Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

This isn't just a slavish recreation of the movies, but elevates the Indiana Jones franchise into a pointed and resonant commentary on how fascism corrupts. A true masterclass in how to make a licensed game work.

Every now and then, a game comes along that just full-on surprises you. I love the Indiana Jones movies (at least, the first three) and so always had an interest in this game. I ultimately sort of expected a fun bit of inconsequential blockbuster, though. The sort of thing you play over the Christmas season and promptly forget about. The best thing I can say about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is that I know I’m going to be thinking about this for a long time yet.

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is the first true triple-A adventure game we’ve had in ages and one of the best games of 2024. People jumping in expecting it to be Wolfenstein in everything but name might be disappointed, but settle into its pace and you’ll be treated to a whirlwind world tour that only video games can deliver. Actually, cancel that. This is a fash-bashing experience only MachineGames could deliver – an unforgettable adventure that easily outdoes the most recent movies it’s based on.

Smart, fun and so very Indiana Jones, The Great Circle is a stealth action tour de force that marks a bold new era for MachineGames.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is so close to the original that it almost feels like a precious relic in its own right: a long-lost type of adventure that even the recent movies have been unable to unearth, no matter how hard they dug. It is playful, cheeky and blessed with an enviable innocence that you would not have expected from such a large, lavish mainstream product from one of the biggest publishers in the world. It belongs in a museum.

We had a smile on our face from beginning to end while playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. As close as games can come to a genuine old-fashioned Hollywood blockbuster, it's also an incredibly rich adventure game stuffed to the gills with secrets to find.

Even with some small problems, it is easy to say that Indiana Jones and the Big Circle is one of the best games of 2024, even though it has been released too late to participate in big awards.

Indiana Jones’ triumphant return to video games is a memorable adventure that gives fans everything they wanted while concocting a delightful mix of systems and design philosophies that no one had anticipated.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle perfectly translates the fun of the films into video game form. It’s a globetrotting adventure that’ll have you brawling through deserts, sneaking across a German boat in the Himelayas, and trying not to get bitten by snakes in long forgotten temples. The story is phenomenal, but the real highlight is the gameplay. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is absolute bliss from start to finish and would make Dr. Jones proud.

It's more than a game. It is a film in which you play the leading role of the most popular archaeologist from TV and cinema screens. The combination of these two genres is astonishing and perfectly coordinated. You'll travel around the world with Dr Jones, and although this expedition has some minor flaws, it's a truly epic experience.

It took a while, but in the end Fate of Atlantis can give up its scepter: Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle is the best video game dedicated to the archaeologist with the whip, a true cinematic blockbuster to be played. Technically and artistically glorious, it shows some uncertainty on the front of the secondary missions not always interesting and some mechanics that could have been developed with greater judgment. Everything else is pure love for the world of Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a love letter to the original trilogy. The game portrays the famed archeologist in the same way that the earlier three movies did - as an inquisitive treasure hunter who is often butting heads (both figuratively and literally) with the Nazis. The trademark Indiana Jones ingenuity is prevalent, whether it is using his trusty whip to get from one ledge to another, or using scattered objects to distract or incapacitate those that stand in his way. Most of the puzzles provide a challenge and the upgrade system requiring Adventure Points to open up the skill books encourages players to explore further. The homage to the movies goes even further with the iconic red line moving across the sepia world map indicating the flight pattern as he travels from one location to the next along with the signature score from John Williams. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the sequel to the movies that fans of the original trilogy wanted.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle stands as one of the best video games of 2024 and living proof that MachineGames is a studio that knows how to move skillfully in environments different from those we've been accustomed to in the past. It's an adventure/action game that places special emphasis on the first element and strives to make you feel like Harrison Ford himself in front of the cameras. There's no better Indiana Jones game. This must finally be its Holy Grail.

From the opening notes of the Indy theme, I was transported to the realm of one of my favourite fictional characters of all time and that is the Great Circle’s greatest achievement in my eyes.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a story that fits superbly into the Indiana Jones mythos. The slower exploration and puzzle-based gameplay may not be for everyone, especially given MachineGames’ previous endeavors. Still, it kept me hooked until the end. This game should be played at least once, but I would happily play it again.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is sometimes clumsy, just like Indiana Jones himself. But once you start this game, it's impossible to stop playing.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is one of the best and most welcome surprises of the year.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a marvel for fans of the series and newcomers alike, combining brain-teasing puzzles and scrappy action in the way only Indy can. A majestic use of the license, this is the gold standard for movie-adjacent videogames going forward.

The Great Circle represents a huge shift in focus for Xbox, and tells a terrific story full of excitement and adventure. Machine Games have once again created a Nazi-punching sim worth investing in and perhaps, if the quality of the output remains this high, there's hope for Xbox's future first-party line-up after all.

The 21-year longing of Indiana Jones fans is over. No longer will they only think of Fate of Atlantis when they think of "the best Indiana Jones game". The Great Circle is definitely one of the biggest, most beautiful surprises of this year.

A modern action-adventure full of great acting, narrative twists, and beautiful locations to explore. Astoundingly poor enemy AI and stealth mechanics do not ruin the sense of gameplay; instead, they transform those segments into insignificant moments on the path to good fun.

More than anything else, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle gave me a kind of joy that I hadn't yet found in a blockbuster game this year. Admittedly, I'm an easy mark. As someone who can still have a grand time with 1999's Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine and perks up whenever anything even vaguely approaches being an immersive sim, the cocktail presented here has my name written all over it.

Other than some repetitiveness towards the end of the experience, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is Machine Games' best and finest project, combining the freedom of semi-open-world design with the spirit of adventure and action in a story of a very high level. The game's journey with its characters is a love letter to all story game lovers.

The bottom line? The Great Circle is an excellent time. The voice acting is great, the action is breezy and fast, and the whole game is quite beautiful. Plus the story has some serious hooks. Indiana Jones is all about globetrotting adventures, punching nazis, and solving gigantic mysteries. This game captures that vibe with ease. I had conflicting thoughts about the pacing at times, but maybe non-reviewers won’t feel that so intensely. Everyone might hate the giant fights, however. I also had some issues with backtracking during side quests, but they weren’t dealbreakers. Whether you’re a diehard Indy devotee or a sucker for grand adventures, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an excellent choice.

Indiana Jones is back with a brand new adventure that pays homage to the classic movies and allows players to fully immerse themselves in the role of the famous archeologist while also discovering a new intriguing mystery and a new set of memorable characters. There were doubts about MachineGames' ability to move away from the FPS gameplay they've known for the last decade. Still, they have succeeded: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is, first and foremost, an adventure, one that involves plenty of exploration, ancient ruins, and intricate puzzles, and more importantly, it's also a great game. After revamping Wolfenstein, the Swedish studio managed to do the same with Indy.

Under a critical light, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle shines for me. It’s clear the MachineGames team has done its due diligence in making sure that no matter how stark a light you cast upon it, the excitement and nostalgic joy you get from playing the game speaks for itself.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a fantastic adventure, which understands perfectly the franchise that we all love. A game that oozes charisma and manages to put you in Indy's shoes with puzles in lost civilisations and dozens of secrets to discover. A real treat to end 2024 on a high note.

An irresistible and immersive global treasure hunt, and far and away the best Indy story this century, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle doesn’t belong in a museum; it belongs on your hard drive where you can play the heck out of it.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an excellent adventure/action game that features one of the best Indiana Jones stories, great level design that rewards exploration, and awesome ray traced visuals. This might just be the best game dedicated to Dr. Henry Walton we've ever seen, and I'm certainly hoping for more.

MachineGames has successfully designed a game around its protagonist; its mix of improvisational stealth and combat feels distinct by adopting a fast and loose style that echoes Indy's scrappy persistence. It might not be quite as accomplished in all areas as the studio's Wolfenstein games, but Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is still a frequent delight.

MachineGames has fully captured the essence of what makes the original Indiana Jones trilogy great, delivering a fantastic experience full of stunning detail that feels like you are living through one of those 80s Indy adventures. With great characters, amazing graphics, and a stellar story, this game sets a new bar for how to adapt a franchise and give fans a new experience that would otherwise be impossible. A few minor bugs here and there, but otherwise a stellar achievement. Keep 'em coming.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is not a so-called nextgen gaming experience that completely blows your socks off and adds plenty of innovative features. No, it's a tribute to Indiana Jones, brimming with details that ooze love for the original trilogy, in a medium that allows for so much more interaction and immersion. Once the adventure gets going, there is so much to do and experience that it's hard to put the controller down.

If it hasn't been clear yet, we literally adored Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle. Despite its flaws, the technical difficulties especially in the shift between first and third person, a stealth mechanic that can be "broken" a bit too easily, and a slight stretch in the last part of the adventure, we are not afraid to be proven wrong in stating that this is the best (timed) exclusive for Xbox in a long time. It's a great single-player adventure that works, entertains, involves, and is practically suitable for everyone. And if you're also a fan of Indiana Jones who was let down by the last two films, well, then you absolutely can't miss it.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle may have broken just about every expectation I had for MachineGames, short of the fact that I expected a great game. It's definitely that, but the reasons for that greatness are that it’s an impactful brawler, a stylish action-platformer, and a clever puzzle game, with a solid cast to deliver its movie-like performances, exciting environments to explore, and an excellent score to punctuate the mood.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle perfectly captures the charm of the 1980s Indy films with diverse levels, fun combat, and challenging puzzles. The exaggerated antagonist Voss and the humorous portrayal of Nazi characters add to the entertainment, making it a must for Indy fans and adventure game enthusiasts.

Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle is an action adventure of great depth, well worthy of the name it bears. Moving away from its “shooter” comfort zone, MachineGames has built a fresh and engaging adventure, embellished with a maniacal attention to detail and supported by a palpable passion for the original material. Moving from the classrooms of Marshall College to the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, the title's campaign expertly carries out what is the main task of the production: putting users in the shoes of Indiana Jones in the context of a story similar to the classic adventures of the archaeologist. Yes, along the way it is easy to notice more than one rough edge both on the gameplay and technical side, but the overall balance is still exceptional, especially if you are a fan of George Lucas' character. In short, Microsoft and MachineGames have hit the mark, and it was not easy.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is far from flawless. Problems with waypoint navigation and a lackluster finale keep it from reaching true greatness. However, it still delivers a solid and engaging adventure. The game does an excellent job of immersing you in the role of legendary archaeologist Indiana Jones, bringing to life the thrill and mystery of his iconic exploits. For fans of action-adventure games - especially those who prefer exploration and adventure over pure action - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is well worth playing.

After Fate of Atlantis, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is perhaps the best adaptation of the beloved hero on our screens.

Glitches and processing hunger aside, I did enjoy playing the game. The devs have done a great job of capturing the fun, spirit, and adventure of an Indiana Jones movie, and they’ve done a lot of work to make The Great Circle more like an interactive movie than a video game. If you want to immerse yourself in a great adventure, and have hardware that can handle the game, you’ll have a good time donning a fedora, grabbing a whip, and traveling the world.

A sigh of relief among fans: After two lackluster cinema adventures, the man with the hat and whip is back to his old form. This game is the film that should have followed The Last Crusade.

Like if an immersive sim got caught in a teleporter accident with Uncharted. Some aspects of The Great Circle are weaker than others, but it joins Batman Arkham and Goldeneye in the god tier of licensed games.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a great experience, which at almost any given moment manages to excel in its ability to provide us with a good exploration, a fairly interesting storyline, and a very considerable amount of treasures and objects for us to explore and discover.

Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle is unquestionably the best game based on the license, and we can legitimately wonder whether it will be entitled to another title of this quality in the future. It takes all the charm of the first films and combines it with the strengths of the JVs to offer us a new, almost perfect adventure. It's beautiful, it's funny, it's varied, and apart from a few little hiccups here and there, it's hard to find any real flaws. For those who missed out on the first trilogy, this is an opportunity to put that right, and enjoy The Ancient Circle to the full.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle smartly blend prolonged hours of rewarding, open-ended exploration with fewer but satisfying set pieces.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is far from perfect, especially because of a lot of dated elements and a rigidity, but Machine Games' title has the merit of ticking the most important box: it's REAL Indiana Jones! The Studio has perfectly grasped the codes and DNA of the films to offer us a real adventure alongside the hero with the legendary hat and whip.

It’s not always the smoothest ride, but at its best, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a cracking good time that arguably ranks as the second best game in franchise history.

In this adventure of Indiana Jones, released in a period of FPS and TPS debates, we are in pursuit of the Great Circle. A great game awaits us when we find time to play between long cutscenes.

Indiana Jones makes a triumphant return in the Great Circle thanks to a stellar cast, good puzzles, gameplay variety, attention to detail, and solid technical performance. It is a must play for fans of the whip-cracking hero, and adventure gamers.

If you are a fan of the original movie series, you will find complete satisfaction with this game. The unique elements of the original film—storyline, camera angles, visuals, sound design, and even clichés—are seamlessly incorporated into the gameplay. However, the somewhat lackluster action sequences leave something to be desired.

What trailers failed to convey is that Machine Games managed to replicate the golden ratio of the classic Indiana Jones movies. Stealth, action, puzzles, dialogue and beautiful scenery are perfectly measured and mixed in a way that gives you a taste of a true Indiana adventure. [Issue#266]

Despite the criticisms, though, The Great Circle isn't so much defective as in tension with itself. [Issue#406, p.102]

An incredibly authentic Indiana Jones experience, and MachineGames really makes you feel like you are Indiana Jones.

The Great Circle is not your average action-adventure game, but a true Indy experience through and through. It does have its shortcomings and the story sometimes goes a little off the rails, but none of that should stop true fans of enjoying the hell out ouf it.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is one of the best adventures in the series, capable of recreating the great atmosphere of the early days and offering players a story that fits well into the timeline. However, the first person perspective makes it lose much of the dynamism we would expect from an Indiana Jones game.

We loved Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle! Despite quite a few flaws - whether it's the behavior of the NPCs or the very structure of some levels -, the title from Machine Games offers us a very beautiful adventure that perfectly reproduces the essence of Spielberg and Lucas' character. The Ancient Circle is at once funny, intense, sometimes rather touching, and will certainly satisfy fans of the license. What's more, with its first-person camera, it's a fairly unique vision of the action-adventure game with a treasure hunter twist. Unlike Uncharted, Indy is not a superhero and the overbidding of spectacular staging here gives way to a more "traditional" approach to archaeology. Enough to get lost for 20-30 hours in superbly produced settings whose atmosphere commands respect.

The bottom line is that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a great game that is held back by some technical issues. MachineGames manages to distinguish itself in the genre by relying more on stealth than action, even if the AI ​​is not always that smart. We accept that, because when you are unraveling a mystery, nothing feels as good as that “A ha” moment. As a stealth game with action-packed emergency solutions, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is largely a triumph. Only the pace in the beginning could have been adjusted a bit, because that means the story can only really get going surprisingly late. But once you are in it, it is a rollercoaster ride that you can not get enough of.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has elements that match right up with any of Spielberg’s movies. Its puzzles are a genuine highlight, its story fits the type of adventure that only Indy would go on, and it’s bolstered by some standout performances from its cast. Even though the combat and stealth are middle-of-the-road, the entire presentation is strong enough that fans will have a great time donning the hat and whip.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an absolutely fun but flawed experience. The full Indiana Jones vibe is present from a story and pacing perspective. The stealth is laughable, but all of the other gameplay elements make up for it. The graphics are good except for an issue or two, while the sound is good enough to elevate the overall experience. Some work needs to be done to make the game run smoothly without the fear that your experience will be abruptly cut due to instability issues. As it stands now, it's a good game and a fine way to cap off a year of big releases before the impending storm of next year's games begins.

MachineGames knows a thing or two about skinning Nazis, but be aware that this is not the next Wolfenstein. On the other hand, if you've been dreaming of a game in the vein of Spielberg's old trilogy, then you needn't wait any longer. You'll find a gripping plot, well-written characters and a wealth of inventive puzzles.

The methodical appreciation for the source material makes it evident that Indiana Jones games have found their home with MachineGames.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is fun if you’re not expecting a Hollywood movie adventure. The theatrics are there, but the game focuses more on exploring who Indiana Jones is, his background as an archaeologist, and his moral compass guiding him to assist others. The few stumbles that do happen don’t diminish the larger story, and I only wish it were longer to keep exploring more locations with Indy as a guide.

A cool story with lots of nice cinematic vibes, but the imprecise controls and stupid opponents tarnish the otherwise good impression.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle forges its own, distinctive path as an archeological adventure, excellently capturing the feel of the films with its visuals and performances. There's a fun new story here as well, wrapped around its blend of exploration, puzzles and pugilism.

Despite its major problems, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle manages to do the most important thing, which is to be entertaining. It is a production worthy of the name of the legendary series on which it is based, and it has a fiction that can support them and fill the gaps.

MachineGames delivers a heartfelt tribute to the Indiana Jones saga, with great level design, clever puzzles, and impressive audiovisuals. However, the game suffers from poor enemy AI, simplistic stealth mechanics, and lackluster combat, which prevent it from reaching its full potential despite its appeal to franchise fans.

A varied adventure for Indy fans and anyone who wants to become one. A little more focus on puzzles and a few fewer (or more sophisticated) close combat scenes would have been nice. However, the graphics, story and authentic locations offer a coherent picture.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle makes a strong attempt to bring Indy back to gaming with a great narrative and exceptional puzzles, but its minute-to-minute gameplay suffers from frequent perspective changes and clunky combat.

The obstacles that do exist either aren’t ingenious enough to make the player feel like a world-famous archaeologist for solving them, or don’t allow you to feel enough like a shady scoundrel to feel clever or heroic, despite all the right ingredients being here to allow for such things.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from MachineGames studio is a true love letter to fans of the original film trilogy. (But it's not without flaws).

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has the presentation and adventure chops to charm newcomers and nostalgists alike, but a handful of safe and stale gameplay elements keep it from excellence.