Xbox made several appearances during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024. At the end of the show, a new trailer was released for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle with Troy Baker, who is playing the titular character, talking about the legacy of the character and what makes this game unique. The new gameplay trailer features look at a story-driven section set in the Himalayas and showcases new mechanics that we haven’t seen until now.
Puzzles are the beating heart of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Throughout the adventure, Indy will find mysteriously locked chambers, complex ancient mechanisms, and ritualistic sequences of challenges to understand and solve. Puzzles can be found during the linear storyline but the game will feature more open areas for players to explore. Each explorable area will include side characters, hidden secrets, added rewards, and photo opportunities.
New mechanics that were revealed during this new footage was the journal, the camera, and skills. The camera can be used for multiple purposes. Taking pictures of discoveries will help Indy figure out the mysteries that surround him, offering pointers for puzzles, or deepening the story.
Taking pictures also provides Adventure Points that can be used to unlock dozens of skills that can be found while picking up Skill Books hidden in the world. Each Book will open up the ability to unlock a new skill. One example of the kinds of skills players can unlock is “True Grit”. This skill allows Indy to take a fatal blow in a fight, but – in classic Indy style – retrieve his hat, dust himself off, and fight back once more. These points can be earned by making discoveries, taking photos, and… generally doing the kinds of things Indiana Jones would do.
Indiana Jones will also have a journal with him that players will use. The journal will hold documents that are found, photos that are taken, and discoveries that are revealed. Physical maps will be kept in the journal and it also acts as a hint system with Indy’s notes helping guide players when they need assistance.
Developer MachineGames also showed a new dynamic with the game’s stealth system. Inspired by classic moments from the movies, Indiana Jones will have opportunities to disguise themselves to blend in and enter forbidden areas.
Combat isn’t the main focus as in MachineGames’ Wolfenstein titles but Indiana Jones can hold his own in a fight. Melee is Indy’s first port of call with a mixture of punches, dodges, grabs, pushes, blocks, and parries. The idea is to break down an enemy’s defenses until Indy delivers a custom finisher. Players can also use the whip to control the space a little more, and environmental elements can be used to finish foes quickly.
Indy can also use his trusty revolver and other guns to finish threats quickly but the main focus of combat is centered around stealth and melee.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will release on December 9, 2024, for Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Steam. Xbox and Microsoft also announced that the game will make its way to PlayStation 5 next Spring.