Games

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Readies Its Aim in the Best Way

Published

2 weeks ago

December 10, 2024

Christoph Rediske

indy looking over a box in indiana jones and the great circle

Key Takeaways

Table of Contents

Great Circle nails authenticity by recreating Raiders of the Lost Ark’s iconic opening scene with impressive detail.
The game’s faithful recreation sets the tone for an immersive Indiana Jones experience in the gaming world.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle brings the famous film sequence to life, embodying Jones in a new and exciting way.

Few franchises manage to capture the spirit of adventure quite like Indiana Jones, and that’s precisely why it has become one of the most popular franchises in film history since it began several decades ago. However, that ultimately puts a tall task in front of MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as it needs to pull out all the stops to ensure players have an authentic Indiana Jones experience when they play the game. Fortunately, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle provides the quintessential Indiana Jones experience seemingly effortlessly, placing players directly into what could have easily been another film in the franchise.

With its aim to deliver an original experience and yet be as authentic as possible, especially in light of the franchise’s age and the impact it has had on diverse audiences, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would arguably need to begin with something recognizable — something familiar that even more casual fans of Indiana Jones would recognize. As it turns out, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s opening sequence is an almost 1:1 recreation of one of the most famous sequences in film history: the introduction to the first film in the Indiana Jones series, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The Unwritten Rules of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Explained

Players should be aware of several unwritten rules about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle combat and exploration before heading out into its world.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Opens in the Best Way

The Great Circle Opens With a Recreation of Raiders of the Lost Ark’s Opening Scene

While it was largely known ahead of its release that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would include the boulder-chase scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, it wasn’t necessarily known just how extensive the recreation of the scene would be. In a rather surprising twist, however, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s opening moments are almost a 1:1 recreation of the opening sequence from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Aside from the first-person gameplay perspective of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, anytime the game shifts to a cinematic moment, it’s almost exactly what players would see in the film it is recreated from.

The reason opening the game in this way is so important is because it shows MachineGames’ aim for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to be as authentic an Indiana Jones experience as possible. While the rest of the story is original and therefore does not have any source material for the developer to draw from, introducing the game with such an iconic sequence is essentially MachineGames saying, “Don’t worry. This is every bit the Indiana Jones game that it needs to be.” Furthermore, there is arguably no better way to open an Indiana Jones game than with what is widely considered one of the most famous sequences in film history.

Raiders of the Lost Ark’s Opening Sequence Is One of the Most Famous Sequences in Cinema History

Raiders of the Lost Ark’s opening sequence has long been studied as a textbook example of how to open a film and has inspired countless filmmakers. From its tension and pacing to its gradual introduction of the character of Indiana Jones, there is not very much fault to be found in the sequence. Given its popularity, it arguably deserved to be the opening sequence for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, even if it only amounts to nothing more than a dream Indy had after falling asleep on a desk at Marshall College. The film sequence inevitably serves Indiana Jones and the Great Circle well, as the game observes the same pacing and adventurous spirit of the films.

There is arguably no better way to open an
Indiana Jones
game than with what is widely considered one of the most famous sequences in film history.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle doesn’t just pay homage to Indiana Jones or simply give the franchise a subtle nod, it actually invites players to embody him in an unprecedented way inside the gaming space, and its faithful recreation of the opening sequence from Raiders of the Lost Ark is a telltale sign of what is to come in its story. By relying on one of the most famous opening sequences ever created, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle readies its aim in the best way and introduces players to what could be considered the most authentic Indiana Jones gaming experience ever made.