| Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | ||
|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC |
| Review | DLC Review | Switch 2 Review |
Overview
What is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Switch 2)?
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a cinematic first-person action-adventure game that follows Indiana Jones as he uncovers the mystery of the Great Circle, a network of ancient sites tied to powerful historical secrets. Set across multiple real-world-inspired locations, the game focuses on exploration-driven storytelling, environmental puzzle-solving, and encounters with Nazi forces seeking to control the same artefact Indy is trying to unravel.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Switch 2) features:
⚫︎ Action-Adventure Experience
⚫︎ Story Driven Campaign
⚫︎ First Person Exploration
⚫︎ Visually Detailed Environments
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle .
| Digital Storefronts | ||
|---|---|---|
 Switch 2 |
||
| $69.99 |
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review (Switch 2): Decent Port
Cracking the Whip on Switch 2
The iconic hat and whip come swinging onto the Nintendo Switch 2, bringing one of the most memorable adventure games in recent years onto a handheld platform. When I first played Indiana Jones and the Great Circle back on Xbox, I was genuinely impressed by how well it captured that classic Indiana Jones feel. I even jumped into its DLC, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants, because I simply wanted more of it.
Now that the adventure has made its way to Switch 2, that same globe-trotting magic is still very much intact. The puzzles remain gripping, the cinematic moments still land, and exploring ancient ruins while cracking Nazis over the head with random objects somehow never stops being entertaining. Granted, this is very much a one-to-one experience with some expected visual downgrades to make the hardware transition possible, but the important part is that the core adventure still hooks you in the exact same way.
So while I’ll still touch on the game itself throughout this review, my main focus here is how Indiana Jones and the Great Circle actually performs on the Switch 2, and whether this portable version can truly keep up with the cinematic spectacle the game was originally built around.
Chasing Ancient Mysteries Across the Globe
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle follows Indy as he races across the globe against the Nazis, all in pursuit of the mystery behind the Great Circle. What makes the premise immediately interesting is that the Great Circle itself isn’t some singular magical artifact waiting at the end of a cave. Instead, it’s a chain of significant locations and landmarks spread around the world, all connected through an ancient pattern that slowly unfolds the deeper you get into the adventure.
Right from the opening hours, the game does a fantastic job of pulling you into that mystery. It constantly feels like you’re uncovering pieces of something much larger than Indy himself, and that sense of discovery is what really carries the experience. For example, when Indy arrives at the Vatican, there’s not only a conspiracy brewing within the Holy See, but even the historical artifacts themselves that brought Indy there in the first place, are deeply tied to it. It’s the kind of game where even simply walking into a newly discovered area makes you curious about what’s waiting inside, and for players jumping into this for the first time on Switch 2, that adventure is incredibly gripping.
That said, as someone who already finished the game on Xbox before revisiting it here, I do think this is one of those adventures that loses a little bit of its magic on a second playthrough. The story itself is still strong, the performances still land, and the adventure remains exciting, but a huge part of what made the experience so memorable the first time was the mystery. Once you already know the reveals, the pacing naturally feels a bit less impactful compared to that first blind run.
Still, the game does a good job giving you reasons to stay immersed beyond the main story. The side quests flesh out the world, often adding smaller stories and discoveries that make Indy’s journey feel bigger than just the central mystery alone. On top of that, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants is also included in the Switch 2 release, which is great news if you end up wanting even more tomb raiding, puzzle solving, and globe-trotting chaos.
Every Tomb is a Puzzle for Your Brain
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle doesn’t just understand what makes Indiana Jones exciting, it understands that the real treasure is making the player feel smart. That’s the biggest thing that kept sticking with me throughout the entire adventure. The gameplay loop itself sounds simple on paper: move from one ancient site to another, uncover clues, solve puzzles, escape danger, repeat. But the reason it works so well is because the game pushes the players in the forefront of the discovery, rather than just pushing you through scripted spectacle after scripted spectacle.
And honestly, one particular moment completely sold me on that. There was a section where I'd already forgotten the answers to the puzzle in front of me and spent an embarrassingly long amount of time staring at murals and scattered objects, convinced I was overthinking everything. I walked around the room multiple times, checked every corner, rotated artifacts back and forth, and even reached that point where I thought, "Alright, maybe I’m just missing something obvious." But then I finally connected the environmental details. The moment the clues made sense and mechanism activated and the path forward opened, I just sat there grinning like Indy, slightly annoyed at myself for not seeing it sooner and wondering how I managed to overcomplicate something so simple in hindsight. It’s one thing to step into the shoes of a famed archaeologist who’s supposed to be brilliant at reading context clues, piecing together ancient mysteries, and noticing what others would miss—but it’s another thing entirely when the game actually makes you feel like THAT person. The solution isn't being hand-fed, rather, I was entirely on my own to interpret context clues.
That feeling is something Indiana Jones and the Great Circle nails repeatedly. The puzzles here are cleverly designed in a way that challenges your brain without crossing into frustrating territory. Solving them usually involves actually engaging with the world around you, studying murals, interpreting symbols, arranging artifacts, or piecing together clues from ancient texts. It doesn’t feel like random trial and error.
Freedom to Carve Your Adventure
What also sold me during my first time with this game, and is still a factor in this port, is the freedom the game gives you in the moment to moment gameplay. Despite being a heavily cinematic adventure, it rarely forces you into a single playstyle. You can sneak around guards, quietly slip through restricted areas, knock enemies out with improvised objects, or simply run for your life and recover somewhere else.
There were even moments where my carefully planned stealth attempt completely collapsed into chaos, only for me to barely escape by scrambling while enemies followed behind me (this happened to me more times than I can count). Somehow, those messy unscripted moments ended up becoming some of the most memorable parts of the experience.
Even though the story itself follows a structured path, the way you survive each encounter often feels uniquely yours. That sense of agency makes the journey far more immersive because you’re not just watching Indy have an adventure, it feels like you’re actually going on an adventure with him.
Improvised Combat Turns Every Fight Into a Movie Scene
Another great thing about the Great Circle is combat here is built around improvisation rather than precision. I almost never reached for Indy’s gun unless things had completely gone sideways, because honestly, the melee system is where the game really shines. There’s something incredibly satisfying about grabbing whatever is within reach and just making it work. I remember one encounter where I started with a two handed iron bar, broke it mid-fight, then immediately swapped to a bottle I yanked off a table somewhere, l just to keep myself going. It wasn’t clean, it wasn’t elegant, but it felt exactly like Indiana Jones at his most resourceful moments.
It’s messy in the best possible way. What keeps all of this from becoming exhausting is how well the game balances its pacing. Action sequences, exploration, and puzzle-solving constantly rotate in and out without ever overstaying their welcome. One minute you’re carefully deciphering a clue in a quiet, dusty chamber, and the next you’re being chased through tight corridors while improvising your way out of a fight using whatever object you grabbed on the way in. That rhythm keeps the experience fresh, like the game is constantly switching focus just enough to stop you from settling into autopilot.
Surprisingly Stable Archaeological Expedition
If I had to sum up the Switch 2 version of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in one line, it would be this: it’s close to the "full" experience, but you never forget you’re playing the portable version.
On handheld, performance is mostly stable at a locked 30 FPS, which is understandable given how cinematic and detailed the game can get. For the most part, it holds together well during exploration and quieter puzzle sections, which is where you’ll spend a huge chunk of your time anyway. That said, I did notice some stuttering creeping in during longer play sessions, especially when the system was running low on battery. It wasn’t constant, but it was noticeable enough to remind you that you’re pushing a handheld pretty hard with a game of this scale.
Visually, the downgrade is there and you can’t really ignore it. Textures are softer, lighting isn’t as sharp, and distant environments lose some of that cinematic depth that makes the Xbox version so striking. It doesn’t break the experience, but it does slightly flatten the atmosphere in moments where the game originally leaned heavily on visual detail to sell its scale. For example, climbing the buildings around the Vatican, where you would normally pause just to take in the sweeping view of the city below, doesn’t quite hit the same way here. The skyline is less detailed, the sense of height a bit less dramatic, and that "wow" moment is noticeably toned down compared to the original console version.
Loading transitions and cutscenes are another area where the difference shows. Cutscene loading in particular feels slower, and there are moments where you can feel the system working a bit harder to keep up with transitions between gameplay and cinematics. Nothing game-breaking, but enough that you become aware of the compromise.
Docked mode does improve things slightly—stability is a bit better, and some visual clarity returns—but it’s not a dramatic leap. It still feels like the same underlying port, just running under less strain. Overall, this is one of those cases where the ambition of the port is genuinely impressive, even if the hardware limitations are still visible. You’re getting a very playable, very complete version of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Switch 2, but it always sits in that space where you appreciate the effort while still being aware of what had to be scaled back.
Is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Switch 2) Worth It?
Still Worth Considering
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Switch 2 is still absolutely worth considering if this is your only way into the experience. If you don’t have access to a PC or console and the Switch 2 is your main platform, you’re still getting a full-fledged adventure that carries the same spirit, pacing, and core design as the original release, just in a more restrained technical package.
However, at $69.99, it sits in the same bracket as its higher-end counterparts, and that immediately raises expectations. If you have the option to play it on other platforms, I’d be honest and say that’s the better route. Not because the Switch 2 version is bad, but because those versions deliver the experience without the visual and performance trade-offs. On Switch 2, you’re essentially choosing portability and convenience over fidelity, and whether that trade is worth it depends entirely on what you value more as a player.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Switch 2) FAQ
How does Indiana Jones and the Great Circle run on Switch 2?
The performance of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Switch 2 is mostly stable, and targets 30 FPS.
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