Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Sticks to Melee Combat Over Gun Fights

MachineGames and Bethesda's upcoming action-adventure title, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, will prioritize melee combat over gunfights, according to the development team. The game will not feature gunplay as a central mechanic.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: A Focus on Hand-to-Hand Combat

Stealth and Puzzles as Core Gameplay Elements

In a recent interview with PC Gamer, MachineGames' design director and creative director detailed the game's design philosophy. Inspired by their work on the Wolfenstein series and Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, the developers emphasized hand-to-hand combat, improvised weaponry, and stealth as key gameplay pillars.

The team highlighted that Indiana Jones isn't known for his gun skills, making a shooter-style game incongruous with the character. While drawing inspiration from the melee combat of Chronicles of Riddick, they adapted the system to align with Indy's unique fighting style. Players can expect to utilize everyday objects – pots, pans, even banjos – as improvised weapons. The developers aim to capture Indy's resourceful and somewhat clumsy heroism within the gameplay mechanics.

Beyond combat, the game will offer diverse traversal and exploration options. Taking cues from Wolfenstein's level design, the game will blend linear sections with more open environments, some approaching immersive sim-style gameplay. These larger areas will feature enemy camps and allow players multiple approaches to challenges.

Stealth mechanics will play a significant role, incorporating both traditional infiltration and a novel "social stealth" system. Players can acquire disguises to blend in and access restricted areas, with a variety of disguises available in each major location.

A previous interview with Inverse revealed the deliberate decision to downplay gunplay. The development team prioritized other gameplay aspects, such as hand-to-hand combat, navigation, and traversal, initially focusing on the more challenging elements of first-person gameplay design. The game will also include a robust puzzle system, with optional challenging puzzles to cater to both casual and hardcore players.