Gamer’s Review: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Set one year after “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Indiana Jones embarks on yet another adventure to prevent bad guys from obtaining a mystical artifacts from harnessing the power of the Great Circle. He teams up with a reporter named, Gina Lombardi who’s investigating the disappearance of her sister linked to the Nazis led by Voss. Together, Indy & Gina race to acquire the artifacts before Voss can get his hands on them.

“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” was officially in 2024 as an exclusive for the Xbox Series X/S. Unlike like the critically planned “Dial of Destiny,” the game earned praise from critics, fans and gamers alike. A year later, the game came out on PlayStation 5. I have three good reasons why I wanna review this game.

1. Steven Spielberg’s next film, “Disclosure” will be released in June 12, 2026
2. Harrison Ford reprises his role as Paul Rhoades in Shrinking’s third season now streaming exclusively on Apple TV Plus.
3. Lucasfilm Games is working on a few Star Wars games upcoming Star Wars games including “Fate of the Old Republic” & “Galactic Racers.” The former’s intended to be released before 2030. The latter is coming sometime around 2026.

This review contains no SPOILERS.

Good & Evil Aspects

Good: Troy Baker did an excellent job for his performance as Indy recapturing Harrison Ford’s portrayal. Although the latter didn’t reprise his role, you can feel his presence.

The late Tony Todd (Candyman) also did an excellent job for his performance.

Graphics bring many elements to life such as character models, fluid movement, lighting and environmental locations.

Todd Howard served as an executive producer. He’s also a huge Indiana Jones fan. “Sixteen times the detail.” I said his quote when he presented “Fallout 76.” I’m referring to Great Circle’s high quality presentation.

Gameplay/Mechanics

• Presented as a first-person action-adventure game with stealth, puzzle and platform elements, you play as Indy navigating his way through open areas tracking down clues to solve a puzzle. Sneak your way through enemy territory. Climb, shimmy and use your whip to go from Point A to Point B.
• Enemies are tough. They carry a firearm. A stealth takedown with a melee weapon will incapacitate a single target one by one.
• If you get caught, use your whip to disarm an opponent. Use your fists or melee weapon to knock him out.
• Don’t go crazy grabbing a gun mowing down baddies. Indy’s not Rambo. If you shoot more than one opponent, you’re toast. Stick to a single baddie. Leave no witnesses.
• Fist Fight a single enemy with old fist o’cuffs and melee weapons. Dodge, block and parry attacks. Follow Patches O’Houlihan’s five rules from “Dodgeball.” Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge.
• Restore health by applying bandages. Eating food gives you temporary boosts for your health and stamina.
• Side Missions are under Field Work. Completing one will earn you ability points. Spend them on books. They in increase your health and abilities.
• Puzzles are thought provoking. They’ll test your mind. If you have a rough time like I did, look you YouTube Walkthroughs.
• Once you beat the Main Story, New Game Plus retains all your equipment and upgrades for another playthrough. Adding replay value.
• You can always adjust settings in the Options. For instance, toggle unaware enemies in red.

Indy’s chemistry with Gina felt natural. Thank goodness she wasn’t a nagging buffoon like Willie from “Temple of Doom.” An annoying idiot who constantly complains and screams.

Voss is a well written antagonist lacking redeeming qualities. Makes you wanna punch him in the face.

Soundtrack recaptures John Williams’ score. Most notably, Indy’s theme.

Some callbacks to the first film. The game’s Opening Scene is an exact recreation of Raiders.

It took me 20 Hours to finish the Main Story. Replaying on New Game Plus doubles its to 40. Exploring every nook and cranny in previous locations kept me busy. Spending the game on a Christmas discount on the PlayStation Store’s worth it.

A DLC Story, “The Order of Giants” with Indy exploring Rome’s ancient catacombs and a mysterious cult.

A Big Reveal towards the end. Can’t tell you all about it.

Evil: I couldn’t find nothing wrong. I’m giving Todd Howard and MachineGames developers an Extra Point for making a flawless game as possible.

The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

I hereby declare Indiana Jones and the Great Circle as the best game within the franchise. A billion times better than Temple of Doom, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” & Dial of Destiny. if you’re a huge Indiana Jones fan, this game is a must-buy. I think Indy has a bright future ahead in video games. If Bethesda has plans to make another one, I’m open for Indy’s next adventure. Great Circle is the close thing to Steven Spielberg & George Lucas making an awesome video game.

Rest in Peace, Tony Todd. Your legacy will never be forgotten.