Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: A New Adventure
The Game’s Premise
Harrison Ford was de-aged last year for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" on the big screen, and video game makers are pulling the same trick for the whip-cracking hero’s latest outing on the small screen. The trailer for "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle" shows the archaeologist adventurer, buried up to his neck in sand, with a bespectacled Nazi sneering at him. The Nazi gets a crisp headbutt, and the famous theme tune hustles in.
The Game’s Development
The creators of the game, released on Monday, are thrusting players back to the time period of the first Indiana Jones film, "Raiders of the Lost Ark." The baddies are familiar, as are the settings and trappings – ancient structures peeking out of the jungle, flame-lit caverns filled with booty, rickety rope bridges over snow-covered ravines. And players get to inhabit the hero in the first person, in all his youthful splendor.
The Challenge of Creating a Convincing Young Hero
The creators knew the main challenge would be to produce a convincing young hero. And unlike the rest of the cast in the game, Indy could not be created by 3D scanning an actor. "We didn’t have an opportunity to travel back in time and scan a young Harrison Ford," said Axel Torvenius, creative director at MachineGames. Torvenius said Ford’s characterisation was pieced together with the help of unreleased archive material from the original film.
The Pressure to Get it Right
The game, which took four years to develop, sees the archaeologist solving puzzles while getting tangled up in chases and fights. Set in 1937, it follows Indy from the Vatican to China via Egypt in pursuit of a mysterious power coveted by Nazi spies. "The Great Circle" is far from the first game to tackle Indy’s story. More than a dozen adaptations have been made over the last four decades. Knowing full well how protective gamers can be over titles they grew up with, the Swedish studio felt a huge responsibility to get the game right.
Conclusion
"Indiana Jones and the Great Circle" is a new adventure that sees the archaeologist solving puzzles while getting tangled up in chases and fights. With its convincing young hero, familiar settings and trappings, and immense pressure to get it right, this game is sure to delight fans of the franchise.
FAQs
Q: What is the premise of the game?
A: The game follows Indiana Jones as he solves puzzles and gets tangled up in chases and fights while pursuing a mysterious power coveted by Nazi spies.
Q: How was the young hero created?
A: The creators used unreleased archive material from the original film and pieced together Harrison Ford’s characterisation to create a convincing young hero.
Q: How long did it take to develop the game?
A: The game took four years to develop.
Q: Is this the first game to tackle Indy’s story?
A: No, more than a dozen adaptations have been made over the last four decades.