There’s life in this old Gizeh

Every fascist in this game has a cold.

All this is to say, you will notice the difference.

But that might not matter; they’re both still Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones stares into the light in The Great Circle.

As is Disney’s wont, the outing is militantly on-brand.

There are more pots in these tombs than aDark Soulsplayer could feasibly roll over.

Indy’s Big Round Ring satisfies that desire for a wandering playspace.

The player holds a camera as they observe an Egyptian village.

Its levels are grand and open.

All useful when the fighting breaks out in earnest.

For me, this meant completely ignoring the revolver you always have to hand for emergencies.

Gina shows the player an artifact in a vault full of relics.

Instead I relied on the many melee weapons that are scattered in almost every room and desert tent.

All this adds to the combat’s general sense of weight.

All this meant I didn’t find the punching all that enjoyable at first.

The player raises a lighter in a dark tomb and sees an idol on a plinth.

Playing this game in “tired parent” mode is viable.

That sense of heft is not just in the fighting though.

Carrying bodies to chuck them in a hiding place also drains your stamina bars very quickly.

The player guards and parries a punch from an Italian fascist.

There are a hell of a lot of satisfying “kerclunk” noises in these catacombs and corridors.

In fact, the sound design in general is very solid.

And the soundtrack is, once again, chest-pumpingly loyal in its toots and honks.

A mysterious giant marches toward Indy in the dead of night.

When you smash people on the noggin in surprise the tension is dissipated by a dramatic “wwwWAH!”

that you may unconsciously recognise as just one of the game’s many John Williamsisms.

As a work of adaptation, much of this stuff is to be expected.

Father Antonio holds a candlestick in a secret room at the Vatican.

And it’s interesting to see how Machine Games have handled the most video gamey elements.

How do you make recovering health feel like Indiana Jones?

How do you make a “last stand” self-revival skill feel like Indiana Jones?

Gina and Indy hide in the shadows from Nazis.

You make the downed player crawl towards his hat and put it back on.

How do you make a map screen feel like Indiana Jones?

You let him hold the actual map and look down at it even as the player walks around.

Gina and Indy slide down a wire in the snowy Himalayas.

And it is proof that Machine Games have gone about each system in a thoughtful way.

If you’re sighted, it’s basically time for a big brawl.

At first, I found that a little frustrating, I instinctively wanted to save scum.

The player checks their map in the deserts of Gizeh.

But after embracing the biffing I have realised this too feels truer to the character of the films.

Indiana Jones doesn’t hide once he’s caught.

He gets into a stupid fight.

You forget all about Baker.

Sneeze away, little Nazi.

I know where you are.