Indiana Jones and the Great Circle PS5 Review – Belongs in a Museum

It’s easy to feel cynical about the current state of gaming. Between price increases, microtransactions, live-service elements, and so on, even a simple action-adventure title based on a franchise like Indiana Jones could make one skeptical. Considering the state of the films over the past many years, it’s absolutely warranted. Add in the fact that MachineGames’ last title was the dreadful Wolfenstein: Youngblood and the cynicism stirs evermore.

Yet, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle doesn’t just represent MachineGames and Bethesda “getting” what makes the franchise and its iconic hero special. It’s also an incredible action-adventure game in its own right, one that seamlessly blends the genre with light immersive sim elements and a cinematic presentation as meticulous as it is organic. Let’s run down all the boxes it ticks.

"The Prologue, which pays excellent homage to Raiders without feeling too overbearing or cheesy, is a teaser of what you can expect in terms of gorgeous foliage, vibrant lighting, detailed shadows, and a rock-solid frame rate."

Charismatic characters? Check, and even if Harrison Ford didn’t lend his voice to Indiana Jones, Troy Baker does an impeccable job, almost feeling indistinguishable in delivering that same smarmy yet beloved charm (while also delivering one of the most natural portrayals of a character talking to themselves in a long while). Deft seamless pacing, whether you’re engaged in a battle against Nazi troops or crawling through a dark tomb, carefully observing and photographing your environment to find the right solution? Also, check.

Incredibly responsive controls where every step and punch is natural (initial concerns of switching between third and first-person being completely unfounded)? An interface that turns the most straightforward actions like bringing up your map or checking Indy’s journal into a more immersive affair, deepening your connection to the character and the world?

Stellar environmental design with notable side quests, mysteries, collectables and puzzles to pursue when you’re not discovering incredible secrets? An excellent soundtrack that feels so unmistakably Indiana Jones, even without the iconic theme by John Williams (which is still very much welcome, don’t get me wrong)? Check, check, check, and check.

I could go on, but you probably already know that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a great game – of the many secrets it offers, the almost universal praise from critics is far from the most guarded. It adheres to the incredible cinematic presentation and atmosphere of the franchise while finding ingenious (if familiar) ways to gamify everything from combat and exploration to puzzle-solving and platforming. The real question is: How does the PlayStation 5 port perform? As it turns out, quite flawlessly.

From the very outset, the Great Circle is a gorgeous game. The Prologue, which pays excellent homage to Raiders without feeling too overbearing or cheesy, is a teaser of what you can expect in terms of gorgeous foliage, vibrant lighting, detailed shadows, and a rock-solid frame rate. It’s almost impossible that further environments could offer so much more attention to detail, be it in animations and ambient dialogue of NPCs or little critters scurrying around in abandoned catacombs.

"This isn’t to say that you won’t like the Great Circle if you’re a fan of Uncharted, but for all their base similarities, it’s a different approach in terms of gameplay and structure. "

However, MachineGames keeps upping the ante, allowing the ray-traced ambient occlusion and its effect on environments and characters to shine. This is further reflected in the cutscenes where the body language, facial expressions and even eye movements of characters are gorgeously conveyed by the animation work. And yet, it never feels overwhelming, though some sections in the dark did necessitate upping the HDR brightness a bit, especially if there wasn’t a torch handy.

The only detracting factor from all this visual splendor is some slight pop-in while moving, occasionally apparent in the shadows and textures. With the sheer amount of details packed in at any given moment and the consistent performance, it’s something I’m more than willing to forgive, especially since it rarely stuck out like a sore thumb.

Of course, for PlayStation players, the most obvious comparison to the Great Circle is Uncharted, with Nathan Drake compared to Indiana Jones since his inception. You would assume this makes the former a natural fit for long-time fans, but it’s important to note their fundamental differences, especially with the action action.

While Drake experiences an inordinate number of gun fights, the Great Circle often encourages playing stealthy and relying on guns as a sort of last resort, especially since ammo isn’t very plentiful. There’s also a different vibe to the puzzle-solving since photographing clues is as important as pulling levers or yanking switches with your whip. Photography is low-key notable overall since it’s a consistent source of Adventure Points for investing in new skills.

This isn’t to say that you won’t like the Great Circle if you’re a fan of Uncharted, but for all their base similarities, it’s a different approach in terms of gameplay and structure. I’d still encourage trying it, even if you never watched a single Indiana Jones film. And don’t worry – there’s more than enough action-packed set pieces to compete with Drake’s escapades.

"Gunplay is also on point, and as much as I would forget about the whip in favor of leaping into the fray and swinging for the fences, it’s visceral and feels fun to abuse."

In terms of its weaker areas, the hand-to-hand combat does leave a bit to be desired. Once you’ve settled into blocking at the right time and counter-striking, dodging, pushing and charging punches for more damage, it can feel comfortable. Watching the enemy occasionally evade strikes also made brawls feel more natural, as did picking up any object on the ground and smacking them silly until they broke.

However, it easily devolves into button-mashing, and in Adventure mode, it feels a little too easy to take down a group. Unless you’ve alerted an entire compound by ziplining down and alerted two dozen enemies to your presence (which I totally haven’t done accidentally on purpose).

All that said, the actual feel of combat is excellent, with punches having some real oomph. You would think that knocking out an enemy with a mean hook and watching their lights go out as they slowly topple to the ground would get boring after a while, but you’d be wrong. Gunplay is also on point, and as much as I would forget about the whip in favor of leaping into the fray and swinging for the fences, it’s visceral and feels fun to abuse.

And while stealth is enjoyable, whether you’re examining different routes and looking for ways to sneak past guards, throwing bottles to split up and isolate patrols, or bonking enemies with an assortment of objects, the AI can feel a bit too forgiving sometimes. I’ll chalk it up to Normal Mode being like that, but taking out an enemy and watching their friend not fully coming to grips with what’s happening, taking his sweet time to get alerted, does disrupt the immersion. At least they’re enthusiastic enough when alerted.

"Adventure has many names across the entertainment space, but when it comes to action-adventure titles, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is as good as it gets, and then some."

However, these are minor complaints when considering the bigger picture. An excellent action-adventure title is very much welcome, but it isn’t exactly rare. Neither is a stellar video game adaptation of a well-known property, strange as it feels to say in this day and age. However, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle goes beyond all that to deliver a truly memorable yet remarkably familiar experience.

It’s almost like welcoming an old friend you haven’t seen in so long, remembering everything that made them so endearing and yet seeing it in a new light. For MachineGames to have captured and translated the very essence of Indiana Jones as remarkably as it did warrants praise. Adventure has many names across the entertainment space, but when it comes to action-adventure titles, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is as good as it gets, and then some.

This game was reviewed on PS5.