Indiana Jones and the Enormous Circle: A High-Stakes Adventure in Stealth Gameplay
At any point in every Indiana Jones film, one can intuitively understand that Indy often has to employ stealth. Whether it involves donning a disguise in The Last Crusade to retrieve his father’s Holy Grail diary, or sneaking aboard a submarine to examine the Ark when it eluded his grasp, there’s invariably a moment he has to be quiet and stealthy – although whether Indy actually manages this without getting caught is another matter entirely. He’s not always the most discreet individual, which is precisely one of the reasons I believe that stealth in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle functions so effectively.
It’s worth mentioning that I usually do not particularly enjoy stealth mechanics in other games – if I can bulldoze my way through them and hope for the best, then that’s what I’ll do. Take Star Wars Outlaws from earlier this year as an example. Sure, I might have been stealthy around the Imperial Bases, but why bother when I have a blaster? Aside from those instant-fail segments, which have now been patched out, it didn’t really matter if you got spotted. But the atmosphere in Indiana Jones elevates the stakes, making you feel that much more is on the line if you’re discovered – even when stealth isn’t explicitly necessary.
In the initial moments of the game, it becomes evident that there’s significantly more at play in this narrative than what is presented to you (as is typical in most Indy tales). By establishing this early on, it compels you to want to be stealthy and keep yourself concealed from enemy sight. You might experience the tension of hiding behind a crate while an enemy patrols nearby with a guard dog at their side, aware that it won’t be long before one slips behind you and spots you, requiring you to quickly move between cover without being detected.
The stealth mechanics themselves are quite user-friendly. When crouching, you can stealthily navigate through areas without worrying about sound meters or similar distractions, unlike in other, more hardcore stealth games. Of course, should you run or fire a weapon, guards will respond accordingly, and they’ll whistle for reinforcements if you linger too long in their line of sight. Nonetheless, it all feels very intuitive as you begin to understand what is and isn’t feasible in The Great Circle, allowing even stealth novices like myself to navigate it with confidence.
In instances where you inadvertently raise the alarm, not all is lost. For starters, you can often incapacitate an alerted enemy using a broomstick or guitar you might find nearby, which is always amusing. I mean, you could run away, but honestly, where’s the fun in that? Likewise, if one approach isn’t working for you, there are generally alternative paths you can try or different items you can use to alter your tactics, which the game executes brilliantly. You might throw a glass bottle to distract a guard while you sneak into a cellar hatch, or wield your whip to redirect their attention while you climb some (questionably) secure scaffolding.
It feels realistic without becoming frustrating and unenjoyable. For example, I once found myself trapped behind a crate with no clear exit while enemies were patrolling nearby (one with a dog, which heightened the tension), and I thought to myself, “Well… this isn’t ideal.” But after a moment, I realized I had several opportunities to leverage stealth to my advantage – this time, I opted to create a diversion by grabbing a nearby wrench and tossing it across the courtyard to catch the enemy’s attention. Then, as their backs were turned, I sprinted to cover and slipped through an open window… only to find myself