A GOTY contender that won’t get the award it deserves

This year, I’ve had the privilege of playing some exceptional video games. From baking magical culinary delights to facing down blighted dragons to fighting for my life as I attempt to stealth. I’ve been busy. Yet, my biggest fear is that one of the best titles I’ve played in 2024 will be forgotten come The Game Awards 2025.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has received no end of praise since its release; I myself remarked on it delivering “whip cracking thrills”. Sadly for this Machinegames experience, it’s destined to get left behind when votes for Game of the Year 2025 are cast. Not because it’s a bad game – far from it – but because it’s been released at such an awkward time.

Releasing on 9 December has its perks, not least of all because few other titles are being launched to rival Indy’s return to adventuring. However, the downside is that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has become trapped; it’s too late for it to be nominated for the 2024 awards, but it’s likely too early for it to be remembered when the 2025 awards begin. It’s criminal to think that such a critically acclaimed game is going to miss out on those awards due to a circumstance of timing.

In all likelihood, Machinegames and Bethesda are aware that this will happen. Furthermore, a game doesn’t need to win awards to prove its worth – plenty of exceptional games never win a single trophy, yet they offer a sublime experience. Awards are mere trinkets when all is said and done. Nonetheless, I feel like an intrepid explorer such as Indy would want to call at least one of these baubles his own.

If this is to be the fate that befalls Indy, let us at least highlight some of the stunning qualities of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Then when we look back and wonder why it was forgotten like a dusty tome, I can whip out this article to remind you all of your mistake.

There are only a handful of games I’ve played both professionally and recreationally that I love while simultaneously disliking every minute; Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is one of them.

Please don’t misconstrue my words, I’m saying this as someone who rated the Bethesda-published title 9/10, referring to it as a “breathtaking love letter” to the films. Any discomfort I felt during my playthrough was part of what made it so entertaining to play. Much like Indy in the films, I was forced into situations that I wasn’t properly equipped or prepared for. As you can imagine, that makes for a stressful experience, but one that’s also highly rewarding once you accomplish your goals.

Putting aside its challenges, which both make the game as well as break the players (perhaps only I feel this way), there’s a narrative here that perfectly slots itself into Indiana Jones lore. It has such complexity that you’re never quite sure if the tomb you’re entering is home to a forgotten relic or something much more supernaturally aligned. Obviously as you progress further in the game, the pieces of the puzzle, both those seen and unseen, fall into place to create a masterclass in how to meld together history and mythology. There’s a grandeur to its tale, but with that dash of tongue-in-cheek comedy the franchise is renowned for.

Few adaptations can do the original justice while successfully putting its own spin on things, yet Machinegames has excelled in this department. To think that such an effort will only be fleetingly recognised once 2025 gathers momentum is an industry crime I won’t easily forgive.