STACK #242 December 2024

GAMING FEATURE

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HAT’S THE WAY The developers bought replicas of Indy's famous fedora made by the hatmakers who made the original from the first movie, as well as proper recreations of his iconic jacket, to make sure that everything was absolutely spot on. Well, that was their excuse…

Set between the movies Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade , original Indy adventure Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is with us this month. Game director Jerk Gustafsson at Swedish developers MachineGames tells us more. Words Bec Summer CIRCLING BACK WITH INDY

of what our gameplay was going to focus on, we prioritised that, above all, we had to stay true to Indy's personality and who he is. He’s a normal human being. He's not a superhero, he is flawed. He makes mistakes, he stumbles. There’s weight to his movement. We have this gritty pulp edge to the action. But, at the same time, he's also rather athletic. He’s an excellent fighter, and he also has an enormous amount of luck, while

resources through our partnership with Lucasfilm games, and working together with them on this project has been invaluable, just this cave of knowledge about the character, which has been fantastic. And Lucasfilm has been excited about the project from day one and have been incredibly supportive and helpful in bringing the story and the character to life through not just our story, but also through gameplay.

Please, give us a quick storyline overview… The story kicks off when an ancient relic is stolen from the college where Indiana Jones works. He's determined to track down the thief, and stumbles into this ancient conspiracy involving the theory of the Great Circle - a strange alignment of ancient sites around the globe, and a set of mysterious artefacts connected to it. But Indy isn't the only one in search of answers. Enemies are scouring the world for

these artefacts, believing that they hold some kind of power. And to stop them, there's only one thing you can do, and that’s to find the artefacts first. What was it about exploring this Great Circle narrative that appealed so much? It's this mystery anchored in history, and it also spans the world, which is a great thing. It's just this perfect starting point for a globetrotting narrative where the course was already, in a way, set for us. What sort of research went into ensuring an authentic Indy experience? We had a lot of materials to go through, of course, and we spent countless hours just rewatching the films, especially the first two, as they’re closest to the game. And looking at the movies both

at the same time he's the best archaeologist in the world. So, focusing on all of these things, in a way, it makes the gameplay feel in line with the classic matinee action adventures that the movies were celebrating. While the game is set in the first person, there are some third person sections.What was the thinking behind this? What we're asking the player to do in our game is to step into the shoes of the world's most famous archaeologist, and we strongly believe that the first-person perspective is what makes

• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is out Dec 9 on Xbox Series X and PC, with PS5 coming in 2025

DYK?

Prolific actor Troy Baker steps into the boots of Indy in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle , providing both the voice

How was it for you creating around a franchise with such established lore, as

this experience the most immersive. It allows the player to focus on the adventure, to feel like they’re in there interacting with the world around them. We do bring in third-person gameplay. A player could literally have Indy's point of view with first-person allowing them to really be transported into the story. But, at the same time, we felt doing third-person was also important so that the player can see the iconic character.

and the motion captured body for Harrison Ford’s legendary character.

distinct from being able to go nuts with your own creations? Usually, we're used to having

heavy weapons, in gun blazing shooters. This is a little bit different. We’re making a proper adventure game here, and it's also a game that’s directed towards a wider audience - a bit of a new thing for us. Overall, when sketching out the foundation

from a broad stroke perspective to get into the mood, but also scrutinising them for details and the small hooks that are key to the identity of everything that is Indiana Jones. In addition, we have one of the best

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