Summary
Despite being announced back in 2021, the full details ofIndiana Jones and The Great Circlewere only released in therecent Xbox Developer Direct. The game’s title, story details, and a first look at the gameplay were all included during a deep-dive video presentation. The first proper look at the game certainly didn’t disappoint, and it seems like the first-person action-adventure game is really trying to create an immersive experience, allowing the player to become Indiana Jones. Paramount to this is the fact that the game will be based directly off of Harrison Ford’s likeness, and it seems that developer MachineGames has done a great job with this particular aspect.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circlesees Indy set off on the trail of a seemingly innocuous artifact that has been stolen from Marshall College, where he works. Set between the events ofRaiders of the Lost ArkandThe Last Crusade, the game features the archaeologist in his prime, and Harrison Ford has been faithfully recreated from head to toe. Equally impressive is the fact that veteran video game actor Troy Baker, whose previous roles include Joel Miller fromThe Last of Usand Sam Drake fromUncharted, is able to closely mimic Ford’s tone and style. This further adds to the game’s authentic look and feel.
Indiana Jones is Synonymous With Harrison Ford
While some iconic characters, such asJames Bond, have been played by various actorsthroughout history, certain ones are synonymous with a single actor. It’s tough to accept the notion of anyone else playing Iron Man on the silver screen other than Robert Downey Jr, and the thought of anyone else donning Indiana Jones' famous hat and bullwhip other than Harrison Ford is difficult to imagine. Disney clearly agrees with this notion, a fact proven by its reluctance to recast Indy in any capacity, despite Ford now being over 80 years old.
His recent (and last) outing,Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, featured a de-aged Harrison Ford in several scenes, and the general consensus is that this is favorable over recasting a younger actor. Ford’s other most famous role, that ofStar Wars' Han Solo, was controversially recast in the character’s origin movieSolo: A Star Wars Story, and despite doing a decent job, actor Alden Ehrenreich found it incredibly difficult to step out from under the veteran actor’s shadow.
The thought of anyone else donning Indiana Jones' famous hat and bullwhip other than Harrison Ford is incredibly difficult to imagine.
Indiana Jones is in Safe Hands With Troy Baker
For these reasons, it seems a no-brainer that MachineGames uses Ford’s likeness for its depiction of Indiana Jones. Additionally, Troy Baker seems the perfect choice for Indy. He is no stranger to big-budget video games and brings real personality to every role he plays. The fact that he’s a hugeIndiana Jonesfan himself may seem minor, but it should make a huge difference to the authenticity of his portrayal.Henry Cavill’s excellent performance as Geralt of Rivea in Netflix’sWitcherserieshas shown what difference it makes if someone is a real fan of the source material, and this should lend further credence to that point.
Xbox could really use some strong exclusives this year, afterStarfielddidn’t receive the universal praise fans were hoping it wouldandRedfall’s disastrous launch made 2023 something of a letdown, at least in terms of first-party Xbox exclusives. WithHellblade 2: Senua’s Saga,Avowed, andIndiana Jones and The Great Circleall scheduled for a 2024 release, Xbox fans will be hoping that this year more than makes up for it. This initial footage of the latter is enough to getIndiana Jonesfans excited for more, and hopefully, a concrete release date will be forthcoming.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circlewill arrive sometime in 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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