Over the weekend at the Xbox Games Showcase, Bethesda Studios — now owned by Microsoft — debuted new cinematic footage from their upcoming game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is billed as a globetrotting adventure that follow the famous archaeologist from the hallowed halls of the Vatican tot he sunken templates of Sukhothai to the pyramids of Egypt, and then some. The latest footage takes us to the snowy peaks of the Himalayas as Indy and and Gina find themselves in a bit of tussle with Voss and his men as they hunt for the secrets of mysterious sand powerful artifacts.
Setting the tone for the trailer, Bethesda describes what you're about to watch: "An intercepted message sends Indiana and Gina to Nepal tracking down one of the artifacts deep in the Himalayas. Their treacherous trek through the mountains leads them to a frozen battleship tucked away in the peaks. This is just one of many locations their journey will take them to in their hunt to uncover the secrets of the Great Circle."
While this is only a couple of minutes of footage from the game, it's clear that developer MachineGames has absolutely nailed the tone and feel of the Indiana Jones franchise. Watching the scene unfold — especially Indy's mannerisms and how he reacts to certain situations — felt just like watching one of the original movies.
At 4:32, specifically, we see Indy throw one of the men off the boat, turn to another and do a little acknowledgment before throwing a punch. It just felt like one of those classic movie moments. From the massive, wide-ranging set pieces to the subtle and charming interactions between characters, this feels like a passion project.
"Working with Indiana Jones makes you want to pull experiences from the wide range of set-pieces that made you go ‘Wow!’ as a kid,” said Game Director Jerk Gustafsson. “We all remember the thrill of seeing Indy’s daring and often narrow escapes, and we want to have those kinds of moments in the Great Circle as well."
A lot of the credit should also go to Troy Baker (Joel in The Last of Us) who is helping bring the famed character to life in the video game. The legendary voice actor really seems to channel the character and deliver his lines in a near-perfect impersonation of Harrison Ford.
The official description for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle reads:
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark™ and The Last Crusade™. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them - Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle still doesn't have a release date but is expected to launch later this year on Xbox Series X|S and PC. As a first-party Xbox title, it will be available on day one on Game Pass when it launches.