Indiana Jones and the Great Circle tells an original globe-trotting story inspired by the classic action-adventure series, combining first-person exploration with stealth, combat, and puzzles.
Exceptional Learning
Great Characters
Great Graphics/Art
Great Music
Great Story
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Story & Themes
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes place in 1937, between Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the Last Crusade (Temple of Doom was a prequel to Raiders). The whip-cracking, fedora-wearing, archeologist-adventurer is called into action when a mysterious man breaks into Indy's college and steals an ancient artifact. The clues left behind lead Indy to investigate more at Vatican City, which is occupied by Mussolini's Blackshirts in league with Nazi Germany.
The mystery continues the globe-trotting adventures of the franchise, delving into real-world ancient history while the world grapples with the Axis Powers and World War II. It's an immensely fascinating time period that the game fully immerses in. The Great Circle also takes great pains recreating famous locations, such as the Sistine Chapel, and rewards players for taking pictures and solving mysteries and puzzles.
The gameplay also uniquely downplays gun-violence. Indiana Jones is more of a lucky historian than a true action hero, relying on his wits, which manifests as taking alternate routes, sneaking, and using improvised weapons to knock out enemies.
Like an adventure game, Indy also has extensive notes, journal entries, and maps that help solve puzzles and gather collectibles and skill books.
Save Points
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle lacks manual saving, but frequently saves at checkpoints and regular autosave intervals. The main pause menu reveals when the last save was.
Difficulty
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle features several different difficulty settings, including different settings for action and puzzles.
For action, the settings are Light, Moderate, Hard, and Very Hard. The settings modify the number of enemies and how much damage they deal, as well as how difficult it is to sneak around them.
Players can also choose between Light and Moderate puzzles, with the Light option making puzzles more guided and easier to solve.
Heads Up!
Violence Violence is realistically displayed, but mostly in the form of hand-to-hand combat, like a boxing match. Players can also pick up and use heavy objects such as shovels to knock enemies out, or fire the occasional gun. A recreation of the famous Raiders of the Lost Ark introductory scene features a man impaled on spikes.
Scary Imagery Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is not a horror game, but Indy does delve into dark, ancient catacombs far underground, finding old skeletons and statues that can appear frightening at first glance.
Substance Use Morphine is mentioned in dialogue.
Conversation Starters
- Are you familiar with any of the Indiana Jones movies? How well does the game adapt the character and themes?
- How does Indiana Jones and the Great Circle differ from a typical first-person shooter?
- What kind of places is Indiana Jones traveling to, and what is he discovering?
- Are you familiar with the 1930's time period, and the backdrop of World War II? How does the game portray different occupied areas?
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