Indiana Jones: Melee Combat Focus in Latest Game

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle “could never be a shooter, should never be a shooter,” according to the developers behind the forthcoming action-adventure game by MachineGames and Bethesda.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Will Feature More Melee Combat, Fewer FirearmsStealth and Puzzles Also Key Components

In an exclusive interview with PC Gamer, MachineGames' design director Jens Andersson and creative director Axel Torvenius shared insights into how Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's gameplay has been shaped. Drawing from their experience working on games like the Wolfenstein series and Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, the developers explained that the game will emphasize hand-to-hand combat, improvised fights, and stealth.

"Indiana Jones, he's not a gunslinger, right? He doesn't go guns blazing into situations," Andersson explained. "So it could never be a shooter, should never be a shooter. But hand-to-hand combat, that makes total sense." The team’s experience with the melee combat in Chronicles of Riddick was referenced as a starting point, but they adapted the approach to better suit protagonist Indy’s style.

"He's not a fighter, that's not his nature, even though he ends up in fights all the time," Andersson added. Players can expect combat where everyday items—like pots, pans, and even banjos—can be used as weapons. "He's an unlikely hero, lucky⁠—how can we replicate that into gameplay, make the player feel that humor, how do we get that across?"

In addition to melee combat, the game will offer players diverse traversal options. Inspired by Wolfenstein’s blend of linear and open environments, the game will alternate between structured routes and expansive explorable areas. Some of these larger spaces will verge on immersive sim territory, granting players significant freedom to tackle challenges creatively. "There are also more open areas, almost bordering immersive sim-style, like there's an enemy camp, here you're supposed to get into the main building, figure it out, and you can explore," Andersson explained.

Stealth will be a core gameplay element, incorporating both classic infiltration techniques and a "social stealth" mechanic. This new feature lets players locate and don disguises in specific locations to blend in and access restricted zones. "Every major location has several disguises for you to find," said Andersson. "That helps you pass as an insider, granting access to areas otherwise difficult to penetrate."

In a prior interview with Inverse, game director Jerk Gustafsson shared that the team intentionally chose to make gunplay a secondary feature of the game. "The starting point for us was to try to disregard the shooting element," Gustafsson said. "We know that we can execute it well, so it's never something that would ever concern us. We know that we can get that right. So very early on, we did this pie chart with different kinds of experiences. Everything from stuff like hand-to-hand, navigation, and traversal. We started our focus on those things that we knew were going to be challenging, especially in first-person."

The game will also feature numerous puzzles, some of which will be tough enough to challenge even the most seasoned puzzle solvers. "Those [players] that are looking for puzzles that can be hard to solve, they will find them," Gustafsson said, additionally noting that some very difficult puzzles will be optional to maintain a certain sense of accessibility.