It’s rare that a game released in the last gasp of December manages to not just make a lasting impression on almost a dozen-odd members of staff, but a big enough one to almost instantly supplant the last dozen months’ worth of equally excellent video games they’ve all been playing. But that’s precisely what Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has done to the Eurogamer team over these last few weeks, stealing in with hushed footsteps to lift this year’s most coveted prize before any of us really knew it was happening.
It’s a testament to the strength of what MachineGames has managed to achieve here with its globetrotting romp about a mysterious and ancient legend circling the planet, as well as its deep commitment to letting players create their own improvised fun within it. It’s also a lesson in how we as critics should always encompass the full scope of what any given year has to offer us, as to ignore such a brilliant, shining gem of a game just because it falls at an awkward time of year is simply a disservice to you, our readers.
This spirit of play and unbridled adventure is also what defines Eurogamer’s second game of 2024, Team Asobi’s joyous Astro Bot. It was quite a close-run race between these two games this year, and both stood head and shoulders above almost everything else when it came down to the final vote.
In some respects, these two games sit at almost opposite ends of the spectrum – one is a PlayStation family mascot platformer that rattles through 30 years of gaming history with delightful exuberance, while the other is a boisterous Xbox blockbuster that meshes breezy and spontaneous stealth systems with whip smart puzzles and brawny melee action. But I think they both speak to the same, underlying yearning we all feel – that we’re tired of being spoon-fed the same bland AAA fare year after year, and that what we really want is to poke, twist, prod and really get beneath the skin of what makes these games tick. We want to be challenged, to engage with what’s in front of us, and we want to feel thrilled and elated by it all as well.
That’s not to say we’re actively shying away from some of the darker aspects that also make games great. The sheer number of horror games on this year’s list is ample proof of that. Indeed, these, too, can be sumptuous interactive feasts that make our brains light up in all the same ways that games like Astro Bot and Indiana Jones do. But I think it’s that particular mix of player-authored chaos and creativity that The Great Circle taps into that’s made it such a deserving champion of this year’s picks.
The invitation to reach out and pick up a broomstick, a hammer, a mandolin, a violin bow, and then grasp and hold it in Indy’s hand with such poise, and such devious confidence, that you don’t even need to think twice about where that object’s going to end up in the next five seconds. It’s going to crumple and splinter the temple of the nearest Nazi guard, buckle them at the knees, and knock them out cold. Such is the fate of every object that passes through Indy’s fingers, because it’s too goddamn delicious not to (well, apart from the copious biscotti loaves, bananas and prickly pears you’ll also find lying about – those are going straight into Indy’s gob to give his health and stamina bars a second wind of endurance).
But even though the outcome of all these myriad objects might be set in stone, The Great Circle still thrums with the unexpected. Your plan of attack might get thwarted by a hidden guard you didn’t clock on your approach, say, your silent takedown suddenly erupting into a frantic chase of thrown bottles, grabbed trowels, and chaotic, panicky punches. Or you might come across a little brain-teasing puzzle that acts as a pleasing diversion for a few minutes, encouraging you to take five to solve a proposed board game conundrum, or crack a locked safe where skill books, cash and other tasty treats lurk within. Or perhaps you simply want to pause a moment to spend a little more time with its superb cast of characters, from your spirited companion Gina, right down to the Sukhothai village chief and his cat Fried Egg.
Or maybe you’ll stumble across an entirely different rabbit hole on your way through its densely plotted locations that forms one of The Great Circle’s many outstanding sidequests, many of which are so substantial, not to mention almost integral to what’s going on in the wider story, that you’ll want to seek them out regardless. Often sequestered away from the rest of The Great Circle’s story missions, they take you to all sorts of different places on its various maps that you might not have explored otherwise, their tailored plotlines and environments bringing a unique flavour to each and every one of them. Some tap into stealth-driven rescue missions, while others lean into Indy’s penchant for tomb raiding. There’s even one that feels like an homage to PT – a truly spectacular sequence that I won’t spoil any further, but which is just sitting there, off the beaten path, ready to delight those who happen to come across it.
I didn’t come across it at first – it was only after going back to mop up the stuff I’d inevitably had to leave behind in order to finish our review on time that I eventually discovered this little side story. And it really feels all the more special for having missed it the first time. A heavier handed blockbuster would have taken great pains to make sure I saw and experienced every last hyper realistic morsel of it in a single-player game like this (looking at you, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and your stupendous ode to maximalist excess), and with the threat of rising development costs and the pressure of making sure players get their pound of flesh in exchange for their 70 British pounds, it’s understandable why games leave so few stones unturned these days.
But how much more exciting it is to discover these gems for ourselves – to unravel new wrinkles in Indy’s story without them being handed to us on a plate, and all virtual fingers pointing ‘Go here! Please! I promise it will be good!’ How much more thrilling to be able to have that secret handshake with the developer, in a moment that feels truly your own. This is what the best games of recent years have always done for us – the Outer Wilds, the Elden Rings, the Unpackings, the Cocoons. All of them put the player at their heart, presenting us with rich and vibrant worlds to simply go away and tinker with at our own pace, peeling back its layers, and fully submerging ourselves in everything these games have to offer us. They let us play, uninhibited, within their respective sandpits, and they remind us of what’s possible in games, and how, even after all these years playing them, that they still have the capacity to surprise and delight us – whether we’re stepping into the shoes of a well-known film star, or a shining, blank canvas little robot.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle does all this and so much more with such confidence that it’s the best full stop to the year we could ask for, really. And with any luck, it will also be a bright new beginning for its developer MachineGames as well, a studio that’s taken such an assured swing with this new blend of genres that I can’t wait to see how it builds on these experiences in the future. Indy is back, and he’s never been better.