Among the “exclusive” games expected this year 2024 on Xbox and PC, there was obviously the very immersive Hellblade 2 of course, without forgetting the recent Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. But there was also (and above all!) a certain Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle. Cooked up by MachineGames and headed by Bethesda, the game is obviously an Xbox/PC exclusive in 2024, but Indy will also arrive on PS5 in 2025 (probably with PS5 Pro optimization). Highly anticipated, does this new Indiana Jones game keep all its promises?
The best Indiana Jones game since… forever?
Indeed, even though the Indiana Jones film saga was a hit in the 1980s and 1990s (and still today), in terms of video games, players have not really been treated to an adaptation worthy of the name. Of course, some people had great fun with Indiana Jones and the Mystery of Atlantis (a point’n click on PC) in 1992 or Greatest Adventures (Super Nintendo) in 1994, but not enough to make it a “ classic”. The saga was indeed entitled to a Tomb of the Emperor in the early 2000s and a Scepter of Kings in 2009, but nothing that really did justice to the glory of the original trilogy. But all that was before Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle.
Forget (temporarily) Nathan Drake and the Uncharted series as well as Lara Croft, the real Indiana Jones is back. Be careful however, unlike the games in question, this Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle does not position itself as a real competitor, the developers having made the bet of opting, not for an action-adventure game in third person view, but for an adventure game in first person view, with a little action.
Context-wise, we obviously play Professor Jones here, with a story that will fit between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. We therefore play a young Indiana Jones (in the 1930s), who will quickly leave his position as professor at Marshall College to pursue a colossus who has stolen an artifact from the adjacent Museum. It is the start of a (long) journey which will take the famous archaeologist to various countries around the globe, to once again face the Nazi threat.
An adventure/action game… but above all adventure
After a particularly tasty prologue, Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle therefore offers a first level allowing you to familiarize yourself with Professor Jones. We find a game in FPS view therefore (Wolfenstein style), which is mainly based on exploration, solving puzzles, with obviously sometimes a little action. Of course, the adventure concocted by MachineGames quickly takes us to new lands, with semi-open areas which offer a main objective of course, but also secondary missions which we advise you not to miss.
Indeed, over the course of the adventure, you will have to learn to use new gadgets, to put on certain disguises, but you will also be able to accept various side quests, which sometimes allow you to discover a whole new environment. Indiana Jones obliges, we often find ourselves faced with enigmas and other puzzles to solve, and not only are these very inspired, but we feel as clever as dear Indy once we complete them.
On the action side, however, this Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle is clearly dated, with certainly bare-handed combat very close to those that we can appreciate in the films, but with the controller in hand, the feeling is still very average. It’s messy, it’s not always very “logical”, and in reality, we quickly end up trying to avoid these same fights as much as possible, (very) far from constituting the heart of the game. Note that the we can also use firearms, but their use is quickly anecdotal in reality.
Added to this is a stupid AI, which sometimes struggles to spot you from two meters away and/or if you have just smashed a Nazi’s helmet with a shovel. It’s shameful for a 2024 game, yes… but without meaning to, it’s ultimately a bit “in keeping” with the Indiana Jones atmosphere. A blessing in disguise, one might say.
An “Indiana Jones effect” that works like thunder
Ditto on the graphics side, with a game which offers sublime textures (without forgetting the lighting effects!), but which generally lacks life (the vegetation in particular), coherence, with the added bonus of a lot of popping sometimes, a few bugs here and there , animations from another age, just like those of the faces, sometimes very inexpressive (but sometimes not). We also appreciate the VF dubbing, even if the sublime voice of Richard Darbois does not necessarily fit with this Indy game. It’s obvious at the start of the adventure, and we pay less attention to it as the hours go by, moreover appreciating the countless thoughts aloud of this good Dr. Jones.
But there again, without doubt “the Indiana Jones effect“, we easily forgive these few worries to focus on the adventure, really gripping in its exploration part. It’s indeed difficult not to be moved by discovering a temple hidden under a fountain, avoiding traps on the way (Last Crusade style) to retrieve the artifact at the end of the room, all with sound design. very neat. In terms of difficulty, the game allows you to independently measure the fights, but also the puzzles. We can therefore choose to switch the fights to Easy (which we recommend), to complete the fights more quickly, and leave the difficulty slider on Normal for the puzzles. One side “à la carte” really very well received by the developers.
The fact is that the player feels totally “actor” of this Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle, and immersion is clearly one of the strong points of the game. And too bad for the “old” side of the whole thing sometimes , including the in-game interface, which will definitely make you cry more than once. No EXP here, but adventure points to be collected depending on your prowess, which allow you to buy books and other very useful objects for the rest of the adventure, which will require a minimum of 20 hours, and much more if you plan to search the environments and complete the side quests (which we strongly recommend).
Our opinion regarding Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle
Ultimately, Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle is an excellent adventure/action title, with an assumed “old-fashioned” side, sometimes bordering on point’n click in certain sequences. The action is certainly present, but it is a little old-fashioned and messy, and it is adventure and immersion that take precedence here. Moreover, the game is full of very successful cutscenes, so much so that we sometimes progress through the story, mainly to visualize the next one, as we would watch one of the first three films.
So yes, the VF dubbing is questionable (and the lip sync is strawberry), the game, although visually very clean, suffers from some flaws (bug, popping, lack of life…), but what a pleasure to be able to immerse yourself in this point in the Indiana Jones universe. Despite obvious flaws, we benefit here from a superb experience, with the impression of participating more than ever in an adventure that could not be more faithful to the spirit of Indiana Jones. So worth testing, especially if you are a fan of the first three episodes of the film saga.
Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle
We love
- The atmosphere, the staging, the music!
- A real (and very good) adventure game
- The puzzles, numerous and ultra rewarding
- Lifetime
- This feeling of “living an Indiana Jones film!”
We like less
- The fights quickly get messy
- Faces sometimes not very expressive
- A bit “old” in quite a few aspects
