Summary
In 1981, Steven Spielberg released his action-adventure blockbusterRaiders of the Lost Ark, a story about an archaeologist who battles Nazis and explores ancient ruins in pursuit of the legendary Ark of the Covenant. The film would be a smash hit, and its lead, Indiana Jones became a cultural icon. The opening ofRaiders of the Lost Arkalone became an icon of cinema. But, surprisingly, Indy doesn’t have a huge presence in video games.There have been a few, but nothing that’s made quite the same impact asTomb RaiderorUncharted.
That might be about to change. MachineGames has been working on the latest attempt,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. They just released a showcase trailer for Game Fest 2024that offered some insight into the story and gameplay. A lot of details are still under wraps, but some interesting details have been revealed from the few glimpses fans have been given so far.
1First Person Perspective
Bethesda Continues The Tradition
One curious choice made by the game is its decision to take a first-person perspective. That is, most of the game will be experienced through Indy’s eyes, with the possible exception of cutscenes. The showcase trailer included some examples of what this would look like.
Although it surprised some fans, it is consistent with the pattern set by a lot of Bethesda’s games, likeDishonored,Wolfenstein, andPrey.
2Back To The 1930s
Jones Is Back In His Element
The original three movies took place in the 1930s, but Harrison Ford’s aging by the timeKingdom of the Crystal SkullandDial of Destinywere made necessitated a few changes. While there are ways to de-age actors in live-action, they can be complicated, expensive, and time-consuming, so it was a practical decision to instead jump ahead a couple of decades and make the film about an older Indy.
However, MachineGames clearly saw an opportunity to take advantage of the digital medium, since they could produce a character model of a young Harrison Ford, allowinga return to the timeframe of the original three films. This puts Indy back in the position of fighting Nazis in 1937, shortly afterRaiders of the Lost Ark.
3Bringing Back A Familiar Face
An Old Friend Makes An Unexpected Return
Among the recurring cast of the original films was Marcus Brody, a historian and museum curator, sort of the Dr. Kilroy to Indy’s Johnny Thunder. Unfortunately, Denholm Elliot died in 1992, which prevented him from returning inKingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film still tried to give Brody an indirect presence by having him appear in photographs and a commemorative statue that Indy manages to decapitate, but it was pretty clear to fans that they’d seen the last of the curator who once got lost in his own museum. That was until Brody made a surprise cameo in the showcase trailer forThe Great Circle.
It seems MachineGames is taking advantage of the digital format to bring back the beloved character. This is perhaps one of the best ways to do it since they can digitally reconstruct Elliot’s likeness and then just need a voice actor who sounds like him. This was an unexpected, but very welcome surprise. It is unclear if any other characters from the films will appear. However, the trailerdoes show at least part of the game taking place in Egypt, making Sallah’s presence a logical possibility.
4Gina Lombardi
A New Character With A Lot Of Potential
One interesting detail about the game is the new female lead. Gina Lombardi is an Italian journalist who has a personal reason to accompany Indiana Jones through the adventure. Exactly what that reason is unclear though, though there is a logical direction. Given her apparent nationality and occupation, the presence of Nazis, and the timeframe, a likely guess would be that she’s investigating the infamous dictator Benito Mussolini.
One thing is for sure, however: she’s no Willie Scott. Even if she lacks Jones' experience, the showcase trailer makes it clear she knows how to take care of herself. She would have to be since fascism and honest journalism tend not to mesh well. In particular, Gina seems to have a few sleight-of-hand tricks, as shown when she tries to “surrender” a valuable stone only to swap it with a live grenade. It will be interesting to see what the game does with her.
5The Nazis Are Back
Indy’s Up Against His Old Nemesis
MachineGamesis no stranger to games that involve killing Nazis, having previously worked on the last fewWolfensteintitles. Indiana Jones also has a history of fighting Nazis, having done so in three of the five movies. In fact, attempts to introduce any other antagonists (the Thuggee inTemple of Doomand the Soviets inKingdom of the Crystal Skull) seem to always be poorly received.
So it should hardly be surprising that Nazis are once again appearing inThe Great Circleas the main antagonists. The showcase trailer offers a glimpse of one of the villains, a currently-unnamed Nazi officer whohatesAmerican cartoons. It is knownthat the primary antagonist is a Nazi scientist named Emerich Voss, played by Marios Gavrilis, who is apparently envisioned as a character who parallels Indy in his pursuit of mysteries.
