Just when Xbox needed a win, the ever reliable Machine Games brings everyone’s favourite dungeon raider to life in a triumph of a title that stands as a true game of the year contender
Developers: Machine Games Publisher: Bethesda
Who knew the path to a great game was on the well-travelled road of a well done single player experience. In a year where Sony closed down a potential flagship multiplayer game due to lack of interest, Xbox adopted a different approach, and it has truly paid off.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is a game from a bygone era, a simple single player game where you punch (and club) Nazis while looking for treasure. A premise all too familiar to Machine Games after their fantastic Wolfenstein reboot, meaning it should come as no surprise that Xbox and Bethesda put the treasure map in their hands.
However, rather than simply replicate those titles, or copy their own homework from Escape from Butcher bay, Machine have taken all the best parts from each. They seem to have smashed them together to make a truly engrossing experience, and one of the best movie adapted games ever.
The game world is just that, the World. You travel all over the globe, from the pyramids of Africa to the peaks of Himalayas. Just like the movies, a small red line across a paper map shows you the road travelled rather than have you do it yourself, really streamlining the experience. Every area is truly unique, ranging from religious strongholds swarmed by Fascists to Asian swamps ruled by indigenous people to the Pyramids of Giza to full on war zones. Not only does the massive differences in each area keep you engaged but it also gives you a true sense of immersion in the time the game is based, right between the first two world wars with the planet on a knife edge .
Each area has different people, landmarks and problems that you can chose to ignore and chase your own treasure, or help the locals against their invaders, helping you buff your stats in the process. The gameplay is a great mix of stealth, hitman-esque blending in with disguises, shooting, most satisfyingly punching and just good old fashioned puzzle solving. You are mainly using stealth, the shooting is a little shaky, almost like it’s an afterthought but the melee combat (whips and any other make shift weapons included) feels every bit as meaty as it should. As soon as you finish a chorus of punches, John Williams triumphant score chimes in when the fighting stops, feeling like a scene from one of the films come to life. The puzzles are also great, very intuitive with little handholding unless you opt for hints. The transition from 1st to 3rd person when you climb ledges or swing from your whip can feel a little jarring but that is a neat trick lent from Butcher Bay where it feels as though the dev wants to remind you that “oh look, your playing as your favourite movie character”.
The graphics are genuinely best in class, with each part of the world looking picturesque, just as well given Indi is now a part time photographer as you have to snap numerous landmarks as you collect optional field notes for each area. Each character is so well animated, you hate the look on Voss’ face when he gets one over on you, you grow attached to your allies (I love you father Antonio) and Indiana Jones looks and feels exactly as you remember, perhaps even more so than the last two movies. This is also a credit to Troy Baker, no surprise given he is one of the best in the business but how much he sounds like Harrison Ford here is truly mind boggling. A special mention must also go to the late great Tony Todd, who does a great job as the mysterious “villain” in the game.
The story is just as gripping as the original trilogy, the prologue even let’s you relive the opening of the very first film, a really smart way to settle you into things if you are a fan of the movies. It then unfurls into a globe-trotting adventure involving secret cults, a race against the clock, a missing sister and the usual supernatural shenanigans that the end of every Indi adventure is known for.
Xbox needed a win and Machine Games were all too happy to oblige as you can tell this wasn’t just an adaptation landed on their desk by the higher ups but a real passion project that the Devs clearly cared about. Using their expertise in creating prior adaptations and combining it with their recent track record of great releases, Machine have done the impossible and made a fantastic game that happens to be a faithful adaptation rather than a great studio being handcuffed to a franchise and the results are evident. A Must play for any Game pass users and when it comes to PlayStation, a must buy over there too.
TESTED ON XBOX SERIES X
RM RECOMMENDS
Pros
+Visually Stunning
+Satisfying Melee combat
+Varied locations
+Great Puzzles
+Phenomenal Voice Acting
Cons
-1st to 3rd person shift can be a little jarring
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