I went into the holiday break with very ambitious gaming plans. I’d aimed to finish a few of the games I’d started in 2024 but hadn’t had the chance to, play through some smaller games in my backlog, and come back to work satisfied with the amount of gaming I’d managed to get done on my weeks off.
What actually happened is I picked up my PS5 controller, played for about half an hour, and realised that I’d rather be doing practically anything else. I’d already spent most of my year playing games for work, and this was one of the few times that I didn’t have to do that. I ended up spending my break reading – a hobby I don’t have time for during most of the year – walking aimlessly around the grocery store, and hanging out with friends.
It was great, if you were wondering.
A few days before my leave ended, however, I decided that I finally wanted to actually play something. That something was Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
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For the first time in a long time, I’m actually excited to spend time mucking around in a triple-A game. Part of that is because The Great Circle’s story is paced surprisingly well, at least in the opening hours that I’ve played. The side quests, which come in the form of Fieldwork quests, add plenty to my understanding of the story and its characters, and don’t feel like huge undertakings or colossal wastes of time like most modern blockbusters.
Another part of its appeal comes from the world feeling so vibrant and interesting. I’m still wandering around the Vatican for now, but the secrets and stories hidden inside it are surprisingly exciting. I love snapping pictures of priests adjusting paintings, listening to gossip echoing through huge, ornate chambers, and exploring the beautiful grounds. I love how I get to crack safes by solving contained, thought-provoking puzzles, and being rewarded for it. I even love snacking on pastries as I roam, like the gluttonous archaeologist I am.
A Helping Hand
Yet, somehow, one of my favourite things about the game so far is that I get to help people with random tasks. A mailman loses a letter while in the post office? I find it in an adjoining room and return it to him. A pair of nuns whisper among each other that they wish they had a picture of Father Antonio, so I snap one and give it to them. One of the painters in a garden misplaces her paintbrush, so I find it for her.
None of these people are asking me to help them – why would they? I’m dressed as a random priest, not anybody special. I’m not their errand guy, and they don’t treat me like one. But I can overhear these people and choose to go out of my way to help them, even if their needs don’t pop up as mini fetch quests in my journal. It doesn’t take much of my time, because the objectives are usually nearby and easy to complete, and I feel good after doing it.
It’s a relatively minor gameplay mechanic, but one that effectively makes me feel like part of the world. I’m not just a main character on a Nazi-foiling quest, I’m a positive force in the world who can choose to help people in minor ways for basically no reason. I can just be a nice guy for the sake of it, and that rules.
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 known as 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.