Though MachineGames made a name for itself with first-person shooters, its next project is set to be a very different one from its past works. The studio has stressed on numerous occasions that the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is very much not a first-person shooter, unlike Wolfenstein, in spite of being a primarily first-person game, with puzzles, adventuring, exploration, and stealth all playing a key role.
On the combat side of things, though you can certainly fire weapons, the game places most of its focus on melee brawls, which, according to design director Jens Andersson, will entail “intentionally chaotic” fights throughout the experience.
Speaking in a recent interview with Game Rant about Indiana Jones’ combat, Andersson said, “Indy never uses his gun as a first or even second option, and we wanted that to carry across to the player. He is a brawler, but not a trained one, so the melee combat in this game is therefore intentionally chaotic, where you need to pick up and use whatever is available around you.”
In addition to your firsts and, of course, Indy’s iconic whip, the game will also allow players to approach melee combat with a variety of other objects that you can improvise and use as weapons. A large number of these can be found and picked up around the levels, and though some will be relatively mundane, like hammers or pipes, others will be much more humourous in nature, like large flyswatters or banjos.
“We also wanted to have a sense of humor – it’s Indiana Jones after all!” Andersson said. “We’ve littered the game with fun and exotic items that you can use in combat or in stealth. While a shovel or hammer might be most effective, it’s hard to resist picking the banjo or even the flyswatter and trying it out on the nearby goon.”
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches on December 9 for Xbox Series X/S and PC, and in Spring next year for PS5. Check out its launch trailer through here.