Prior to the release date of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, fans feared the worst. The early footage looked encouraging, but reviews were embargoed to a whisker before its debut, which is never a good omen in the entertainment sphere. It also didn’t help that there was zero buzz around the game – like, not even a flutter. In fact, to the outside world it looked like the suits behind the video game might have given up on it altogether.
So, imagine the shock when Indiana Jones and the Great Circle arrived and it received nothing short of critical acclaim. Sure, there were the usual Day 1 bugs and glitches, but it’s a relatively polished and authentic Indiana Jones experience. It captures the spirit of the popular films by focusing on a mix of action and adventure in its gameplay and infusing it with the score and witty writing from the early days. As Indy, a player solves puzzles, explores a variety of locations across the globe, and fights off a bunch of baddies in a compelling story that more than does justice to the franchise created by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Also, how incredible is Troy Baker as the voice of Indy? You have to double check the credits to make sure it isn’t actually Harrison Ford himself here because Baker is so good as a doppelganger.
Why the worry?
Look, 2024 has been a weird one for gaming. It appears like all the behind-the-scenes drama and online fighting overshadowed the actual releases over the past 12 months. Unfortunately, the rancid, Cheetos-crusted keyboard warriors metamorphosed into their next form to stir up even more trouble about every minute detail and development about a game because their mothers never told them they’re loved. It’s to the point in which it’s impossible to be a part of a forum or community anymore since the worst elements suck all the enjoyment out of it.
Surprisingly, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle went mostly unscathed. A mutter here or two about it, but it was games like Concord and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League that felt the wrath of the rabid online communities. Regardless, the trepidation about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle came across in the marketing campaign – or lack thereof. This title didn’t have a presence, never feeling big or like something that people should have had on their radar. It was out of sight, out of mind for the majority of the year – which is strange considering the magnitude of IP. Take one look at the comments on the Steam Community and it’s obvious that gamers feel the same way, wondering why more fuss wasn’t made about a spectacular Indiana Jones experience.
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The shadow of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny looms
Perhaps the corporate apprehension for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is tied to last year’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The James Mangold-directed film brought back Harrison Ford for another adventure, but the movie that cost in the region of $300 million labored to only $384 million at the global box office. Ultimately, it lost Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures a lot of money and it’s likely to be the final time that Ford cracks the whip as the hero.
Even Mangold admitted his surprise and disappointment to Deadline, saying, “You have a wonderful, brilliant actor who’s in his eighties. So I’m making a movie about this guy in his eighties, but his audience on one other level doesn’t want to confront their hero at that age. And I am like, I’m good with it. We made the movie. But the question is, how would anything have made the audience happy with that, other than having to start over again with a new guy?”
The reality is the Indiana Jones franchise doesn’t have the sheen it once had. It’s not as popular as it used to be in the ’80s or ’90s, and a lot of the established fan base tends to hold onto the memory of what it was rather than accept natural evolution in the storytelling. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny serve as conclusive proof of this. In all likelihood, the minds behind Indiana Jones and the Great Circle thought there would be a snowball reaction because of this.
Here’s the thing, though: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is exactly what those fans would want. It’s an adventure set in Indy’s heyday without the developments of the movies post-The Last Crusade. In a way, this is the story that Dial of Destiny wasn’t. The marketing should have shouted this from the rooftops and promoted it this way. Instead, the video game is simply out there, hoping that people discover it on their own. It certainly merits the attention and hype, but time will tell if the audience does the work for it.
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Tell us, what did you think of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle? Let us know in the comments.
