Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

[h1]A very good game held back by frustrating design choices.[/h1] [b]Executive Summary:[/b] I want to preface this by saying that this is not a bad game—in fact, it is a very good one. The story, the music, and the overall vibe are excellent. However, I have listed several unnecessary flaws below that unfortunately prevent it from being a 10/10 masterpiece. It is a shame, because with a little more polish in these areas, it could have been incredible. [h2]The Good: Puzzles, Villain & Performance[/h2] [list] [*][b]Puzzles & Fieldwork:[/b] Absolutely excellent. There is nothing to complain about here. Quests like "A study in fear" were incredibly fun and engaging. [*][b]The Antagonist (Voss):[/b] Voss is a fantastic villain. He is instantly recognizable, unique, and interesting (a breath of fresh air compared to modern [i]Tomb Raider[/i] villains). I genuinely enjoyed every scene he was in. [*][b]Performance:[/b] The game runs well. I played on max details without AI upscaling. There are some minor lags when loading into a new location, but that is perfectly understandable. [/list] [h2]Maps & Navigation[/h2] The map system is incredibly frustrating. I understand they tried to avoid a purely "video game UI" map (like in the [i]Tomb Raider Survivor[/i] trilogy) to make it more diegetic, but it feels half-baked. If they wanted realism, why are there digital UI icons instead of pencil-drawn markers? Navigating multi-level maps is a nightmare. Separated areas of the map have no logical layout pattern (like left for basement, center for ground floor, etc.), and Indy doesn't have floor indicators. You just see a collectible in a disconnected room and have no idea how to get there. Furthermore, zooming in on the map doesn't scale down the UI icons or the player marker, making the zoom function practically useless. There are also no location names displayed, which makes Googling for help with DLCs or specific areas impossible. The Vatican is the worst offender. It features multi-story buildings with absolutely no interior maps. The UI might tell you a collectible is "below" you, but you have no idea if that means the ground floor or the basement. Because passages between buildings are extremely limited, you often have to walk all the way around a building just to find out the entrance to the basement is actually in another building altogether. [h2]Combat & Gunplay[/h2] The combat is, unfortunately, very weak. I only found shooting worthwhile about twice in the entire game; the rest was just melee. Enemies are massive bullet sponges—some can take up to three headshots (or five body shots) to die. Meanwhile, Indy can die from three shots anywhere. The gunplay is slow, restrictive, and completely unsatisfying. It reminds me of [i]Fallout 3[/i], where you are locked into agonizingly long animations for aiming or reloading while enemies pummel you at lightning speed. I vastly prefer the snappy, responsive gunplay of games like [i]Shadow of the Tomb Raider[/i] or [i]The Last of Us[/i]. Overall, the game heavily forces you into stealth and melee. I would have much preferred the freedom to choose my playstyle—whether that be a sniper, guns blazing, stealth, or using traps (similar to [i]Fallout 4[/i], [i]Cyberpunk[/i], or [i]7 Days to Die[/i]). [h2]Flawed Save System & UI/UX[/h2] The save system desperately needs an overhaul, as it lacks basic logic: [list] [*][b]Failing to save:[/b] In China, I picked up 4 collectibles and then fast-traveled to a new location. The game didn't save my collectible progress during the travel, which happens constantly. [*][b]Saving when it shouldn't (Death Loops):[/b] The game once autosaved the exact millisecond a commander saw through my fascist disguise. I spawned directly into being discovered and killed, forcing me to attempt an escape about 10 times until I finally broke the loop. [/list] The UX is also very unfriendly. A glaring example is the photography mechanic. If you miss the exact angle the game wants, Indy complains, and you are locked out of taking another photo for about 2 seconds—highly annoying for achievement hunters. Additionally, taking a photo and opening menu forces the journal to open. This makes sense for the story, but when you are backtracking to collect all photos, having to back out of the journal and press extra buttons just to open the map and find the next one is just bad UX. [h2]Graphics & Minor Bugs[/h2] The graphics look slightly outdated—if I had to guess blindly, I would say it looks like a 2018-2019 game. It is not a huge problem, just a bit surprising. It simply isn't a modern technological peak (for example, water physics aren't anywhere near [i]The Last of Us Part II[/i]). There are also immersion-breaking details, like fighting a giant in a room full of coins, but the coins are completely static and just emit sound when stepped on. Bugs were relatively minor: Indy occasionally grabbing the air 30cm above a ledge, a stretched mesh in the Cloaca Maxima (fixed by reloading), and some floating plants/objects in the Vatican. Nothing game-breaking, but noticeable. [h2]Final Thoughts[/h2] The game feels a little too short. I would have gladly traded some of the side missions and collectibles for a slightly longer main campaign. It is a good game, but be prepared for some clunky mechanics along the way.