Indiana Jones and the Great Circle captures the essence of classic Indiana Jones adventures, blending exploration, puzzle solving, and action in a richly detailed 1930s world. You’ll travel to places like Egypt and the Vatican, uncovering ancient secrets and facing deadly encounters with Nazis and spike pits.
Earlier this month, I went hands-on with the game at Bethesda’s Sydney office, and I’m now free to share my experience.
Puzzles are a core part of the gameplay, involving light, mirrors, and hidden mechanisms that feel true to the films. Action sequences mix hand-to-hand combat with whip-based attacks and traversal — it’s never been more satisfying to punch a Nazi.
While the game includes first-person shooter elements, combat is more tactical than a standard FPS. Weapons can break quickly, and stealth is often key when navigating Nazi-occupied camps.
Classic Puzzle Elements and Iconic Locations
The puzzles I encountered in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle felt authentic to the franchise. Reflective light puzzles, trap doors, and spike-filled chambers create the familiar sense of danger and discovery. My playthrough featured three distinct locations.
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First was Marshall College, where Dr. Indiana Jones investigates a break-in at the museum. After confronting a mysterious intruder and being knocked out, you’re left to solve a puzzle involving a broken display and a missing mummified cat artefact.
This leads you to the Vatican, where you reconnect with an old friend, Antonio, in a sequence that introduces more climbing elements and combat.
The final location I explored was Gizeh (or Giza), Egypt, where the majority of my hands-on time was spent.
This zone is expansive, with ancient ruins and dig sites teeming with Nazi forces. Your objective is to uncover their plot while navigating the dangers of the desert. I located ancient stelae, discovered Nazi radio codes, and solved puzzles with a golden medallion inside the Sphinx, where hundreds of scorpions and ancient traps awaited.
A World of Detail and Exploration
The world of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is richly detailed, from the archaeological camps set up around the pyramids to the layered environments that feel authentic to the time period. These zones offer multiple pathways for exploration, with opportunities to gather disguises and solve problems in more than one way. It’s an open world approach, though venturing too far from the edge of the map will cause Indiana to become exhausted and turn back.
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Progression is handled through adventure points, which let you upgrade Indiana Jones’ skills, while a detailed journal logs photos and serves as a guide through your adventure. Whether exploring ancient ruins or piecing together clues in hidden vaults, the game offers plenty of ways to approach each challenge, making every discovery feel earned.
Weapons, such as batons and guns, break after a few hits, meaning you’ll often need to rely on your wits rather than brute force. Disguises allow you to blend in with common enemies, but be wary of captains, who can see through them. And while you (thankfully) can’t kill Nazi dogs, your whip will scare them off — even if it does seem a bit strange.
When it comes to death, you’ll never really see Indy die. You’ll hear a grunt and the screen fades to black before respawning. There’s many third-person moments in the game but death scenes aren’t one of them.
Indy’s Journal
One feature I appreciated was the use of Indiana’s journal, where photos you take during the game are logged. It serves as a record of your entire journey, not only helping with puzzles but adding to the overall sense of discovery. It all makes Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feel like a true adventure.
Troy Baker’s performance as a younger Indiana Jones adds depth to the character — he is a bloody convincing Harrison Ford! There were moments, especially when speaking other languages, when Baker’s natural voice came through, but, if anything, it helped compliment his skills. His clear, Arabic annunciations when speaking to workers in Gizeh were commendable, I just could never imagine Ford’s Indiana pulling them off so cleanly.
Looking Ahead
While my time with it was brief, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has laid the foundation for a promising adventure. Before I began my playthrough, it was stressed that this is an early, unpolished build and I may experience bugs, and while I did come across some visual hiccups, it was mostly a smooth and enjoyable gaming session.
The short build and the relatively few puzzles I encountered leave me wanting to see more before forming a full impression, but the foundation for a classic Indiana Jones adventure is certainly in place.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to PC and Xbox Series X|S on December 6th, it’ll also release on PlayStation in 2025.
Travel costs for the writer were paid for by Bethesda ANZ.
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