Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review – whip-smart, fascist-fighting, open-world adventuring

The archeologist heads to Vatican City and the Egyptian Pyramids in this unconventional blockbuster, for lots of cleverly designed stealth, combat and puzzle-solving fun

Making an Indiana Jones game today seems like a straightforward endeavour: you take Uncharted's Nathan Drake, send him back in time 80-odd years, give him a fedora and a bullwhip and sit back and watch the golden idols roll in. The Uncharted developer Naughty Dog perfected the template for Indy-inspired globetrotting action games more than a decade ago, and nobody would blame Swedish studio MachineGames if it stuck to it.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle opts not to. Instead, it often goes out of its way to frustrate such comparisons. This unconventional blockbuster has more in common with games such as Dishonored and Hitman than it does with Uncharted. Sure, it has action and spectacle and occasionally dabbles in platforming, but it places far greater emphasis on puzzles, open-ended stealth, and letting you beat the snot out of fascists while dressed as a priest.