Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - I’m Getting Convinced to the FPP View

It's been a long time since a game has stirred such mixed feelings in me as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. On one hand, the hero of my childhood is making a comeback, with whom I watched all the movies in the cinema. It was because of him that after watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, when I was around 8 years old, I aspired to become an archaeologist, and a few years later I successively played Fate of the Atlantis, Infernal Machine, and Emperor’s Tomb.

However, Indiana Jones is a relic of the 80s, surviving primarily due to the nostalgia of boomers like myself. The current generation has their Deadpools and other Marvel heroes. Disney's attempt to revive the spirit of Indiana Jones somehow failed. The not-so-long debut of the Dial of Destiny not only suffered a spectacular financial flop, but it was also far from the quality of the original trilogy. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, packed with computer effects, also lacked the magic of the first three films.

Developing a new game with a famous archeologist in the current times is like walking on thin ice, which felt particularly fragile when it was revealed that it would be a first-person perspective game from the devs of Wolfenstein. The materials shown so far didn't really impress me, so I was waiting for more gameplay footage, and I finally got it. A brief game presentation for the media before gamescom focused mainly on gameplay and I must admit that after what I saw, I'm (slightly) bought by the FPP mode. Maybe not 100 percent, or even 70, but I maybe it won't be that bad!

TPP would be perfect...

Where do my complaints about the FPP mode come from? Indiana Jones is an iconic character who cannot exist without his whip, fedora hat, leather jacket, and shoulder bag. While watching the movie, we constantly have all these elements in front of our eyes, we even see how Indy risks his life just to save his hat. Throughout the turn of the century, we constantly watched Jones, clicking pixels in LucasArts adventure games and controlling him in TPP games. The devs of Tomb Raider understood this perfectly, allowing us to see Lara in third-person and her iconic attributes – I mean, of course, the long braid, shorts, light green top, and two Colts in holsters!

In the FPP view, we can only see Jones's hands holding a whip or something else at times. We need to have a strong imagination of who our protagonist is, as the FPP mode isn't designed for action-adventure games. Our vision is much more focused compared to the wide open spaces of TPP, and the action is typically much less dynamic. FPP is perfect for shooters where guns play the main role, but not necessarily the one holding them. Do you still remember the faces of the Far Cry protagonists?

...but FPP also has its good side

After seeing the latest materials, I am ready to give Machinegames a credit of trust. First of all, it looks like the FPP mode won't be "hardwired" into the gameplay. When Indy uses a whip to jump over some gap or when he climbs something, the camera switches to TPP mode. Even more important are the environmental puzzles, which take on a completely different dimension and possibilities through Indy's eyes. We observe numerous details on objects, and we can rotate, touch, and pour liquids on them - all while maintaining a higher level of immersion thanks to FPP. This also applies to the general decor of the levels, where we can appreciate a greater amount of details.

The emphasis is definitely on the adventure aspect and puzzles, with the developers also stating that their game is an "adventure action," not a traditional "action adventure." There are also moments when Indy uses his revolver or grabs a captured submachine gun and sprays bullets, like in a classic FPS. It's impossible not to mention the many cutscenes that drive the plot forward. The camera is likely to keep switching to cinematic interludes, adding variety to the narrow FOV of FPP mode with movie sequences.

However, not everything is perfect, as there are also mechanics that don't quite fit the FPP mode. The best examples are sequences in which Indy disguises himself as a priest or a Nazi in order to blend in with the crowd and infiltrate the inaccessible location. Besides the cutscene, the outfit is only occasionally visible on the sleeves. Compared to the costume changes of Agent 47, where everything is viewed in full glory, here it looked less impressive and if it wasn't for the small icon forcibly added to the screen interface, it would be hard to tell whether we are wearing a disguise or not.

At the end, there is also punching during the fight. The developers of Wolfenstein are experts in FPP, and I must admit that it looks better than in a game like Kingdom Come: Deliverance, but it's only "slightly better" and not as good as it would look in TPP mode. I don't really like the animations, the range of movements, and perspective. The ability to pick up pipes, sticks, and throw them at enemies adds some dynamism to FPP combat. There is also a whip, to which a lot of time and work has been devoted so that its physics, animations, and sounds give the right effect. I miss a bit of full-body animation in the "whip-cracking" view, but overall it didn't turn out badly.

Semi-open locations and adventure

I was delighted by the announcement of a combination of narrow, linear stages with semi-open locations, which will not only make it possible to explore thoroughly and find many secrets but also provide the opportunity to complete optional side mini-quests by talking to NPCs. Moreover, you will be able to return to these places later to thoroughly "clean" them of available attractions. I hope that semi-open locations will exceed that of Uncharted 4, as the FPP mode allows for more precise exploration and admiring the detailed graphics, which looked quite impressive at the showcase. However, on the most frequent question from journalists about the number of hours needed to complete the game, we didn't get the answer. The developers justified themselves by stating that each person plays differently, while also adding that it is the largest and longest game to complete in the history of the Machinegames studio.

The length of the game will likely be significantly affected by the complexity of environmental puzzles. In the trailers, we've only seen brief fragments of generally familiar mechanics: directing light to the right place, placing cogs to drive some mechanism - may they be as different as possible. Their difficulty level is said to vary - some will be easy and quick to complete, while others will require us to pause and think for a moment. The solution is supposed to involve a camera and taking pictures with it. Next to it, there will also be Indiana's journal, where new notes and sketches will appear – a great nod to Indiana's father's notebook from The Last Crusade! I hope it won't just be a decoration, but looking into it will really prove necessary to push the plot forward.

Will it be a new quality in the adventure genre?

While listening to the developers talk about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, one sentence that stuck in my mind was that they not only wanted to accurately recreate the atmosphere of the 1930s (the plot takes place immediately after the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark) but also the ambiance of 80s movies. The trailers feature characteristic sequences from the original film, such as the animation of the red line on the map depicting Indy's travels, visiting various locations from the Vatican, through the pyramids in Egypt, to Thailand and the Himalayas. But the atmosphere of those films also includes humor, shots, action sequences, and chases. Surely, all of that will be present, but we'll see if it truly manages to capture the essence of the original trilogy, which was somewhat missing in the last two movies.

In any case, I'm becoming more and more convinced by the computer-generated Harrison Ford with the voice of Troy Barker and his new partner Gina. Nazi archaeologist Voss looks a bit stereotypical – he's similar to Toht from Raiders…, which is why I'm most curious about the much more original character of Locus, played by none other than the Candyman himself – Tony Todd. I hope he will have a meaningful impact on the entire story.

During the presentation, a very interesting question was posed to the developers: "Will Indiana Jones and the Great Circle bring something new, and redefine the adventure genre?" I really wish it could be an "adventure" game with an added touch of "action." But even more, I would wish for a world of idols dominated by superheroes to once again find a place for a slightly more ordinary, down-to-earth hero, whose feats on the screens everyone will follow with as much emotion as they did 40 years ago in the cinema. I hope that the Machinegames team will not only bear the burden of nostalgia but also create a fantastic and captivating adventure game.