With everything that has been shown since its announcement, it looks likeIndiana Jones and The Great Circlecould be one of the best video games based on a film franchise. It should be noted that games based on film franchises don’t have the best reputation, largely due to the notoriety of movie tie-in titles and how lazily made the majority of them end up being.Indiana Jonesclearly hasn’t been given this treatment, withThe Great Circlelooking promising with some great visuals, a talented voice cast, and plenty of elements that are faithful to theIndiana Jonesfranchise.
At first glance, people could mistakeThe Great Circlefor a PlayStation exclusive for its heavily cinematic presentation and a strong focus on the game’s story, yet this is a game made by a ZeniMax studio: MachineGames. ZeniMax was bought by Microsoft when acquiring Bethesda, making thisIndiana Jonestitle an Xbox game. This possibly shows thatXbox is trying to compete in the cinematic game marketand is trying to bring a big IP, likeIndiana Jones, to give itself an audience to gain traction, but it should learn from PlayStation’s mistakes since its domination of the genre began.
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Needs To Remember It’s A Game
Being A Movie Video Game Means It Has To Justify Its Medium
With the somewhat premature launch trailer, it is clear thatMachineGames and Xbox want to show off the game’s story and cinematic quality, making it feel as though little gameplay has been shown off comparatively. Some footage of puzzle gameplay in grand tombs and using Dr. Jones' iconic whip to knock over Nazis has been shown, and it all does feel like something out of theIndiana Jonesfilms, but the focus has been the cutscenes. Although very high quality, an extreme focus on the cinematics could make the game feel more like a movie.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circleuses the id Tech 7 engine, and seems to be a great engine for first-person games, given its prior use inDOOM Eternal.
Ultimately,Indiana Jones and The Great Circleis a video game, and if it feels like the game is trying to be a movie with interactive sections, rather than an interactive experience with great cutscenes, it might as well be another film in the franchise. Although the game will have to be very cinematic, since it will have to try and bring in elements from one of the biggest film franchises on the planet, it shouldn’t overdo it. If players spend more time with the controller on their lap than in their hands,it isn’t much of a game.
MachineGames Could Make The Same Mistakes As TLOU & Death Stranding
The Great Circle Can’t Be A Walking Sim
Although they are critically acclaimed and have some of the more realistic cutscenes in gaming,The Last of UsandXbox newcomerDeath Strandingcan be guilty of being too focused on their cinematic elements and neglecting their gameplay too much.The Last of Ussometimes feels like a show would have been the better medium for its story, and thequality of the show itselfcould be evidence for this, even though the gameplay sequences can be tight and well-made, if a little generic. These sequences sometimes feel like they’re in the way of the cutscenes, rather than complimenting them.
HBO’s adaptation ofTLOUis set to premier its second season in early 2025.
Many Hideo Kojima fans adoreDeath Stranding, and it wasScreen Rant’s 2019 Game of the Year, but the title can feel like it would rather be a movie than a game, and it doesn’t have the gameplay ofTLOUto help alleviate this. It has been joked that the game is a walking simulator with weird cutscenes and dialogue, and whileIndiana Jones and The Great Circlewon’t be as wacky as anything from Kojima’s brilliant mind, it cannot prioritize cutscenes over gameplay too much. The gameplay still needs to be fun and shouldn’t feel like an obstacle getting in the way of the custscenes.
The Great Circle Could Learn From Uncharted & God Of War
Both Titles Know How To Make Gameplay Feel Cinematic
Unchartedis a great example of how a tomb exploring game can use movie-like set pieces as a part of its gameplay. Players are still in control of Nathan Drake as they run through traps, scale crumbling structures, and get shot at in abandoned naval vessels.God of War’s Norse titlescombine theiramazing gameplay with quick, punchy, cinematic intervals that keep players on their toes with QTEs.The Great Circlecould use both these methods to keep its gameplay feeling cinematic, especially learning fromUncharted, since the games should be similar.
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Breaks One Annoying Trend In The Perfect Way
Among the many amazing things Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is setting out to do, it’s also fixing one of gaming’s most frustrating trends.
None of this is to say that the cutscenes shown off thus far are bad. In fact, they are well voice acted, look great, and the story they are telling appears to be an intriguing, quintessentialIndiana Jonesstory. The problem could arise with the way the story is told, since if it is too cinematic without enough interaction,Indiana Jones and The Great Circlemight as well have been a movie or a series, rather than a video game. Players want to play the game, and if they would rather watch it, playthroughs on YouTube will always be a cheaper option.
Source:Xbox/YouTube
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a first-person action-adventure game developed by the creative team at MachineGames. Set in 1937 between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, players take on the role of the titular globe-trotting adventurer/archaeology professor Dr. Indiana Jones, as he races across the world to stop a dangerous organization from utilizing the power of the mystical Great Circle.
