Indiana Jones and The Great Circle: The Order of Giants

As a kid growing up on a steady weekend diet of popcorn, ice cream, and Indiana Jones, I idolised him for his knack of getting out of tight spaces, especially in fights. Being a younger brother, the iconic scene of him pulling out a gun in the middle of a swordfight inspired me to bring dynamite to the rock-paper-scissors game to get the upper hand on my older brother, who always seemed to win. 

Grown up now, and while not a professor of archaeology but a literature lecturer, I share a lot of the wonder that Dr Jones feels when coming upon a long-forgotten curiosity. There’s a specific magic to be felt in discovery when seeing dots connect, snapping like magnets together. I love watching Indy’s enthusiasm take total control over him. It’s his greatest tool, but also his greatest weakness. His enemies often let him get absorbed in his work, and then they’ll pounce and snatch it all from under his eyes when he’s most vulnerable.

Reflecting on my experience with the DLC, The Order of Giants, I think I found that I share that in common with Indiana Jones. Most of my playthrough was immensely enjoyable, but my enthusiasm masked some of the rougher edges, and, like Indy, after getting carried away in what I loved, I would hit a wall that would swing the pendulum back the other way.

Getting back into the game took a good 20 or so minutes of fumbling through the unintuitive controls. Once I had started the DLC, which is available as soon as the Vatican opens up to you in a regular playthrough, I spoke with a young and eager priest, Father Ricci. He and his pet parrot, appropriately named Pio, will act as the DLC’s quest giver and sole new character. Indy and Father Ricci’s relationship feels tepid at best. Both are enthusiastic to learn about the Order of Giants and search for a hidden labyrinth under Casina Ricci, the father’s family estate. Their relationship does not feel like it goes beyond that of an NPC handing out tasks and Indy, the player, ready to check off a list. 

Indy is at his best when chasing the secrets of a long-lost Christian myth. When I made my way through some fascist guards and barracks to reach the Casina Ricci, the adventure really begins. By the time I had made the first major discovery, I was back in the saddle. The introduction’s slow pacing worked well to get me back into the mindset of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, where cleverness and stealth takedowns are more effective than gunfights, and while you won’t need a notebook at hand, maybe you’ll need to remember your Charlemagne. 

The DLC is paced nearly identically to the base game, with interspersed puzzle solving, dungeon exploration, and weaving through Nazi installations. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. While you spend more time in sewers and dimly lit catacombs than I would have wanted, the mechanics we’ve been familiarised with are still rock solid. I’ve added a few clips of my favourite takedowns to my collection: the cartoonish slam between the legs with a sledgehammer into whacking a Nazi goon across the face as they fly back and then downward into a pit, sewage, or cliff. The enemies are appropriately dumb, acting as perfect set-ups to classic Indiana Jones physical comedy punchlines (usually literally).

The world of the 1930s, with all its political tension and history, remains gorgeous to look at. Dr Jones and I made great use of the camera you’re given, as the lighting in this game remains phenomenal. There’s always a path to explore, an artefact to dust off, and a note to read as you wind your way through the untouched history of Rome’s waterways. 

In my 4 or so hours with the DLC, I never tired of the gameplay. But when I hit the climax, what was being revealed hardly made an impact. In my enthusiasm for playing the game and learning more about the myth of the children of Nephilim through puzzles, I had glossed over the story happening in real time in Indy’s present. When the only significant plot event came along, it fell flat. As much as this could be a user error, on reflection, the story doesn’t really give you much of a carrot at the end of the stick.

I’ve already explained most of the plot details. The bummer is that you don’t get much more than that until a late-game revelation. Speaking vaguely to avoid spoilers, too many new elements are crammed in at the end without much explanation. It does tie in with the myth that you’ve studied in the labyrinth beneath Rome, but the two narrative lines are uneven. Troy Baker’s continually impressive performance coupled with Machine Games’ lines for Indiana Jones should play out with the same captivation as the base game. But without many interlocutors, we’re left to mostly listen to Indy’s thoughts and reactions, which will always crack a crooked smile across your face, making for stale story development. 

When I realised that the story mattered, it was just too little, too late. With limited NPCs to move the story forward, most players will be able to put two and two together and realise how things will end if you’ve been paying attention to most adventure movies. 

Thankfully the DLC’s finale brought me back to the excitement I had been eager to dig into. Like his fight with the brute on the Nazi airstrip outside of the Tanis dig site, Indiana Jones goes into the Order of Giants’ last moments as a survivor and a thinker, and the set piece worked as a delightful and fitting surprise. 

If anything, The Order of Giants is proof that Indiana Jones is in good hands over at Machine Games. Sure, I had my misgivings with how the main story was handled, and it came across as serviceable for the better parts of the game. The Order of Giants is the best reminder of just how well done The Great Circle is and will inspire you to go back and play through more of the side quests in the base game.