Indiana Jones and the Great Circle PS5 Review. Indiana Jones is something of a cultural hallmark. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t at least passively familiar with the exploits of Indy and his (maybe questionable) gallivanting through ancient temples and ruins. It’s a premise that anybody can understand and get behind, and the original films know how to play their hand just right.
While the newer films might not have left the same indelible mark on the world as the originals did, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feels like the film we never got to see. Even better, it’s a film that you can play. Everything about The Great Circle feels incredibly authentic to the original films and manages to flawlessly nail the tone of the franchise it sets out to be a part of.
This tone is what carries the game through its rougher moments, but those moments are few and far enough between that I can forgive most of them. We haven’t had a licensed game as ambitious or as well-made as this in a long time.
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Review (PS5) – Players Of The Lost Game
A Miracle In Storytelling
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a game that oozes reverence in every way. The team that worked on this game clearly have an adoration for Indy that really reflects in the way that this game is structured. It’s become a bit of a joke to say that a game “makes you feel like the character”, but that’s so blatantly the rub with The Great Circle.
The game opens on the classic swapping of the idols scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. You take control of Indy in his literal prime and it’s this that sets the preface for the ongoing journey. You’re given plenty of opportunities to just be in his perspective and enjoy every moment of it, from location to location.
This core of authenticity informs every other creative decision throughout the length of the campaign, and I couldn’t help but love it for that. It did genuinely feel like this could have been its own film. The dialogue is sharp, it feels in line with the other versions of Indy, you really can’t ask for more on paper.
Managing to actually write a story that slots nicely into the existing mythos of the series is an achievement on its own; to make that story feel like a part of that mythos is even more impressive. The new characters introduced for this outing never feel like meaningless avatars that are destined to be thrown away – they feel like a part of the setting.
Gina Lombardi is a dynamic companion character that made me feel sad that she wasn’t ever a part of the films. And the same can be said of Emmerich Voss, who fills the villain role fantastically; a maniacally evil presence that perfectly bounces off of Indiana. What begins as a small-scale infiltration to recover a stolen artifact very quickly develops into a worldwide scramble to thwart the threat of the Nazis and I was far from disappointed from where the story went.
Things predictably go off the rails, but the game still manages to contrast this absurdity against the very real political backdrop of the Axis powers that never felt like lip service. You can’t have an Indiana story without some fascist throwdowns.
Picking Up The Whip
The Great Circle makes pretty convincing use of the first-person perspective to really sell the thought that goes into Indiana’s behaviour and character. Everything is considered, down to the smallest details.
An intentional effort has been made to add small inputs for specific actions throughout the world. While another game would simply tie a locked door to a single button press, I found myself having to move a stick to the side to unlock a door with a key I pulled out myself.
These small layers of immersive action come together with the perspective to properly play into the fantasy of Indiana Jones, which is balanced neatly between academic and brawler. It’s honestly admirable to see the lengths that the team have gone to in order to properly explore this immersive element of design, even if I do feel like this commitment can get in the way of the actual experience of playing the game from minute to minute.
Off To Adventure
For the most part, I felt like the exploration of broad areas was handled pretty well. Each area feels organically designed and full of potential for fun interaction.
Navigation is handled generally smoothly, with Indy opening a map with the touchpad that then highlights your nearest waypoint and the next ideal location to go, depending on your current objective. You can certainly make your way around without this, but the inclusion of step-by-step waypoints to guide you through these multi-faceted locales was appreciated.
Interestingly, mechanics like quick-travel are tied to the environment rather than being a part of the map itself. You’ll walk up to a street sign and actively select the area you want to jump to, rather than just clicking an option in your journal.
This is where the game is at its best, and luckily is where it spends most of its time. Even in the opening area of the game, I felt like I was being given a lot of freedom to explore at my own pace and complete side objectives around the main story. Calling them side missions slightly reduces what they actually are – each one has a unique story and context to add to the overall plot, to the extent where I was surprised that some of these were even optional in the first place.
These optional objectives – including taking photographs of interesting landmarks – reward you with a currency to grow and develop Indy’s moveset across the course of the game. You’re constantly incentivised to actually experience locations, rather than treating them like simple checklists.
Puzzles are well thought out and felt like a refreshing return to roots. I was expecting puzzle-solving to be relatively light work, but some of these physical puzzles were engaging and had imaginative solutions that once again speak to how well the developers understand their source material.
One of the only things to raise an eyebrow for me was the consistent shifting between first-person and third-person during certain exploration moments. I understand why this happens, but it doesn’t make it any less jarring when it happens. So much of this game is spent looking through Indy’s eyes, that jumping out of that perspective to see him slide down a rope feels a little odd.
I get that you want to properly show the cinematic element of the game, and make use of Indiana the best they can, but I don’t know if this was the best way to handle it.
Speaking With Your Fists
Indiana Jones has never really been associated with combat in the same way as other movie goliaths. He’s always been a bit more focused on puzzles and, more so, avoiding confrontation. He isn’t a gunslinger and he isn’t a superhero; Indiana Jones is an academic with a whip and a fancy hat.
With that in mind, the combat in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (and everything around it) feels slightly stilted in a way that reminded me of a time long gone. It’s good to be able to look back and see inspiration, but this feels a bit more than a tribute.
Mechanically, everything is at least solid. There weren’t any moments where the game behaved in ways I didn’t expect. But that means that the flaws in this system feel far more noticeable. Melee combat alone feels pretty okay, if chaotic. You aren’t encouraged to rush into enemy encounters, instead opting usually for a stealthy approach (when the game permits it.).
Weapons around the environment are highlighted and signposted as options to knock out enemies quickly and silently, before you move their body into the shadows and move onto the next fascist in sight. It’s all standard stuff. I just wish there was a bit more.
If you do find yourself coming to blows, it’s not difficult to brute force your way through encounters on lower difficulties, which is a shame considering how much emphasis is placed on stealth. Then again, I was pleased that I could normally escape a situation by just running away and hiding. Enemy behaviours were often bizarre and flew in the face of the “immersion” that the game tries to set up. Despite having mechanics like disguises and ‘blending in’, this isn’t a social stealth game by any stretch of the imagination.
I was walking around the Vatican and suddenly descended upon by a gang of fascist soldiers, and it took me nearly two hours to work out that certain enemy types – without much visual distinction – can actually see their way through disguises. And by the time you notice that you’re being detected, it’s already too late. While the game is kind enough to label places that disguises won’t work, I wish the same were true for enemies that can see through your disguises.
What did leave me confused was the way that the game handles its consumables. I get that things are meant to feel scrappy, but this feels like it’s going a bit too far into that direction.
Weapons each have absolutely miserable durability, with little actually distinguishing them from each other. A stealth kill will normally completely break the weapon that you’re using, leaving you with having to find another in the environment. On top of that, health and stamina management was a confusing situation that felt like a first draft.
You’ll eat bread and fruit to temporarily increase your health and stamina. Again – it works on paper. My confusion comes from how increasing your stamina essentially forces you to waste your extra stamina before you use the stamina you always have. More than once, I maxed my stamina and found myself just wasting it as I walked around the environment. Stamina management is a vital part of combat, and this just felt like a bizarre choice. It’s not major, but it does contribute to that feeling of clunk.
Looking At The Big Picture
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is far more than the sum of its parts, and that shouldn’t be overlooked. While I could draw issue with some of the mechanical decisions, that doesn’t take away from what is unmistakably a game full of respect and heart.
The references to the mythos feel genuine, Indiana Jones as portrayed by Troy Baker feels shockingly close to reality and the environments are lush. A few obtuse mechanics do very little to take away from the experience.
And for what it’s worth, a game where you get to gleefully smack fascists around the head with dustpans and guitars is one that I can’t help but hold an incredible respect for.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is out for PS5 on April 17, 2025 and is now available for PC and Xbox formats.
Review code kindly provided by publisher.
Guides: