Indiana Jones Sticks to Melee in New Epic

MachineGames and Bethesda's upcoming Indiana Jones title, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, will prioritize melee combat over gunfights, according to the development team. Guns will play a secondary role.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Emphasizes Hand-to-Hand Combat and Stealth

Puzzles and Environmental Interaction are Key Gameplay Pillars

In a recent interview with PC Gamer, design director Jens Andersson and creative director Axel Torvenius detailed the game's gameplay mechanics. Influenced by their work on the Wolfenstein series and Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, the developers highlighted the game's focus on close-quarters combat, improvised weaponry, and stealth.

Andersson emphasized that Indiana Jones isn't known for gunplay, stating, "Indiana Jones, he's not a gunslinger...So it could never be a shooter, should never be a shooter. But hand-to-hand combat, that makes total sense." The team adapted the melee system from Chronicles of Riddick, tailoring it to Indy's unique fighting style, incorporating everyday objects like pots, pans, and even musical instruments as makeshift weapons. The goal, Andersson explained, is to capture Indy's resourceful and somewhat clumsy heroism in the gameplay experience.

The game's level design blends linear and open areas, drawing inspiration from Wolfenstein. Players will navigate structured paths and more expansive environments offering multiple approaches to challenges, some resembling immersive sim gameplay. Andersson described enemy camps as examples of these open areas, where players can explore and devise their own solutions to infiltrate buildings.

Stealth mechanics will also be prominent, combining traditional infiltration with a "social stealth" system. Players can find and utilize disguises to blend in and access restricted zones. Andersson confirmed that each major location will feature various disguises to aid players in navigating these areas undetected.

Game director Jerk Gustafsson previously told Inverse that the team intentionally minimized gunplay, focusing instead on hand-to-hand combat, navigation, and environmental traversal. The game will also include challenging puzzles, with some particularly difficult ones offered as optional content to maintain accessibility.