Posted on: October 29, 2025
HeavilyAugmented
Games: 551 Reviews: 18
Makes you FEEL like Harrison Ford
Joke title aside, the really easy way to tell if you'd like this game or not is if you can say, "Yes," to the following: 1. Are you a fan of Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay/The Darkness 1? 2. Are you a fan of Indiana Jones? If so, you're in. The game is very much a love letter to both the design of those early era singleplayer Starbreeze games and Indy. It is easily the most polished iteration of the Starbreeze formula thanks to precise pacing, setpiece design, and not too big open region design that is more often than not, fun to explore thanks to mostly avoiding open world bloat. I very rarely felt bored playing the game despite an emphasis on exploration. As a piece of Indiana Jones media, it is well above the last two movies (not a high bar, I know) and most of the franchise's game catalogue. The story check marks all the hallmarks of the good films (globetrotting, history mixed with mythology, Spielberg styled humor) with a solid cast, great cutscene cinematography, and voice performances. Everybody at this point has (rightfully) praised Troy Baker's performance as Indy, so I'll also say that Marios Gavrilis chews any scene he's in as the Axis Occult Researcher antagonist I never knew I needed in my life to the point where he sticks out as one of (if not) the best antagonist in the franchise's history. Is it perfect? No. Biggest issue I have is that the game unfortunately peaks very early with the open world regions (The Vatican) thanks to being so tightly designed for exploration and leading the player along. Comparatively, Gizeh and Sukhothai while distinct visually and content wise, both feel too big for their own good at times and even using the diegetic fast travel options, it can sometimes feel like a slog getting from place to place. Very similar to Butcher Bay, the game is very "sum of its parts". If you're looking for an excellent brawler, shooter, or puzzle game, look elsewhere. It does all of these things well, but in service of the presentation and immersion of the IP being used, not as a masterclass on how all games should handle these mechanics. After Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, it's a pleasant surprise to see Machine Games capable of still swinging for the fences and actually hitting that goal.
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