Is first-person the best choice for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle?

Bethesda officially announced the upcoming action-adventure game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Thursday, and much to the surprise of some fans (including myself), it’s being marketed as a first-person game. While some fans are thrilled at the decision, others are left wondering…is this the best thing for the game?

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Developed by MachineGames, the studio behind Wolfenstein, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle puts players right in the hard-worn shoes of the world’s greatest archaeologist himself — Dr. Indiana Jones.

Set in 1937, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes place between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade as Indy sets out to take down the sinister forces searching for an ancient power connected to the Great Circle. In the game, players will take Indy through the halls of Marshall College, the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, and even the Himalayas.

I have to say, this game looks like it could be huge. Based on what we’ve seen so far, which isn’t a whole lot, it really does look like a brand new Indiana Jones movie.

Although, there’s one thing that initially had me a bit concerned for the game…

First-Person Indy?

The big controversy of 2024: should Indiana Jones be first-person or third-person?

Admittedly, it caught me off guard when I first saw the first-person action in the announcement trailer and it was a huge let down. I grew up with Lego Indiana Jones, so all I’ve experienced is third-person Indy, and I was pretty much expecting this to be Xbox’s version of Uncharted, which would have been really cool.

However, after talking to a few people who love the idea of a first-person Indiana Jones game, I have to say my perspective on it has changed substantially.

Firstly, the game isn’t 100% first-person, so there are some parts of the game where we will be playing in a third-person perspective, which is nice and should switch things up a bit throughout the game.

Secondly, by deciding against a third-person perspective for a majority of the game, it’s clear that MachineGames isn’t trying to make this Xbox’s version of Uncharted. Which, in all honesty, is probably a very good thing.

Uncharted is fantastic, and sure, it would’ve been cool to see Indiana Jones in the vein of Uncharted, but MachineGames doesn’t need to just copy Naughty Dog’s formula to also make Indiana Jones and the Great Circle be fantastic as well. It has the potential to be great all on its own just by doing its own thing.

After all is said and done, it really just comes down to your personal preference. If you’re really not happy with the camera, then don’t play the game. For me? I’m not going to let that get in the way of my excitement for the game.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set to release on Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2024.