Unearthing Adventure: "Indiana Jones & the Great Circle" Breaks New Ground

Indiana Jones always brings adventure. When you think of ‘adventure’, you probably assume ‘Indy’, too: that swashbuckling hero with a storied history of mistreating temples and Nazis alike, and a limber jaw bone that has caused more people than you might like to admit to attempt their own version of ‘The Raiders March’. The first gameplay of Indiana Jones & the Great Circle was revealed earlier this week, and MachineGames’ latest is everything you’d expect of a sequel to the upcoming fifth film: thrills, spills and handsome archaeologists. But this time, there’s a twist: instead of grinding guards into the dirt and swinging on poles to reach pagan artefacts, Indy will be a pulp novelist, doling out dialogue like it was a whip, and dealing with even more injuries and insults than he had the first time around. I spoke to John Johanas, the lead writer and creative director of the best Indiana Jones game you’ll probably never play. It looks great, and it promises to be a lot of fun, but you might want to sit down for this.

DISCOVER THE ADVENTURE: Setting the Stage

Indiana Jones – ‘The Great Circle’ is a game wedged between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, two of the crown jewels of the film series. Its primitive sphere of power that perches between LEPs and LIPs, and the worlds it surrounds. Its tile configuration in the 2021 reboot.

DISCOVER THE THRILL: A Peek into the Trailer

In what has been enthusiastically dubbed the ‘chillest chapter’ of Indy’s cinematic career, the new trailer finds the unstoppable archaeologist and his sidekick Gina Lombardi scaling the formidable Himalayas in search of some lost artefact or other, getting caught up in a desperate race with Nazi agents, and engaged in a set-piece Indiana Jones-style dash through freezing, icy terrain for survival. Most noteworthy for now is the fact that the trailer works perfectly well as a standalone Indiana Jones movie, complete with exotic landscapes and races, car chases and showdowns with bad guys.

DISCOVER THE LEGACY: MachineGames at the Helm

A company called MachineGames, with a demonstrated knack for making the player feel the power of a narrative, promises to make Indy’s travails in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle a true odyssey, true to the spirit of the explorer and respectful of his lore. Visually, the trailer makes explicit references to the outlandish, cinematic logic of the franchise, and how that in turn has influenced the puzzle-platformer aesthetic of ‘Uncharted’ and ‘Tomb Raider’.

DISCOVER THE CHALLENGE: Enemies and Allies

The beating heart of Indiana Jones 5, the place where it grips, is in the character dynamics. Gina Lombardi isn’t just a sidekick. She’s Indy’s sidekick, and as we see here, more than that. She becomes an essential part of the whole story. Indeed, she’s important to Indy getting through all the stickiest situations. The bad guys, the Nazis who again from the outset provide an appropriate and appropriate menacing foundation to the story, still symbolise those forces of darkness that Indiana Jones and co have always battled in the name of good.

DISCOVER THE IMMERSION: Gameplay and Aesthetics

Beyond this, the game’s mechanics are meant to place players into Indy’s world more so than ever before. Every swing of the iconic whip, every detail of a location, and every flesh-tearing punch is meant to make players feel as though they’d been dropped into this sprawling adventure. The team at MachineGames have alluded to their passion for creating an authentic experience that faithfully encapsulates the spirit of the films, allowing fans and new players alike to experience the best of Indiana Jones in a way that’s both fresh and familiar.

DISCOVER THE ANTICIPATION: Release and Expectations

Set for release later this year on PC and Xbox Series X|S, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle seems poised to join the ranks of classic Indiana Jones titles while also paving the way for the future of an entire franchise. It’s an adventure where the line between past and myth will be drawn and you will be the one to find it.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT "DISCOVER"

‘Discover’ – used in a different sense to the way most of us use it – is the gateway to experiences, stories, and adventures waiting to unfold. It’s also an imperative: ‘Come with us on an adventure of a lifetime across continents and the ages; unearth the secrets and stories that are part of the fabric of Indiana Jones & the Great Circle.’ It’s not just the archaeological investigations that ‘Indiana Jones & the Great Circle’ is modelling, it’s the experience of discovery itself: this is a game that invites players to look and see, to question, to probe and enquire into a world of mysteries and dangers.

In Indiana Jones – ‘Great Circle’, discover isn’t just a word – it’s a dare. It’s a chance to hop aboard the whirl of one of cinema’s most recognised adventurers. Just as MachineGames gets ready for the world to finally crack open its masterpiece, players have the thrill of anticipation, those of us who have been waiting with bated breath for years and those who are discovering this legend for the first time. Discover what is in store for the great circle. The adventure begins anew… all over again.