Indiana Jones and the Great Circle devs put a focus on the 'danger level' of using guns because 'Indy doesn't have superpowers'

MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle emphasizes puzzle-solving and stealth over gunplay, aiming to stay true to the character's iconic wit and resourcefulness, while still offering options for players who prefer a more action-oriented approach.

Despite MachineGames making two of last generation's best FPS games, the team isn't pushing gunplay as the main path forward in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. 

The team views guns as more of a "fallback solution" rather than the main focus. Speaking to Edge magazine, creative director Axel Torvenius says "We do not encourage gunplay. It's not being pushed as the primary way forward. The primary way forward is always trying to use your wits and your whip."

Indiana Jones isn't a character who is going to win shootouts with dozens of people, he often uses his wits to outsmart the enemy, or avoid conflict all together. Tovenius says "Indy doesn't have superpowers. Very often, you can tell that it's not easy for him to be in a fight. At the end of the day, he's a teacher and a somewhat clumsy archeologist. He just happens to have this passion that puts him in these weird situations constantly with enemies and traps.

"It wouldn't be true to the character to have him constantly shooting camps for all enemies constantly, and the team at MachineGames wants to emphasize the danger level. We've been trying to capture that sense that, if you need to engage in combat, it's very dangerous to be shot at. It's also very dangerous to shoot at enemies, because they will have an alarm system and reinforcements coming in."

Creating a game that has guns, but doesn't push the player to use them is challenging, but the team has found ways to give player's options. Game director Jerk Gustafsson adds that "we have a game where there's plenty of guns in there but you choose not to use them, because it's too loud and it's too dangerous. You can pick up a gun and switch it to use as a melee weapon. That's a very in-character use of a gun for Indiana Jones."

While the focus might not be on shooting, it sounds like MachineGames is trying to give players options, while retaining the core characteristics of Indy. 

*If you're still on the hunt for more information about the game, check out *everything we know so far about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.