Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: Hands-off Gameplay Preview
Indiana Jones. It is a name steeped in film history and while it is a name that doesn’t quite have the impact it once did, it still conjures up a host of adoration from fans all around the world. I am proud to say that I am one of those fans and have grown up with Indy’s particular brand of adventuring as some of my most cherished Hollywood films. Over the years there have been surprisingly few Indiana Jones games, (though the ones that have appeared have been of a pretty high quality) so I was super excited to see one of my favourite developers, MachineGames, tackle the Nazi-punching archeologist. That announcement feels like forever ago and while we have had a couple of trailers, nothing has given me a real taste for what it is like to play as Indiana himself. That is, until now.
Thanks to Bethesda, I was lucky enough to get my eyes on the Gamescom showroom floor gameplay demo of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and I have to say, I was impressed with what I saw. The obvious question that seems to be on everyone’s lips is whether it should be in first person and after this demonstration, I can safely say, absolutely. Don’t think of this as a Tomb Raider or Uncharted-type experience, because it isn’t. It is much closer to something like Thief or Dishonored than a traditional adventure game. In fact, the developers, in a Q&A session after the demo specifically called out one of their earliest games, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay as one of their primary reference points and you can see that DNA quite clearly. This excites me because, in my mind, Riddick is one of the best examples of a game based on a movie that I have ever seen and one that has yet to be copied.
This perspective gave a real feeling of impact to the combat in game. Indy isn’t a gun-ho macho hero who knows a million different fighting styles. He is a street brawler and a fighter of opportunity and that really comes through in the gameplay I saw. Using whatever is handy, chairs, bottles, boxes or even other baddies as a weapon, Indy’s fighting style is translated here beautifully and I can’t wait to get the game to see how it flows with a controller in hand. Add the signature whip to proceedings and the combat system shows a huge amount of promise.
Speaking of the whip, it was featured in just about every piece of gameplay I saw. From a movement tool to a puzzle-solving device, to a weapon of chaos, Indy’s whip has been translated faithfully and looks like it will be a joy to use. It must have been a significant challenge to get a whip to work this well in-game, but MachineGames has clearly risen to the challenge. Another aspect that the devs have taken from Riddick is the Journal system. Instead of map pointers, makers and obvious instructions, Indy has a Journal that is used to keep photos, clues, inscriptions and riddles that help him navigate through the secret tunnels and tombs of the game. It is nice to have this sort of system as I feel it will make it a more satisfying game. There is nothing worse than coming to a puzzle and having the game solve it for you before you can get a chance to nut it out yourself.
In all, I was super impressed with what I saw. I was a little concerned initially about the first-person perspective, but after seeing this demo that worry has all but disappeared. The type of game MachineGames is building here is something we don’t see very often and I have no doubt it will stand out from the crowd upon its release. The only thing I think that will hold the game back upon release is the controls. If they don’t feel right or combat/whip mechanics are clunky, then that could really sour the experience, but if MachineGames nails it, Indy should be a winner.
