I’d actually lost track of the new Indiana Jones game from Machine Games – now it’s one of my personal highlights of the year
In an alternate reality, I wouldn’t be sitting here in front of my PC right now enjoying the latest trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. I would be Indiana Jones! I would have studied archaeology for more than just one semester and would of course be touring the world with my hat and whip in constant search of lost treasures.
Just the normal life of an average archaeologist. It wasn’t enough to become a professor, but at least I have an adventure hat at home and have even been on a wilderness tour in Corsica with it. For everything else, I’m waiting for the new action game from Machinegames and I’m actually looking forward to that more than the prospect of a degree in archaeology.
A new highlight of the year
Until now, I was still very neutral about the 2024 games year. Especially after such a great year as 2023. Apart from little gems like Manor Lords, I’m still lacking personal highlights. However, with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a new candidate has now unexpectedly cheated its way to the top – even if the title sounds a bit silly in German.
I’m almost a little angry about how much this trailer picks me up. After all, it shows once again that I’m a bit of a nostalgic who can be enchanted by a well-placed John Williams soundtrack
But there’s more to it than that. Graphically, the trailer knows how to inspire, regardless of any nostalgia, and grabs me from the very first second with the promise of a well-staged story, varied action interludes and mysterious catacombs full of tricky puzzles.
That speaks for great trailer design, but also for a stunning triple-A production, which the gaming year has been a little lacking so far
Balsam for the fan soul
Nevertheless, I can’t completely deny that my fan heart beats right up to the brim of my hat. Because the Indy trilogy was of course one of my favorite adventure films when I was young, but every new rehash in the cinema just made me sad. After The Crystal Skull, I’d had enough of a decrepit daredevil and Wheel of Fortune couldn’t even tempt me back into the movie theater due to mixed reviews.
With Indiana Jones and the elongated parallelogram, I get a cinematic experience again after all these years, in which Harris Ford is in full bloom without having to slip into the uncanny valley of the usual CGI rejuvenation in the cinema. In my opinion, games once again show their worth in an age of graying movie icons.
Personally, I would have been much happier about a playable Han Solo prequel with a polygon Harrison than the unspeakable Solo film, in which the legendary smuggler was barely recognizable
Is the perspective wrong?
A look at the initial reactions in the comments section shows that I’m not the only person out there who’s really looking forward to Indiana Jones and the giant hexagon. But there’s also a bit of a debate about perspective.
Surprisingly, I’m just on a different side here than usual. Because I actually belong to the category of people who always prefer the third-person to a first-person view. Especially in action-adventure games, where there’s a lot of jumping, climbing and swinging
In The Great Circle, I mainly play from the first-person perspective, but …
I have to say, however, that the first-person view in Indiana Jones doesn’t scare me at all. And there are two reasons for that
- The game comes from Machinegames, the Wolfenstein developers. They are first-person professionals through and through. I’m convinced that games can only be really great if the team knows what they’re doing one hundred percent. Baldur’s Gate was the latest example of this. And in this case, I’m happy to bite into the first-person apple if the people behind it know what they’re doing best. I’d rather the game be good than tick off my personal wishes.
- Indiana Jones has been absent from PC and console for years – if we ignore the Lego spin-offs. In the meantime, he’s got plenty of competition from Lara Croft and Nathan Drake. Rather than completely sticking to the genre standard, Indy can distance himself from his unofficial successors and bring a completely new perspective to such action-packed adventures.
To my regret, I haven’t yet been able to track down an artifact that lets me see into the future. Accordingly, I don’t yet know whether my anticipation is justified. For now, though, I’m enjoying the prospect of a new game that seems to be right up my street
I’m looking forward to Indiana Jones and the unnecessarily expansive isosceles triangle!
