Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Image: Bethesda, MachineGames

Yesterday, the previews for MachineGames' upcoming release Indiana Jones and the Great Circle went live.

As you might have already seen, our own 'hands on' here on Pure Xbox has also gone live. Here's a bit about what we had to say, and you can read the full preview in the link below:

"When our almost-three-hour Indiana Jones preview session came to an end, we didn't want to put the controller down, which is a ringing endorsement of MachinesGames' latest effort. There were very few bugs in this early code, which is another great sign, and all-in-all, this Xbox adventure is shaping up rather nicely indeed."

So, what did other critics think about their time with the game so far? Here's a round up of some other impressions so far. Starting with IGN:

"I don’t know if executive producer Todd Howard, who famously pitched this idea to Lucasfilm many years ago, had MachineGames in mind when he came up with it. But the pairing absolutely works, and I absolutely can’t wait to experience the rest of Indy’s latest adventure."

GameSpot also seemed quite excited about it:

"Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feels like an amalgam of many genres but appears to be striking the right balance between them, all in favor of honoring the spirit of Indiana Jones, the archaeology professor and adventurer. While 90 minutes wasn't enough time to get the full scope of everything the game has to offer, it gave me a taste of a kind of adventure-puzzle game seldom seen in the AAA space, and it is one that's shaping up to be an impressive display of MachineGames' toolset and understanding of molding game design around its protagonist and story."

Our pals at Eurogamer thought it nailed the film's "whip-cracking sense of adventure":

"It's shaping up to be a wonderful love letter to Indiana Jones, just like Rogue City was to Robocop, and anyone who counts themselves a fan of the movie trilogy (there's definitely only been three movies, don't know what you're talking about) should definitely have this on their radar."

PC Mag also thought it displayed a lot of promise:

"I only played the Great Circle for over two hours. So I’m still in the dark about how the story will unfold and whether it’ll match the climatic finishes and wonder of the earlier Indy films. But despite a few frustrations, so far, I liked what I saw; I just hope MachineGames can smooth out some of the combat and deliver enough thrills and exciting gameplay throughout the entire experience, which promises to take place in exotic locations across the globe."

And GamesRadar found it to be true to Indy's character:

"I came away from the adventure feeling like this is about as close as I could get to being in an Indiana Jones movie myself. While it does entail a lot more stealth than I was expecting, it serves the kind of character Indy is - he's no bullet-spewing Nathan Drake - and I found it very satisfying to take out foes and traverse through the environment sight unseen. I've only gotten a taste of what's in store so far, but I'm keen to experience the wider picture of MachineGames' take on the beloved character."

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Will you be checking out this new chapter in the Indiana Jones series when it arrives on Xbox and Game Pass this December? Let us know in the comments.