Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was released on the Xbox Series X and Series S late last year and was pretty much one of the best games of 2024. It might have taken a few extra months, but the experience is now finally available for PlayStation 5 owners, with some fancy new visual upgrades for PlayStation 5 Pro owners, too.
This review will be a little shorter this time, as we’ve only recently reviewed this upon its release. That review still stands in almost every way, and we only really aim to highlight the upgrades and improvements on the new platform here in this review.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is simply one of the best Indiana Jones-related properties since the original trilogy of films. With its visceral combat, clever puzzles and engaging narrative, it’s a trip you shouldn’t miss. While its PlayStation 5 version might not justify its existence if you’ve already played or own the Xbox version, if you haven’t jumped on board, there’s never really been a better time.
You can check out our full, in-depth review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle here.
Fortune and Glory
That being said, we’re going to do our best here to wrap up the key highlights of the experience. For those of you who wish to skip this and focus on the PS5 and PS5 Pro upgrades, head further down to our ‘Look the Part’ portion of the review.
Taking place in 1937, between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, Indy finds himself chasing down a mysterious man in search of a stolen relic. Without giving too much away, this chase essentially leads him down a path of hidden orders, untapped powers and a special bond that links the world’s greatest landmarks together in one singular line around the globe.
It wouldn’t be an Indiana Jones adventure without some memorable supporting characters, with Ginetta “Gina” Lombardi along for the ride in search of her lost sister. Moments and conversations shared between Indy and Gina are generally moving and heartfelt, approaching this pursuit from incredibly different angles, yet coming together when it counts to create some well-acted conversations and incredible action setpieces.
I must also state here for the record that actor Troy Baker’s performance as Indy is superb. I lost count of the number of times I simply assumed a young Harrison Ford was in the booth. It lends plenty of perspective when it comes to breathing new life into these older characters, as far as impersonations are concerned. Even then, labelling this an impersonation feels like a disservice to Baker’s performance, adding his unique charm, all while staying true to the character we know and love.
Crack That Whip
For the most part, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle divides its gameplay into three sections: combat, stealth and puzzle-solving.
Combat will usually see you duking it out with your bare hands or melee weapons like tools, pans, and even throwable weapons found in the environment. Your left and right fists can be controlled with the left and right triggers, with both L2 and R2 on the DualSense controller taking advantage of haptic feedback. It’s a shame the whip doesn’t get this treatment, as it’s not bound to a trigger, but it’s not necessarily a dealbreaker.
Hand-to-hand combat isn’t made to take on multiple enemies, and while that makes sense for the character, it does make things feel a little clunky at times, when you’re trying to block one enemy, counter a second and trip up or disarm a third with the whip.
Indy can also use his trsuty revovlker or even ranged wepaons like machine guns and rifles found out in the evnirments or taken from fallen Nazi soldiers, but it’s never encouraged, as they make plenty of noise, and will usally alert every enemy in the area to your precsense, in which things thenm get very hairy.
Stealth is normally the way to go, and helps thin out the crowd for when you have to smack an enemy or two across the mouth. Crawling around and hiding between spaces still brings with it a fair amount of tension, but will always make combat easier in the long run, given how many melee weapons you’ll come across as opposed to ranged weapons.
When you’re not sneaking around or punching goons in the face, you’ll need to solve a variety of puzzles and traverse some interesting environments to get around, in which the camera switches to third-person. They’re not necessarily difficult, but just enough of a brain scratcher to make you feel clever, without dragging the overall pace down. Some are certainly trickier than others, but there’s generally a fair amount of context in Indy’s journal to refer back to, and by taking photos with your trusty camera for additional notes. The game can even give you pointers if you’re stuck for too long.
Finally, utilising the camera to take photos of various landmarks and items of interest, as well as collecting valuables out in the wild, can help you gain Adventure Points. These points can be spent on upgrading Indy’s abilities, even if players need to find specific books that allow that upgrade to be purchased.
Look the Part
Even on a standard PS5, this game looks incredible. Akin to the Xbox Series X version, players will get one of the better-looking games out there, even on the PS5. The frame rate is stable, and aside from the odd texture pop-in, it feels like a layup in terms of what the actual base PS5 can still do.
But unlike the Xbox Series X or Series S versions of the game, PS5 Pro users get a little more in the graphics department. Firstly, the game simply launches with a native 4K resolution, instead of asking you to choose between Performance and Fidelity modes. As a result, things not only look sharper but are packed with way more detail, thanks to the addition of advanced ray tracing, which is also available on the standard PS5.
That being said, that additional level of detail from a sharper resolution, paired with the same, solid 60 FPS in almost any situation, makes it the best way to play the game, rivalling that of higher-end PC builds. In the same breath, I must commend how this looks and runs on the standard PS5 and even the Series X, as it’s one of the best-looking games available today, across the board.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is one of the best adventure games in recent memory, and one of the best-looking games on the PS5, made sharper and more detailed again on the PS5 Pro.
While there’s not much else to add to the core experience for those who have played or own the game on either Xbox or PC, I urge anyone who only owns or has access to a PS5, or has not played the game yet, to jump on board for an incredible adventure.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Fantastic narrative and voice performances; Engaging gameplay and plenty of unique puzzles to solve; Slick visuals; Numerous locations to explore
Lowlights: Melee combat gets a bit confusing when multiple enemies are involved; Looks even sharper on the PS5 Pro thanks to a native 4K resolution.
Developer: Machine Games
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, Game Pass
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a pre-release code provided by the publisher.
