Indiana Jones has always been synonymous with adventure, mystery, and a touch of grumpy charm. As the iconic archaeologist makes his way into the world of gaming once again, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle hopes to deliver an immersive experience like never before.
At the heart of bringing this vision to life is Zeke Virant, Lead Game Designer at Machine Games. I recently sat down with Zeke at Bethesda’s Sydney office to learn how The Great Circle’s intricate details are balanced and planned.
“I think one of the biggest things we wanted to capture was the spirit of discovery,” Zeke explained, his enthusiasm clear.
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“Indiana Jones is all about that sense of wonder, that rush when you uncover something hidden or long forgotten. We wanted every corner of the game to feel like there’s a secret waiting to be found, whether it’s a puzzle, an artifact, or a hidden piece of lore,” he told Quest Daily.
“You’re not just playing through a story — you’re becoming part of it, solving mysteries as Indy would,” he said.
Virant’s role at Machine Games covers a wide range of tasks, from balancing combat to progression systems.
“Basically, my job involves taking any kind of systemic feature and balancing it, making sure that feature sets fit within constraints,” he explained.
Whether it’s deciding “what the whip crack should do” or working on something as seemingly mundane as door interactions, Virant emphasised the importance of getting the details right.
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One of the standout features of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the game’s tactile nature, something Zeke is particularly proud of.
“We wanted to bring the player really into it by having a way of, like, not just holding X or pressing X, but actually moving the player with the interaction,” he said.
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Whether it’s opening doors or pulling on chains to solve puzzles, the game encourages players to interact physically with their environment.
“Some are small and bite sized, others are quite large as you get into more puzzles,” Virant added, hinting at the increasing complexity players will face as they take on this new adventure.
Another key element that Zeke highlighted was the pickup system, which allows players to interact with various objects.
“I’ve been really happy with the pickup system,” he noted. “Picking up items, throwing them, inspecting them… there’s a lot of work that’s gone into making that feel good and responsive.”
Staying true to the Indiana Jones theme, the game doesn’t shy away from the academic side of archaeology.
Virant described how deeply they leaned into the idea of Indiana being an archaeologist first and foremost.
“We really wanted to go deep into the adventure idea of him. He’s an archaeologist, so we don’t shy away from that,” he said. Players will have the opportunity to use Indiana’s knowledge of languages and history to solve puzzles.
Zeke was also keen to point out how well researched and detailed the in game lore is.
“I think as people start to play the game bigger, they’ll see how that all fits into the activities and missions,” he said.
Troy Baker’s portrayal of Indiana Jones also plays a significant role in creating an authentic experience. While Zeke wasn’t directly involved in the narrative design, he praised Baker’s dedication to the character.
“He really cares a lot about the game,” Zeke shared, recalling a moment when Baker visited the studio and asked the team about the game mechanics, showing genuine curiosity about the design choices.
“He came to the studio and did some rehearsing, and I was getting coffee and talking to another designer about, like, we need to figure out the controls for this, and we could do it this way, or that way. And Troy just stepped in, he was like, ‘Oh, can you tell me a little bit about this?’ Why would you do it that way?’ He was genuinely curious,” Viarant said.
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For those ready to embark on this adventure, Virant’s advice is simple: explore thoroughly and take your time.
“There’s so much visual and narrative depth to it. You’ll notice things you might have missed the first time,” he said, hoping that players will take on multiple playthroughs of the title.
When asked if there was a tip he’d give players diving into the game for the first time, he offered a simple but effective one: “Use the whip. It’s super cool.”
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is out December 6th on Xbox Series X|S and PC, it’s later coming to PlayStation 5.
