Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™ – Wits, Whip & Fists

“You aren’t playing as Indy. You are Indy.”

nd nearly all of MachineGames’ design decisions throughout the development of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™. With its immersive first-person perspective, balanced gameplay dynamics, and even the special attention given to Indy’s iconic whip, the adventure offers an unparalleled experience for both new players and long-time fans. Get a behind-the-scenes look at how MachineGames created their “wits, whip and fists” experience in The Great Circle.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass and PC, and is coming to PlayStation 5 on April 17. Pre-order it now.

In Indy’s Shoes

First-person perspective is ideal for creating a deeply personal experience. The team at MachineGames wants you to truly feel like the legendary archaeologist and tackle each situation the way he might.

“We made a very conscious choice to have most of the gameplay be in first-person,” says Creative Director Axel Torvenius. “It helps the player feel more immersed in the world of Indy when they get to see everything through Indy’s eyes, literally. Even something like a fistfight is so much more real and satisfying in first-person.”

“We want you to see the world through his eyes,” adds Design Director Jens Andersson. “First-person offers the most player-centric experience where you truly feel like you’re in this environment hunting for clues. You get to really feel like the character. But we do have moments where we use the third-person perspective. We love it for big storytelling moments, so you can see Indy interacting with other characters, and it’s also important to things like traversing through the environment and being able to show you how you’re interacting with your surroundings.”

This blend of perspectives guarantees that players get the best of both worlds: the close-up immersion of first-person gameplay and the cinematic storytelling of third-person sequences. It all comes together to give you a look at a beloved character in a way you’ve never seen before.

The Action in the Adventure

Staying true to the essence of Indiana Jones means striking the perfect balance, both in perspective and how the team at MachineGames approached action and adventure. The game’s flexibility means you can tailor the experience to your playstyle, whether you’re into stealth, combat or a mix of both. The Great Circle pushes for creative problem solving and exploration, much like Indy himself.

“We’re constantly tweaking and refining the balance between action and adventure, but the thing we’re reminding ourselves of is that we’re not making a hardcore shooter,” explains Torvenius. “We’re making a globe-trotting adventure game that shooting can be as much a part of as you want, depending on your playstyle. Our ambition is that, if you want, you could make it through the entire game without firing the revolver once. You always have the option to use it, but you can also find another way. Look at how often Indy uses the revolver in the movies compared to the times he relies on his fists and whip. That’s the balance we’re looking for.”

Because the Indy of the films is far more likely to rely on his own resourcefulness than the gun at his side, the game will always offer options for players looking to avoid direct confrontation.

“We love options, especially when it comes to stealth,” Torvenius continues. “We give them disguises that let them infiltrate enemy areas undetected. We give them opportunities to distract enemies and move around them when they’re not looking. We give players the whip and environmental traversal to put them over the enemies’ heads.”

Creating the Whip

The whip is, of course, key to both the action and the adventure experiences. It’s more than just a tool; it’s a part of Indy himself, perfectly fitting into the story and gameplay to create an unforgettable adventure. No other piece of Indy’s gear is as iconic or essential as his whip, and MachineGames worked hard to make sure it feels authentic.

“The whip is front and center when you play as Indiana Jones, and it’s a tricky element to get right,” says Andersson. “It needs to feel right when you do a whip crack from first-person through both simulation and animation. The way it behaves when it wraps around someone’s feet or the weight of you swinging across a chasm should feel real. It’s such a fun, multi-purpose tool, but it needs to feel realistic.”

According to Audio Director Pete Ward, even the whip’s sound effects had to be just right to create the most genuine experience. The audio team put in a lot of effort (and even endured a little physical pain) to nail that nostalgic whip crack.

“Indy’s whip has such an immediately recognizable sound, and we knew right away that we wanted it to sound the way it does in the movies,” explains Ward. “So we’re using a lot of the effects we got from Lucasfilm as our base and then recording our own content the way they would have recorded it in the 80s. We started out by buying a few whips and learning to crack them ourselves, but it turns out that it’s quite hard to that consistently without hurting yourself. So we hired a whip-making expert in the north of Sweden and recorded him cracking whips in different locations and environments to get the perfect suite of whip sound effects.”

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches on Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass and PC on December 9. Early access starts on December 6. Pre-order it now and learn more about early access, pre-order bonuses and all versions of the game here.