Its place is no longer in a museum
After all this time, there was every reason to believe that Indy had said everything he had to say. Just like his interpreter, Harrison Ford, the saga has agednow belonging to another generation of adventurers. How to revive the legend of the archaeologist without making it a dusty relic that only aspires to look back sadly ? Whether we like them or not, that was the effect given by opuses 4 and 5 of the cinematographic saga, released in 2008 and 2023.
Film-wise, it’s complicated. But what about video games? This medium where time freezes and all the heroes are immortal. This is where Indiana Jones could continue to live, without losing his essence. The gameplay is also a wonderful narrative tool to invite the spectator (and therefore the player) to the incredible. But alas, even on the video game side, Indiana Jones is no longer on conquered ground. Already outmoded by his successors (Tomb Raider, Uncharted,…), his return could seem very superfluous.
Without being completely clear-cut, we would have tended to say not long ago that, yes, Indy deserves his retirement. An opinion which is however not shared by Bethesda and MachineGames (the creators of the games Wolfenstein) who, today, are taking on the challenge of resuscitation as risky as it is unexpected. In the guise of a young Harrison Ford (dubbed in VO by actor Troy Baker, while in VF we have the chance to keep the familiar voice of Richard Darbois), Indiana Jones thus makes a makeover.
And here we are, suddenly back in 1937 – between Raiders of the Lost Arkfrom and The Last Crusade –, while Professor Jones is still in trouble with Nazis, fascists and ancient civilizations. A great program, but will MachineGames have been able to emulate the spirit of the films in a 2024 game over several dozen hours? We wouldn't have believed it… but the answer is yes. It’s an improbable tour de force: the myth ofIndiana Jones came back to life.
An Indiana Jones more real than real
The recipe for this success lies on two points: one good action game know-how (in terms of pace and efficiency, at least) and a lot of care taken in authenticity. Rather than trying to revolutionize the franchise or bet everything on an excessive spectacle worthy of triple A, MachineGames devoted itself more to pastiching the essence of the films with incredible precision. From the introduction of the game, modeled on the legendary opening scene of the Raiders of the Lost Arkthe tone is set.
The first and main ambition of the game will therefore be to immerse us again in the golden age ofIndiana Jones – a saga whose virtue was itself to pay homage to the pulp adventure stories from the 30s to 50s (from Jean Bruce to Ian Fleming via Hergé). The scenario of the game never takes itself seriously, combining absurd adventures, improbable stunts and the repartees of a hero which always hit the mark. In short, it is the panache that prevails over this Ancient Circle. And this, from start to finish.
We find a larger than life Indy who, even in the first person (a somewhat risky game design choice) is always at the center of the story, carried by perfect dialogues and omnipresent dubbing. He is sarcastic, brawling, erudite, ready to beat up on Nazis. Exactly as we left him, in 1989. This irreverence which characterizes him will of course lead him to revisit history in his own way, to cross paths with figures like Mussolini, while he desecrates the secrets of the Vatican. In his impertinence, the developer drew heavily on the tone of the Wolfenstein and it works great.
Everything is uninhibited and sincerely funny (the confessional scene is great and 100% in the essence of the first trilogy). This is what allows the adventure to never lose its flavor, even after many hours. Now if Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle shines for its fidelity to the saga, its technique (as a game released in 2024) is not not entirely flawless.
Charm and imperfections
We cannot ignore the fact that it is quite disappointing for a title stamped Indiana Jones to have so many optimization concerns and a rather average overall technique. Likewise, the game offers many infiltration phases whose interest is frankly diminished by AIs missing the point (sometimes blind and sometimes omniscient). Fortunately, the difficulty is not very punitive and that Indy always has ways to get out of it, because otherwise, the chases could have become painful with each failed infiltration.
It should also be noted that the interface and controls are not very intuitive and could have been better worked on. In terms of form, we will therefore not be impressed by The Ancient Circle and we can deplore it. However, none of these faults are difficult to forgive. If we wanted to be disingenuous, we could even say that they help restore an old-fashioned adventure charm. In any case, none of this spoils the experience.
As for the rest, The Ancient Circle does, literally, everything one could have expected from a game Indiana Jones. All the ingredients are there: stereotypical but engaging characters, a very generous adventure in several acts and a plethora of side content that weaves organically into the main plot. The fights are as exhilarating as they seem to be in the films and that's another strong point. Using any object in the scenery to explode on an enemy's head then follow up with a left hook is not only fun, but it's also super consistent with pulp action which is the heart of the saga.
The exploration is also quite successful (it is linear, but in an intelligent way). It has the good taste of not being armored with useless enemies to allow the player's immersion to take place and to offer some great puzzles which remind us of The Last Crusade. In short, even if he does not reinvent anything, The Ancient Circle is a gifted student. He knows how to offer everythingIndiana Jones does better, adapting it to an effective video game formula.
Test carried out on PC. Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle has been available on PC, Xbox Series and PS5 since December 9.
