Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the GOTY contender that time forgot, and that's a damn shame

In many ways, it feels like the era of 'movie games' is over - if anything, it's the era of 'videogame movies.' With Expedition 33, Arc Raiders, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance all set to get big screen adaptations following the success of League of Legends: Arcane, the Mario Movie, and Minecraft, it feels like Hollywood has realized that gaming is, in fact, a goldmine, or is, alternatively, out of its own ideas. But, while videogame adaptations have gone well over the past few years, videogame spin-offs of films haven't. I lament how mid Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was (even with the Fire and Ash-inspired DLC), and as much as I'm excited for Arkane's Blade (if it ever comes out), I have my reservations. It's why it took me a while to pick up Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, despite my love for the franchise - the recent movies haven't done much for Indy, why would the game be any better?

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle quickly became my 'Roman Empire' of 2025, however. I found myself thinking about it at least once every few days; perhaps the Uncharted-shaped hole in my heart was simply aching, or maybe I'm simply lamenting my lost childhood years as I approach the big 'three zero.' Either way, I knew for a fact that, one day, I was going to end up buying Bethesda's action-adventure game.

It's taken me almost a year to finally get around to completing it, but these past two weekends have blended into an exciting medley of whip snapping, Nazi punching, and ancient temples collapsing. But, damage to previous relics aside (as a history graduate, I weep), Indiana Jones and the Great Circle isn't just a spectacular story-driven experience: it's the perfect example of a spin-off done right.

While The Great Circle's overarching plot is an entirely new story, the series' signature, slapstick DNA is perfectly interwoven throughout. From the over-exaggerated punch sounds to the ever-iconic map sequences that track your journey across the globe, you really do feel like you're in one of the movies. Indiana Jones himself exudes heroism; in many ways you feel like Superman. Whether it's using your whip to scale the walls of cathedrals in the Vatican, or surviving encounters with the mysterious giants you encounter along the way - you feel like you're consistently defying death, and looking good doing it.

Then there are the puzzles. While there's Plague Tale-esque stealth combat (and the odd brawl), most of your time is spent deciphering old tablets and forcing open long-forgotten pathways. From placing wooden pipes in the right order in Thailand, to manipulating water in the Fountain of Confession to fill bowls, most of these sequences do require a bit of brainpower. I spent a good chunk of time on the Three-Eyed Door in Gizeh, as well as the Serpent Puzzle in Order of Giants. Perhaps my aging brain simply isn't as good as it used to be, but dodging traps and working out solutions is at the core of the Indiana Jones experience, and The Great Circle nails it.

There's also that overarching sense of mysticism; while Indiana Jones, the Nazis, and the world itself are very real, the movies still have those fantastical yet almost plausible elements, be it the eerie Sankara Stones, or the biblical Ark of the Covenant. In this circumstance, it's a series of artefacts scattered across the world that, when put together, allows the wielder to control powers beyond their imagination. I'm being intentionally vague, because honestly the finale truly is a masterpiece that you need to experience for yourself.

All of this is enhanced by just how beautiful this game is. Our journey takes us from The Vatican to the sands of Egypt, and into the heart of a Shanghai besieged by the Japanese Imperial Army. Each zone is beautifully realized and its denizens feel compelling: in the same way that the movies make every character feel relevant - almost like a whodunnit murder mystery - The Great Circle does the same.

Putting the vistas and storyline aside, however, the thing that really makes a spin-off feel authentic is its portrayals of characters you know and love. Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones is iconic in every way, but I'd be remiss not to doff my fedora to Troy Baker. From his sassy quips to non-subtle sneaking; the way that his eyes take in every detail to those sillier, more comic moments, Baker perfectly embodies Indiana Jones. While I was delighted to see Jennifer English take home the best performance prize for Expedition 33 at The Game Awards, a part of me felt like Baker had been robbed. On several occasions, I truly believe he played Indiana Jones better than Harrison Ford himself. Controversial, I know.

That's my overarching feeling regarding the whole game, really. While its stealth-focused action isn't exactly revolutionary (although clubbing Nazis with anything from a dusty shoebrush to an Italian mandolin never gets old), it really is the perfect film spin-off. I concede that Expedition 33 truly innovated upon and leveled up the JRPG genre, but I firmly believe that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is Game of the Year-worthy. It was released at a bad time - it wasn't eligible for the 2024 Game Awards as it had just passed the cut-off point, and then 2026 saw the likes of Silksong, Hades 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and, of course, Expedition 33. In many ways it feels like the videogame time forgot: not because it was bad (the 86 on Metacritic and our 9/10 review attest to that), but because it launched at the worst possible time.

As someone who truly loves Indy (I was going to be an archaeologist when I grew up, fun fact), The Great Circle is everything I wanted and more. It's my Roman Empire again: I think about it at least once a day now. As I work my way through Rome in its DLC, Order of Giants, I can't help but smile. Perhaps there's still some life left in movie spin-offs; God knows, I hope so.