Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Nintendo Switch 2

Let me make it clear from the outset this isn't going to be a review that focuses on how wonderful Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is as a video game. What MachineGames first brought us on Xbox Series, then on PlayStation 5 and, finally, now on Nintendo Switch 2, is one of the best single-player adventures we've enjoyed in recent years. Their seemingly risky decision to offer us a first-person action-puzzle title, where there is hardly any gunplay but plenty of punching and whipping, mixed with stunning open-world areas, full of corners to explore and cinematic flair. In short, we're not here to pay tribute to the content itself again (well, maybe a little), but to decide whether this Nintendo Switch 2 version is worthy of donning the hat and wielding the whip.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a gem, a true masterclass in design that makes excellent use of its approach to tell the story it sets out to tell without ever upsetting the balance between a narrative adventure from a world-famous franchise, an action game, or a game of rather elaborate puzzles. Magnus really enjoyed it when the game was released on Xbox Series, and I followed suit a few months later (for Gamereactor Spain), playing the PlayStation 5 version from start to finish. In between, David went one step further and also told us how much he liked the Order of the Giants DLC. We've covered more than enough of everything there is to say about its content, its verticality, and its myriad details for enjoying the exploration of the Vatican, Egypt, and Sukhothai.

On the Nintendo Switch 2, however, the first thing to bear in mind is that we can't expect the same technical fidelity we saw in previous versions. The Nintendo console, with all its many merits, is a step behind the current generation of Microsoft and Sony consoles, and where those managed to reach and maintain 60 fps, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Nintendo Switch 2 has to settle for offering a stable (albeit) 30 fps. Nor does it offer the same graphical resolution, being limited to 1080p in Docked mode, whilst in handheld mode the screen offers a resolution of 720p. In the game, where this compromise is most noticeable is in the definition of facial models and a sense of motion blur that is more pronounced than I would like, given what I've enjoyed before.

However, the lighting and the definition of environments and settings do feel well executed. The interplay of light and shadow with lanterns and torches, such as during the night-time foray through Castel Sant'Angelo or the Vatican catacombs, effectively captures the crackling of the flames or the reflections on puddles or metallic surfaces. However, the reduced power means, for example, that there are fewer NPCs, such as maintenance staff and clergy walking around Vatican City, which is the area I've explored most for this technical review.

The good thing about playing Indy on the Nintendo Switch 2 is that, wherever you point, the gyroscope responds with precision. Yes, of course, you can simply use the sticks to focus your search as you would with any other FPS, but here, where careful observation and following subtle clues are necessary to solve puzzles, using the gyroscope to explore felt like a more natural way of doing it. On the other hand, and since we're on the subject of peculiarities, I must say it's not entirely clear to me whether the mouse mode will be a selling point for trying this version. I tried with all my might to 'force myself to use it', but the response wasn't as precise as I'd like, nor did it feel precise enough in moments such as aiming a weapon in the middle of a fight. You can adjust its sensitivity in the menu, but I couldn't find a setting that balanced motion blur with mouse precision.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a great game, as I said at the start, and playing it on the Nintendo Switch 2, even with its limitations, remains a highly recommended experience. It is also further proof that Bethesda is getting better and better at fine-tuning the exact balance to ensure its titles perform well on the platform, following the mediocre Skyrim and the more than satisfactory Fallout 4. If you're also a fan of physical formats and the preservation of video games, you'll be pleased to know that the cartridge contains the full version of the base game and the Order of the Giants DLC (with localised voice acting included), which will surely convince some to pick it up.

If you don't own an Xbox Series X or a PlayStation 5, or simply want to take Indy on holiday with you this summer wherever you go, The Great Circle on Nintendo Switch 2 continues to offer a pure Indiana Jones experience, where its successes in adapting to a less powerful system outweigh the limitations it faces. With a few launch tweaks to improve those platform-specific features, MachineGames still has plenty of treasures to bring to players with the game.