The new Indiana Jones game The Great Circle is getting the vibe right, but I’m not quite convinced yet

When it comes to choosing a designer for Indiana Jones and the Great CircleI firmly believe that MachineGames was the right team for the job. No one has a better track record than the Wolfenstein developer when it comes to beating the Nazis, or following up on weird and old artifacts with the best ways to keep them out of Nazi hands. mentioned. Now that I’ve seen a demo of the new Indiana Jones game before it’s reveal at Gamescom Opening Night Live, I can say that MachineGames has nailed it – but I’ll need to see more before I’m convinced that this is something really good. game.

At a preview event last week, executive producer Jerk Gustafsson and creative director Axel Torvenius of MachineGames gave us a preview of its big production for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. In fact, it gets the premise of the series right. The environment is excellent, Troy Baker gives a somewhat creepy approximation of Harrison Ford’s Doctor Jones, the Italian journalist Gina is an old, independent partner, and there is a strong dose of Nazi smacking.

Even though it’s played like a game, Torvenius tells us that the team still talks about it as a touring game. It’s a fine distinction, but a difficult one; what we see is much more low key than the high octane action of Wolfenstein: The New Order and its sequels.

You’re sneaking around, throwing debris to distract enemies, and clinging to shadows to get drops, or donning clothes to slip into restricted areas. There are some good moments here – while he’s dressed as a mercenary, an officer calls you to bring him a bottle. Fail to do so immediately, and he will stand up and scare you, but instead of facing an immediate failure situation you are given a chance to correct your mistake and you will relax .

Guns are optional, as you have Indy’s trademark, and some enemies will drop weapons for you to use. Interestingly, these look pretty powerful – even at range, one shot seems to be enough to put one enemy down – but they’re difficult to use properly. Instead, you’ll face enemies in melee combat, using your whip to disarm, drag, or drag them.

Going into a one-on-one fight reminds me of boxing in first person. There’s a lot of meat to the blocks and punches, and you can use the environment wisely, too. In one sequence, we see Jones meet three people at the same time: the first is brought down with a whip, the second is body-pushed from a high ledge, and the third, far away, he is taken out with the aforementioned gun. .

As mentioned, however, the action seems to take a back seat to the quests and puzzles. Personally, I agree with that a lot, since most of the points in my mind in movies are ‘a-ha’ moments: climbing the library stairs to see that “X marks the spot,” or solving a problem. trials at the height of the Last War. We see quite a few puzzles that look similar, but the one here so far has me confused, as they all look simple.

In one large room you’re tasked with using mirrors to scatter light around the room – an oldie, no doubt, and one I’ll always enjoy doing, but it seems straight forward. Similarly, another puzzle once broke through perhaps the most ‘hidden wall’ I’ve ever seen, then drag the stick to the number three to match the symbol shown on the nearby bowl.

It is possible that these things are the first, however; Torvenius says the team was keen to create “rewarding, challenging and clever puzzles” and admits he caught a few while testing the game. Gustafsson adds that some of the more open areas of the game offer “a lot of things on the other side that you don’t have to do – which gives us the opportunity to create “brainy” and difficult puzzles.” He also notes that this game will offer a puzzle difficulty slider, if you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy stumbling.

The same concern extends to the combat – though it’s heavy, it’s slow, and I’m a little worried that everything feels a bit flimsy. I hope that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will not be treated with too much respect and will be able to draw that energy and high energy that makes the movies, with their potential, exciting and breathtaking events.

Maybe I just have to trust MachineGames. “Obviously we have a lot of passion for the character, for original stories, that’s what we want to capture,” Torvenius tells us. But we’re not making a movie, we’re making a game. What things will drive and transform the first-person experience?” The team has provided a lack of memorable and chaotic moments in their recent Wolfenstein games, and they probably don’t want to spoil all the elements. Well, I really wouldn’t be angry with them.

One thing is certain: it will not be small. Gustafsson says Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is “the biggest game we’ve ever made – not only in terms of locations and size, but also in terms of time.” He declines to give an exact number of hours, noting that it can vary greatly depending on your playing style, but it should be substantial.

Hopefully, then, it will fulfill the first promise with more challenging tests – we will know soon, as Gustafsson confirms Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s release date is set for December 9, 2024.