Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is out on the PlayStation 5…and is a rare gaming gem

A DECENT Indiana Jones game is hard to come by – a rarity. Like hidden treasure the stubborn archaeologist would scour the ends of the Earth to uncover.

The last glistening relics unearthed were The Fate of Atlantis and The Last Crusade – buried deep in the pixelated history books of MS Dos – a bygone era of last century.

Others that followed, like The Staff of Kings and The Infernal Machine, proved to be nothing more than fakes, shiny forgeries of little worth.

However, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an astonishing artefact. A game of pure brilliance that takes your breath away like a chilled monkey brains appetiser.

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After an earlier release for the PC and Xbox, it’s now out on the PlayStation 5.

It serves up the perfect blend of cinematic and interactive gaming that is both compelling as it is immersive. Its cut scenes don’t drag on, yet you feel like you’re watching the movie.

At the same time, the combat and puzzles are engrossing enough to give you the best experience yet of playing as Indy.

Set between the events of Raids of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, you play as everyone’s favourite archaeologist (sorry Ms Croft).

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Indy sets out on a quest across the globe to unearth the mystery surrounding the Great Circle. After a terrific tutorial where you relive the epic opening to the Raiders film, you set about the shimmering halls of Marshall College with Marcus and prepare for your adventure.

The attention to detail MachineGames has put into each level is astonishing and there are some lovely nods to previous games – the overturned bookcase at the university reeked of the opening to the point-and-click classic Fate of Atlantis.

And it’s this love and dedication to the franchise that really sets the Great Circle apart from the rest. Visually, it’s stunning and the characters are brilliantly rendered.

Troy Baker is superb as Indy and you can hardly tell the difference between him and Harrison Ford if you shut your eyes. The quips, the grunts . . . it’s Indy!

The score also adds to the immersive experience. It harks back to Raiders and delivers perfectly-timed crescendos during the cut-scenes and in-play.

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As you’d expect, there’s plenty of jet-setting to be done and Indy’s infamous red-lined travel map stops off at just about every corner of the Earth.

From the Vatican to the Himalayas and Iraq, each location is beautifully detailed and there’s plenty of freedom – you can venture off the beaten track to find hidden rewards that would otherwise be missed.

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Combat is classic Indy. Hand-to-hand punches thwack like hardened cricket bats when delivering short or heavy blows. It’s the main form of attack and thoroughly satisfying.

There’s also a incredible ‘clunk’ when you knockout enemies using a creative array of melee weapons.

Pick up a sturdy wrench, a broomstick or even a guitar . . . all can be used to take down the bad guy. It’s not very pretty but it gets the job done – just like Indy would in the films.

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His trusty sidearm is also an option but it’s not as devastatingly clinical as it should be. A few well-placed headshots failed to down the enemy at times.

But the pistol is not the main feature. This isn’t a shoot ’em up. Don’t expect to mow down wave after wave of screeching Nazis. No, the main attraction is Indy’s bullwhip.

Aim a high crack to the face to disorientate the enemy or sweep the legs to gain an advantage. You can disarm people with a quick flick and it’s also used to swing from one place to the next.

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It’s not the hardest game in the world, although you can adjust the difficulty settings of the enemy – how aware they are, the number that will come at you from afar or close up. And it did feel like it was a little too easy to creep around in stealth mode.

The puzzles are decent enough and some even have you scratching your fedora for a while. And there are plenty of side quests to rifle through leading to lots of replayability – in all, you can expect about 20 hours of fun in Indy’s shoes.

Keep an eye out for the outfit changes too – the PlayStation 5 version had a very cool ability to play Indy in his Temple of Doom kit. A nice touch.

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The clever haptics of the PS5 controller really stood out for me. As you creep through the jungle, the controller vibrates and clicks at random making it feel as though hairy tarantulas are crawling up your hands.

Everything about this game will have you smiling like Short Round watching Willie fall off an elephant.

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This is the best Indiana Jones game ever made. I mean that with all my heart – one that is still safely beating inside my chest and yet to be ripped out by a nutter in a furry skull hat ready to plunge me into a fiery pit during a black magic cult ritual.

After the continued disappointment of previous games and the abject horror of recent movies, the Great Circle is the perfect antidote for fans – the Indy film that never was.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

• FORMATS: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox,  PC
• PRICE: £69.99
• PUBLISHER: Bethesda
• DEVELOPER: MachineGames
• RELEASE DATE: Out now
• AGE RATING: 16
• SCORE: 5/5