Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (PS5)

Having binge-watched Indiana Jones movies many times in my youth, I feel very nostalgic when I step into the shoes of the famous archaeologist. However, my first impression is spoiled right from the start when, at the end of a cinematic and slow section, the screen decides to freeze, forcing me to start over. Despite this, the atmosphere grows with every step, as the familiar things from the movies completely carry me along. There is a downside to this, though: even though I chose the more difficult puzzle level of the two options, I remember their solutions as sharp as if they were yesterday, thanks to the movies, and therefore the joy of success remains a little diluted.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is designed to be very player-friendly regardless of skill level, as the developers have placed several settings in the menus to increase convenience. For example, those who hate unnecessary searching can mark items and the most important targets for progression as more visible. The same trick can be done for Indy's companions. Deaths also don't cause too much of a setback, as autosaves happen quite frequently, but what's best: the pause menu shows when the last save was made. In games with automatic saves, this is often a problem, as you don't know how much you'll have to replay if you decide to end the session abruptly.

Externally, the PlayStation 5 version looks very good. The main characters, familiar from the movies, do not look exactly identical to their predecessors, but they still make their point, complementing the plot parts of the story during the dialogue sections. In terms of voice acting, the main attention is naturally focused on Indiana Jones, and Troy Baker succeeds in this area excellently, raising the atmosphere across the board. However, the supporting characters are not always up to the task, as the more open adventuring can sometimes cause unintentional repetition in dialogue or activation at the wrong moments. The game progresses mainly in a remarkably linear manner, although sometimes the exploration is freer, and it is precisely deviating from the route that may be the reason for the strange reactions of the AI ​​characters. However, the details that need fine-tuning do not ruin the experience, but at most cause a little surprise. As an aside, I want to mention the scene where I beat up a fascist who got in my way, and after the fistfight I heard Indy say "That is Dr. Jones to you", which made me laugh.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set in the world of the movies, strongly reflecting the events of The Last Crusade and Raiders of the Lost Ark. The biggest difference from the movies, however, is that Indy is not constantly challenging enemies with his whip, various assault weapons, or a pistol. You can't completely avoid combat situations, but I think the game presents a better experience when Indy sneaks in the shadows, avoids dangers, advances to difficult places with the help of his whip, and explores places calmly using his wits, and does not advance from one fight to another like a Rambo-style action hero. For example, it is downright frustrating when a guard blows his whistle or shouts loudly, seeing all the nearby hostile threats turn the situation into a fast-paced scene from a Call of Duty game. This breaks the immersion too much, although I like games with intense action.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle suffers the most from the fact that, as a big fan of old Indy movies, I feel that a good memory is a kind of curse. During the adventure, I felt many times that I had seen this before, and I knew too much about the scene in advance. Fortunately, there is still some room for imagination, and there is no direct copying, which helps keep the situations meaningful. In addition to the main tasks, additional activities are also offered in the form of numerous side tasks, which increases the duration of the main story, which lasts about nine hours. Indy also has the opportunity to move between certain main areas after they are unlocked, so that you can work on uncompleted side tasks again if you wish. Extra exploration also has its advantages, as the areas hide, among other things, booklets that improve skills, and can then be unlocked using collected points.

Overall, I really enjoyed stepping into Indiana Jones' boots and being the thorn in the bad guys' sides, but at the same time pursuing my own interests - searching for treasures. Getting into trouble and surviving various traps were always highlights, as I had to combine instinct and reason to come up with a solution to resolve the situation. The plot is rarely the main thing for me in games, but playing as such an epic character, I was able to approach the adventure just like I would in old Indy movies: with the power of nostalgia. This game is a success, especially when you experience everything new, without knowing about the old movies.