Final thoughts on ‘Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’, plus ‘Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete’ and more.
To say that there’s been a wee bit of pressure surrounding Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is one hell of an understatement. On the one hand, it’s arguably one of Xbox’s biggest drawcards outside of the recent Call of Duty acquisition. It’s also a great litmus test to see how much relevance and interest there is in the great Indiana Jones and his many adventures.
Well fear not, adventures, because if The Great Circle is any indication, there’s plenty of life left in this whip-cracking series.
As with all great Indy tales, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle kicks things off with a classic McGuffin, and this time it’s a mummified cat. Set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, said cat is stolen a Marshall College archaeological exhibits by what can only be explained as a beefy giant. With the motivation behind the theft a complete unknown, it sends Indy off on a globe-trotting adventure, ranging from the Vatican to the sandy sights of Egypt, and leads you to get into the meat and potatoes of the actual game.
What’s most interesting about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle though, is that it’s not at all the game you might expect it to be. Yes, it’s a globetrotting, narrative-focused yarn, but it’s absolutely not a competitor to Sony’s action-heavy Uncharted franchise. Instead, being crafted by Machine Games, the team behind the beloved Wolfenstein series, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle often plays out more like Dishonored or Hitman. You’ll sneak up on guards to whack them over the head with guitars and disguises to throw on to grant access to new areas. In fact, while you can choose to use your weapon, it’s often the least-advisable move as it will alert many more enemies around you.
I tended to embrace the sneak-a-thon and had a lot of fun doing so, and when things did no pear shaped it was easy enough to get back on track without restarting. That said, despite best efforts, the hand-to-hand combat is arguably one of the game’s weakest elements and never felt truly engaging or fun.
The Great Circle also makes use of seemingly huge open zone areas, littered with puzzles to solve, artefacts to find and side missions to complete – many of which have ties to the main plot, which feels like a nice touch. Needless to say, if you were hoping for a very linear, action-heavy romp, that’s not what you’re going to get here.
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But that’s part of what makes Indiana Jones and the Great Circle special. It bucks expectations and is all the better for it. It’s also backed up by some very pretty visuals and a truly outstanding performance from Troy Baker who sounds so much like Harrison Ford you’ll swear it was him in the booth.
Play this game.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is out now for Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Also out now…
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete (iOS, Android)
Fixing a game plagued with microtransactions is by no means an easy feat, but that’s exactly what Nintendo have done with Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete. As a result, the company has seemingly done away with the biggest complaint out of the game, and amplified the cosy vibes tenfold as a result.
If you’re catching up on the 2017 original, don’t expect Pocket Camp to reinvent the wheel. You’ll still be building, decorating and managing a large space (this time a camp site) as you harvest fruit and win over a whole range of furry friends. But while much of Pocket Camp’s negativity stemmed from the use of Leaf Tickets, a premium currency that was such a pain to earn, that’s been done away with.
Complete now uses Leaf Tokens, which sound similar and nab similar premium items with one major caveat. You can earn Leaf Tokens from simply playing the game, no extra purchase required. It’s a huge change that removes frustration and introduces a more relaxed vibe as you steadily build up a steam of Tokens that you can use to help improve your camp site.
The other big win is that you no longer need a constantly internet connection to play Pocket Camp Complete. For somebody like me who plays the majority of my mobile games on a train with a spotty connection, this is a big deal and allows even more players to hop on when they want without fear of being booted out with no warning.
If you were one of the millions of gamers who was completely entranced by Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pocket Camp complete easily has the potential to become your next addiction. The choice to move to a one-off fee is a smart one, and one I hope pays off long-term.
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, XBO, PC)
Despite its 20+ years of relative inactivity, the Legacy of Kain games have always been held close to the heart by its fans. But now seemingly out of nowhere, the series is back in the limelight courtesy of Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered.
For those who may have missed it the first time around, the Soul Reaver games centre around Raziel who, after being resurrected hundreds of years after his master killed him, naturally has a bit of an axe to grind. What follows is a well-told story that was ahead of its time in 1999 and still holds up well today.
But whether you’re new to Soul Reaver or a long-time fan this remaster does a surprisingly good job at breathing new life back into proceedings. Visuals have been given a significant bump that’ll bring things more in line with how you remember, plus you can still jump between the new and old style with the click of the button.
Combat unfortunately doesn’t fare quite as well, but worth noting is unchanged from the original. In fact, much of the game’s niggles stem from the original release, so it’s a shame this remaster couldn’t tweak a few more elements. Still, there are a few extras to explore, so it’s still a package worth fighting for.
Nine Sols (Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, XBO, PC)
Fans of Hollow Knight and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, your new challenge has arrived with the arrival of Nine Sols.
You’ll play as Yi, a semi-cat-like hero in the Asian fantasy world of New Kunlun in his quest to do away with the Nine Sols – powerful rulers of the world. Sounds easy enough, right? Rest assured though this is no simple task, especially with the game’s challenging yet rewarding combat system, which much like Sekiro (the games admitted inspiration), is all about the humble parry.
Do so successfully and you’ll avoid all damage, while minor fails allow you to regain small portions of your life back. This system allows for a fun loop that will consistently get the blood pumping. That said, sometimes it can feel like too much, especially when the game feels like it starts throwing more at you than you can reasonably handle – especially during boss battles.
The game is also a little too talky at times, but they’re minor niggles in what is an otherwise polished, entertaining adventure that even runs pretty darn well on Switch. The challenge won’t be for everybody but if you’re willing to learn and master Nine Sols‘ systems, there’s a lot to like here.
Black Myth: Wukong (PS5, PC)
Black Myth Wukong has been something of a sensation since release, smashing records, winning awards, and now for PS5 owners wanting to jump in on the action, it’s actually made its way to store shelves. The good news is that if you don’t happen to own a pricey gaming PC, you’ll still nab a pretty respectable port, even if it isn’t quite as flashy.
As would be expected, the bulk of Black Myth Wukong remains unchanged. That means you’ll still score the same retelling of the Journey to the West, backed up by some pretty challenging combat and brutal boss encounters as you work to improve your dodging abilities and build up your skill tree.
The big point of difference with this iteration is performance and unfortunately while it does its best, the PS5 just isn’t able to match the level of fidelity found on a beefier PC system. The game just isn’t capable of handling a consistent 60 frames per second, even on PlayStation 5 Pro, so be prepared for either multiple drops or to side with the balanced mode that targets around 45 frames.
Likewise load times are relatively lengthy, but still neither are deal breakers if you’re desperate to check out the hype. And if that’s the case, Black Myth Wukong still looks gorgeous and is fun to explore, meaning this is still a great way to play.
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