Round Up: Indiana Jones Reviews Are Live, Mostly Very Strong

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle won't launch on PS5 for roughly another six months, but we can get a good sense of its overall quality now as the Xbox Series X|S, PC versions release. The review embargo has lifted, revealing a Metacritc rating of 86. Below you'll find a selection of scores and conclusions from respected media outlets who have had access to the game for the past few days. Once the PS5 version arrives, you will find a full Push Square review on the site.

Eurogamer - 5/5

Smart, fun and so very Indiana Jones, The Great Circle is a stealth action tour de force that marks a bold new era for MachineGames.

VGC - 5/5

We had a smile on our face from beginning to end while playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. As close as games can come to a genuine old-fashioned Hollywood blockbuster, it's also an incredibly rich adventure game stuffed to the gills with secrets to find.

GameSpot - 9/10

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is the quintessential Indiana Jones game. It captures the look, sound, and spirit of the movies, presenting a riveting story with an unexpected focus on stealth and freeform exploration that satisfies even when certain aspects of its design are slightly underwhelming. More than anything, MachineGames has successfully designed a game around its protagonist; its mix of improvisational stealth and combat feels distinct by adopting a fast and loose style that echoes Indy's scrappy persistence. It might not be quite as accomplished in all areas as the studio's Wolfenstein games, but Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is still a frequent delight.

IGN - 9/10

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle nails nearly everything about the best parts of the storied franchise upon which it’s based, from the title card and location fonts to Harrison Ford’s finger waggle, but its successes go way beyond its faithfulness to the finer points of the films. With a host of gorgeous and lavishly detailed levels, satisfying combat hinged on jawbreaking haymakers, and a focus on slow-paced exploration, platforming, and puzzle solving (interspersed with a handful of high-voltage action scenes), The Great Circle is an irresistible and immersive global treasure hunt for Indy fans who’ve felt underserved by the likes of The Dial of Destiny and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Moreover, it sets itself apart from this decade’s increasingly homogenised third-person action games by opting for a classic first-person perspective inspired by the likes of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. If you butt your head against its generally basic stealth systems, cracks will show – but when played as intended, The Great Circle immediately ranks amongst the best Indiana Jones games ever and its story is closer to Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade than anything that’s come after. Some pundits may claim it belongs in a museum, but museums are for dusty old relics you shouldn’t ever touch. The Great Circle doesn’t belong in a museum; it belongs on your hard drive where you can play the heck out of it.

Noisy Pixel - 7/10

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle captures the spirit of adventure with nostalgic puzzles, richly detailed environments, and thrilling set pieces. While it stumbles with lackluster AI and clunky item management, its charm and sense of discovery make it a rewarding journey for fans of the iconic archaeologist.

TheGamer - 3.5/5

Unless you’re the type that gets a lot of satisfaction from checklist-style open-world games, I highly recommend you ignore everything that isn’t on the critical path in Great Circle. If you focus solely on the main story I think you’ll get a lot out of the experience. It’s a fun story with some decent gameplay variety that’s authentically Indy. You won’t miss much by strictly sticking to the main quest, and in fact, your experience will be better for it. It’s a shame the rest of it falls so flat.

Pure Xbox - 6/10

Ever since we caught wind of MachineGames making an Indiana Jones title, we've been very excited by the prospect, but ultimately, we're a little disappointed in the final product. The overall experience isn't bad, and it successfully sells the Indiana Jones fantasy, but the gameplay elements here just don't match up to the vibe of a fun-time Indy adventure. The pacing is all out-of-whack, the open stealth-driven levels don't work in the context of an Indiana Jones romp, and the game just feels at odds with itself overall. We're always up for trying something different and for teams breaking genre tropes, but in the end, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is at its most fun in fleeting moments - which is a shame considering the amount of care and attention that's been put into adapting this famous old franchise.

Do these reviews convince you the wait for the PS5 version of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be worth the wait? Let us know in the comments below.