Summary
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle successfully balanced gun gameplay with visceral melee combat for a satisfying experience.
- Players are encouraged to use stealth and improvised melee weapons, while guns are best reserved for specific or difficult sections to avoid alerting enemies.
- A possible sequel should maintain limiting gun effectiveness to ensure firearms remain viable but restrained.
Coming at the tail end of last year, (and just missing the cutoff to be considered for The Game Awards) Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was released to wide acclaim. The anticipated title from MachineGames, the studio behind the modern Wolfenstein reboots, faithfully captured the essence and feel of stepping into the shoes of the famous globe-trotting treasure hunter on one of his epic quests. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle delivered a fantastic adventure and highlighted how to adapt a legendary film franchise into a satisfying game experience.
Though Troy Baker’s memorable turn as Harrison Ford’s classic character went a long way toward making Indiana Jones and the Great Circle an authentic outing, equally important were the design and gameplay decisions that the developer incorporated into it. When Indy goes toe-to-toe with his foes, it’s usually through a chaotic brawl-fest. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without one other ingredient. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle lets players make use of firearms, but it smartly limits their effectiveness with some significant drawbacks. This allows players to still crack off shots without becoming over-reliant on guns. And if it is to receive a sequel, this fine line must be respected and maintained.
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An Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Sequel Needs to Ensure Guns Remain Practical But Restrained
Firearms in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Are a Well-Honed Double-Edged Sword
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle invites improvisation in its combat situations through an array of everyday items like pans and brooms repurposed for ad-hoc use as weapons. Many encounters in the game are fought either with fisticuffs or a well-aimed rolling pin. This aspect plays well into Indy’s penchant for resourcefulness and on-the-fly strategies, staying true to his established characterization. However, The Great Circle does provide players with Indy’s trusty revolver along with firearms that can be found on enemies or in the environment.
Choosing to go loud, though, sacrifices stealth, one of the core components of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s design philosophy. While it can be more expedient to gun down goons rather than methodically sneak around and knock them out, the ruckus shooting causes is often more trouble than it’s worth. It alerts nearly all surrounding enemies to Indy’s location and makes them much more likely to shoot back. This, combined with generally limited ammo, means guns are usually best reserved for a last resort or a particularly difficult section. The excellent equilibrium that MachineGames struck with guns in The Great Circle means a sequel should similarly sustain this balance.
Fans could also pistol whip enemies, conserving ammo while sticking to Indy’s preferred methods.
How An Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Sequel Can Maintain its Guns’ Balance
A potential follow-up to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle should certainly let fans get their hands on a few firearms, as it would feel off if they were absent entirely. At the same time, it shouldn’t feel the need to drastically alter their effectiveness or availability in service of a more shooter-heavy pivot, though it may be tempting. That said, there are a few ways that MachineGames can still keep the option for firearms effective but constrained.
Aside from leaving the above intact, perhaps guns have a chance to jam, upping the risk and reward factor by introducing a random element that keeps players on their toes should they start to overindulge in reckless shooting. Another idea would be to limit Indy to only using his personal pistol, but being able to find or craft special ammo that could be used against tougher enemies or even in more intricate puzzles. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle managed to not make guns overpowered and thus overshadow its free-form and fun melee mechanics. A sequel should thus seek to emulate the subtlety that MachineGames achieved in this area, and expertly toe the line again.
- Released
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December 9, 2024
- ESRB
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N/A