Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review (Steam)

Summary

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle boasts beautiful, highly detailed graphics that truly bring the game to life. The download size is a hefty 112.48GB, but it’s worth it for the stunning visuals and immersive experience. The game supports Steam achievements, full controller support, and offers three save slots. Additionally, players can enjoy Steam trading card drops and HDR support. The safe mode launch option ensures that all settings are set to default, providing a smooth start for all players. As an officially licensed product, the game offers a range of controller, mouse, and keyboard settings, including invert axis and sensitivity sliders, remap controls, aim assist, aim assist strength, and individual action toggles. Screen settings include display mode, monitor, aspect ratio, and resolution adjustments. Graphics settings are extensive, with options for HUD safe zone, field of view slider, v-sync, FPS limit, motion blur, chromatic aberration, sharpening, film grain, depth of field, and depth of field anti-aliasing. Graphics quality settings cover overall quality, text size, shadow quality, decal rendering distance, global illumination, reflection quality, motion blur quality, water quality, volumetric quality, hair quality, and texture anisotropic filtering quality. Advanced video settings include vegetation quality, upscaling, DLSS super-resolution, resolution scaling, static resolution scaling, dynamic resolution scaling target FPS, and performance metrics. The game also offers colorblind support and settings, an awesome soundtrack and voice work, and tutorial pop-ups as you play.

The adventure gameplay is complemented by a variety of game settings, such as UI font size, subtitles, closed captions, subtitles font size, and high contrast mode. Players can choose from four action difficulties (light, moderate, hard, and very hard), which determine the damage dealt and received, and two adventure difficulties (light and moderate), which focus on signposting and puzzle difficulties. Three viewing options are available: fullscreen, widescreen, and cinematic (which adds borders for a more authentic experience). In-game cutscenes and interactions feature seamless transitions, and the game includes memorable set pieces and sequences. Xbox login and cloud save support are optional and opt-in, with cross-save available across all versions when using the same Xbox login. Players can choose their outfit and whip, and explore a full 3D game world with 360-degree camera control and a first-person view. Characters look just like the actors from the films, and hidden collectibles are scattered throughout the game. Clues help players advance or delve deeper into the story, and the game moves and plays smoothly. Button prompts assist with interactions, and some items glint to help players find them. Even on low settings, the game looks beautiful. The opening sequence has players reenacting the classic scene from the film where they borrow the Golden Idol. The accessibility of puzzles is a game-changer, seamlessly integrating support without being condescending. The game manual acts as a tutorial library, providing controls, mechanics, and short story beats. A stamina system is in place for combat and running, and first-person combat includes fists, weapons, and the trusty whip. The presentation is movie-quality, and it’s really cool to walk around and explore the college where Indy works. This game is a must-play for any Indiana Jones fan.

However, the game isn’t without its flaws. There were instances where the game locked up or crashed on the desktop at random times. Transitions between third-person and first-person views can be jarring, and some interactions feel needless and cumbersome. Checkpoints can be unreliable, and the combat system takes time to get used to, particularly in terms of timing. The game sometimes assumes players already know certain things or where to go, and puzzles can occasionally be nonsensical or brute-forced. Character eyes and facial animations can appear wooden and weird at times, and there’s little replay value once the story is finished.

In summary, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle offers a visually stunning and immersive experience with a wealth of settings and options to customize gameplay. The adventure and action elements are well-executed, and the game is a treat for fans of the franchise. However, technical issues, awkward transitions, and some gameplay mechanics may detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game remains a must-play for Indiana Jones enthusiasts and is a true adventure.