A story-based, single-player DLC that allows me to revisit a flawless, single-player, story-based journey that I loved the first time around? MachineGames truly understands my language, unlike Marcus Brody, who is out of his depth. With a lot of puzzles and a series of incredibly evocative caverns, catacombs, and canals to explore through the heart of Rome, The Order of Giants is an approximately four-hour side quest for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. I was immediately captivated once more by The Great Circle after being away from it for some months.
The Order of Giants is a great way to revisit most of the things I enjoy about MachineGames’ portrayal of the best fascist-hater to ever wear a fedora, even if it’s only for an afternoon. Its portrayal as a late quest from early in The Great Circle’s plot, though, makes it feel much less important and unique to play than a more obviously distinct adventure could have, and the final battle is a little unimpressive.
The MachineGames team was clearly drawn to the idea of incorporating The Order of Giants straight into what is essentially the opening act of The Great Circle’s plot, and I can somewhat appreciate how elegant it is to do so. The mission is not a separate mode or level that you can enter from the main menu; rather, it is accessed from within the Vatican level itself.
The Order of Giants seems to have been left on the cutting room floor, which makes it an intriguing approach. It will be present right away if you’re playing for the first time, and for seasoned players, it’s rather like seeing a well-known movie with a long deleted scene added back in. Although it’s a simple and tidy solution, the DLC does have the unfavorable side effect of feeling somewhat unnecessary overall. In other words, it wasn’t there at first, and whether you play it or not doesn’t make a difference now that it is.
It’s difficult to criticize Troy Baker’s portrayal of Indy, and the soundtrack is once again remarkably true to the movies.
Although The Order of Giants begins on the current Vatican level, the mission immediately sets itself apart by introducing Indy into a previously unexplored interior before swooping him out of the Vatican completely and into Rome. It’s difficult to criticize Troy Baker’s portrayal of Indy, and the soundtrack is once again remarkably true to the movies. I frequently found myself sifting through the intricate features of The Order of Giants’ crusty catacombs, which contain some incredibly beautiful underground areas.
The action, on the other hand, is typical of The Great Circle itself: a combination of puzzle solving, light first-person platforming, and sporadic stealth and fighting against a gang of violent and enigmatic red-robed cult members and Italian soldiers. Don’t expect them to show off any new skills because this isn’t the kind of DLC that introduces a completely new level of combat.
However, the highlight is unquestionably the riddles. Among those in The Great Circle itself, I preferred two in particular. The first is a skillfully designed water puzzle, and the second is just a huge marble maze that you must navigate without losing your fireball and having to start again. One text-based brainteaser in particular made me feel like a little idiot for not figuring out the link to the physical puzzle pieces sooner, even if it appeared a little opaque at first. That type of problem can occasionally be the best.
The Order of Giants lacks any spectacular action scenes like the skyjacking of the fighter plane in The Great Circle or the tobogganing down the Himalayas on a massive Nazi battleship. In general, it moves more slowly, but I don’t mind because it seems to have produced a lot of puzzles to think about. The battle isn’t that creative; it’s essentially run, ranged attack, run, ranged attack, run, etc., but it does crescendo to a somewhat surprise miniboss fight in a really nice setting. Given how monotonous it ended up being, it probably went on a bit too long, ending right before I began to question if I was even doing the right thing.
Verdict
Although Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants can be finished in a single afternoon, it offers some puzzles that are superior to those in The Great Circle itself and transports you through a stunning variety of new places to explore. I can’t say that I’m against anything that prolongs my time with a lavishly crafted solo adventure like 2024’s Indiana Jones, even if it’s only by an additional four or five hours. However, in a world where some of my favorite single-player games are being bloated into games-as-a-service hellscapes, it probably would have been better value as a more replayable, separate mode rather than stitched into the main story.
