few that require a lot more brain power and dots to connect, even if the only piece missing is locating where a finicky interaction point is hiding.Indiana Jones and the Great Circleis peppered with ration stockpile crates players can loot, for example, and some must first be unlocked with a four- or five-digit code ascertained somewhere in the vicinity.
Safes are then the advanced versions of ration crates and have much more difficult combinations to parse, such as the ‘Game of Wits’ Mystery’s Mak-Yek board game for Lorenzo’s Challenge. Therefore, while some puzzles strewn are more lenient in how they dole out hints for players who desire them, there are plenty of minor puzzles that players can sharpen their ingenuity on.
Of course, how much of this particular puzzle-solving players experience will depend on how willing they are to explore maps of their own accord and seek outMysteries or Fieldwork, which is highly rewarding yet also highly time-consuming.Indiana Jones and the Great Circlecan either be a linear romp or a huge time sink, and that’s why camera-related hints are arguably the best possible way to get information to players without shoving an unsolicited solution in their faces before they have a chance to figure it out themselves.
