Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: Review score roundup

Indy fans can finally pick up the whip again and enjoy a real adventure with the famous archaeologist in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. What does the press say about the game? The ratings here in the review show.

Anyone who was lucky enough to experience the first (and only true) Indiana Jones films in the 80s, or the first Indy games in the early 90s, will remember the feeling of being part of a real adventure with a unique flair. Later releases and adaptations had their difficulties in reproducing the typical ‘Indy feeling’. And Indiana Jones and the Great Circle? According to test reports, publisher Bethesda and developer Machine Games have done almost everything right. The thirst for world-spanning adventures can finally be quenched again.

In our review overview of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, we take a look at how the game is shaping among the critics and whether or not the latest Indy adventure is a smash hit.

Note: Some reviews are based on pre-release builds and may not represent the final version as a patch did release to fix a number of issues and add in Path Traced RT.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is not an "action adventure" like Uncharted, but rather more akin to games like Dishonored 2 or HITMAN where you have an option to pick between stealth or straight up combat. This is quite the departure from the Wolfenstein series that developer Machine Games are best known for, which was heavy on action.

Eurogamer have touted the game as "The best Indy's been since The Last Crusade", which is high praise considering the lackluster movie sequels we've had in recent years, yes looking at you Kingdom of the Crystal Skull! It doesn't take long to get the adventure rolling either as the opening mission is an almost identical recreation of the first moments from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Players will explore open-ish (not truly open world) environments as they solve puzzles and hit guys in the face. Exploration is a key part of the experience as it can let you discover various items that give you adventure points - which are need to upgrade Indy's abilities.

Indy doesn't just wield the whip to disarm or kill enemies anyway, as it is also ‘a great help on climbs’ and also helpful when solving puzzles. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also masters the technical test course with flying colours. On a technical front the game also manages to impress. On a 4090 with everything cranked up all the way with Path Tracing (which was not available until the launch patch) you get visually stunning views. Even if you're not in the market for the latest hardware, the game does support a range of older systems - as long as you meet the minimum requirements. Thankfully it does manage to run at a smooth 60 FPS in most cases, earlier reviews did suggest that some bugs were present including cutscenes having frame drops, however as of December 9th and the launch build these have been fixed entirely, meaning it runs great. Of course you may want to turn DLSS on though, especially if you're using the path tracing features as it can really tank performance.

On my own system (i9 14900k, RTX 4090) I was getting an average of 40 FPS without DLSS on, this is max settings (with Path Tracing) - but if you switch DLSS on to Quality you'll be at a locked 60 FPS. Yes, like Alan Wake 2 before it, the game will be incredibly demanding for Path Tracing, though if you can run the game with it on and use DLSS to get you above 60 FPS it looks gorgeous as the world is lit by all the rays.

Punching bad guys in the face may not be the most enjoyable, and you'll be able to unlock upgrades by discovering books found within the locations Indy explores, but it's not super complex. That's a great thing as puzzles are also one of the key focuses in the game: PCGamer even compared them to Uncharted "The Great Circle's brain teasers are just barely upper middle class, like a notch above Uncharted." You can discover all kinds of secrets too, like finding hidden passages with treasure by moving a few paintings or using your whip.

Ultimately the game is a treat for anyone into Adventure Games, or Indiana Jones in general. Don't just take our word for it, take look at the critic scores below!

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review Score roundup

Metascore (as of Dec 9th 2024): 87/100

• VGC: 100/100
• Eurogamer Germany: 100/100
• Eurogamer: 100/100
• VG247: 100/100
• GamingTrend: 95/100
• Sector sk: 95/100
• The Games Machine: 93/100
• Areajugones: 92/100
• Player 2: 91/100
• GameSpot: 90/100
• Gaming Nexus: 90/100
• Shacknews: 90/100
• Wccftech: 90/100
• IGN: 90/100
• IGN Spain: 90/100
• GamesHub: 90/100
• IGN Italia: 90/100
• COGconnected: 90/100
• TrueGaming: 90/100
• Gamersky: 88/100
• GIGA: 88/100
• PC Gamer: 86/100
• GameStar: 86/100
• INVEN: 82/100
• CD-Action: 80/100
• ComicBook: 80/100
• IGN Deutschland: 80/100
• TheSixthAxis: 80/100
• Worth Playing: 80/100
• Game Rant: 80/100
• Jeuxvideo.com: 80/100
• SpazioGames: 80/100
• PC Games: 80/100
• Destructoid: 80/100
• CGMagazine: 75/100
• 4P.de: 75/100
• PCMag: 70/100
• TheGamer: 70/100
• Gamepressure: 70/100

Gamesplanet wishes you lots of fun with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle!