MachineGames is known for its intense, action-packed Wolfenstein games, full of thrilling moments and dual-wielding shotguns.
But now, their new game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, is shifting gears towards puzzles and strategic combat. “It is always a big challenge to go from something known, into the unknown of what the Indiana Jones game was for us,” said Jens Andersson, the design director, during a chat at Gamescom 2024. The team had to rethink their whole approach since they were used to creating fast-paced action games.
Don’t fret, though; you can still expect some Nazi-shooting action. But this time, Indy’s whip, fists, and even random kitchen tools will be more important. Playing as Indiana Jones means you’ll explore and investigate as much as you’ll fight. It’s a mix of gameplay styles you don’t often see in one game, especially in first-person ones.
“I think even more for this particular game, there aren’t too many references out there,” Andersson mentioned. “Like it’s an adventure-first game. So what does a AAA adventure game look like today? We don’t know. We had to figure it out.”
The adventure genre is broad and tricky to pin down. Old-school point-and-click games like Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis focused on puzzles and story, with little combat. Modern games like Uncharted mix action with narrative, featuring lots of bad-guy shootouts. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle doesn’t fit neatly into either category.
Game director Jerk Gustafsson reminded the team that this is a “MachineGames adventure.” When he said that, things started to click. “That’s when a lot of the team began to say ‘Oh, I see what you mean.’ Like MachineGames means cinematic, immersive, action, first-person. So what’s the adventure version of that?”
Creative director Axel Torvenius decided to focus more on adventure and exploration. “There’s a lot of slower moments. And because [they’re] slower moments doesn’t mean they’re boring,” said Torvenius. “Quite the opposite–it’s very intense and exciting. It’s slow-paced, but it’s still high tension and filled with a sense of adventure, and that’s what we’ve been trying to get. It’s to get that balance right.”
In the gameplay I saw, those quieter moments involved using Indy’s camera to snap pictures of artifacts. These photos fill your journal with info, helping you figure out where to go next or solve mysteries. Balancing pacing and guiding the player without holding their hand too much is a challenge.
“How do we push the player to do something, when before, everything we did were linear corridor shooters–which sometimes opened up a little bit, but never that much–to something in game style and game pace was vastly different,” said Torvenius.
It’s very different from MachineGames’ usual style, which makes me excited for what Indiana Jones and the Great Circle could bring to the first-person genre.
“The writing and the characters are front-and-center, rather than sidekicks to the action.”
Jens Andersson
This team has deep roots in the first-person genre. They worked together at Starbreeze Entertainment on games like The Darkness and Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. Both games, like Indiana Jones, relied heavily on story and hand-to-hand combat. Andersson explained, “It starts with the story, as trivial as that sounds. We adapt everything to sort of fit around that story rather than the other way around that I think a lot of other studios do. […] The writing and the characters are front-and-center, rather than sidekicks to the action.”
Fans often appreciate how MachineGames weaves deep storytelling into their action-packed titles. Wolfenstein’s memorable moments weren’t just about the combat but also the softer, character-driven scenes. For example, B.J. Blazkowicz’s surprise birthday party or his memories of his mother added depth to the game.
We love these little touches in games.
It’s hard to say if Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will match those storytelling heights, but it seems like they’re capturing Indy’s essence well. In one scene, Indy uses his whip to disarm an enemy, causing them to stumble into a barrel and knock themselves out. It was a funny, brief moment that added charm to the combat. Achieving this feel was challenging for the team.
“We have this very complicated system of people being pushed into the environment. So you can use the whip to get people around,” Andersson explained. “A lot of work was involved in having enemies react and catch their balance. It was a scary proposition when we started pushing for it. Everyone was not happy with us. But like this combination of simulation and animation and being able to interact with the environment and being able to pick up stuff, like it’s so Indy, right?”
The combat’s comedic timing feels spontaneous, much like iconic movie scenes. Whether it’s Indy shooting a swordsman or waiting for a plane’s propeller to take out a Nazi, these moments reflect Indy’s character and make the game exciting.
As a Wolfenstein fan, I’m still eager for the next Blazkowicz saga. But I’m also excited to see how MachineGames applies their storytelling and design to this new adventure, even if I’m not a huge Indiana Jones fan.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set to release on December 9 for Xbox Series X|S and PC, and it’ll be available on Game Pass from day one.
