Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants review – Order up

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was one of 2024’s late breakout hits. Assuming the role of Indy to explore ancient tombs, photograph historical moments, and break fascist skulls was a rip-roaring and thoroughly enjoyable experience. It was a late Game of the Year contender, mainly thanks to sections of the Vatican, Egypt, and Sukhothai being fully explorable, with dozens of hidden secrets, challenges, puzzles, and disguises. The Order of Giants doesn’t really have any of that, though.

If you’re returning to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to remind yourself why the main game was so great, then you’ll be sorely disappointed. There’s a very brief extended portion of the Vatican and a portion of the river in Rome to poke around, but there’s not much to find. Past that point, it’s all linear caves and somewhat annoying puzzles.

You start The Order of Giants by speaking with Father Ricci and his pet parrot in the Vatican, and it quickly leads you down a rabbit hole to find a golden dagger. Unlike the main game, which punctuates story sequences with moments that allow you to set your own goals, The Order of Giants is a linear adventure. You just keep going forward down the only available path, solving puzzles and picking up items as you go. Some caves and ruins might seem like they have alternate paths to explore, but you’ll quickly realize that they all wrap around to the same place.

Father Ricci knows of an ancient golden dagger, and he believes the secret of its location is hidden deep below the Vatican. The giants were a key part of Great Circle’s narrative, and although you might assume that this DLC dives deep into their secret society thanks to the name, it doesn’t really do that unless you dive deep into the dozens of notes you’ll find. In terms of actual cutscenes and dialogue, The Order of Giants is thin on the ground, and the same goes for things to do.

There are a handful of optional items to collect – some new artifacts and hidden safe combinations – but the average puzzle difficulty has been scaled up a fair bit, meaning that some optional tasks don’t feel rewarding enough. There are four big puzzles connected by long caves that act as the main content of this DLC, and the length of the DLC is extended thanks to how obtuse some of these puzzles can be. It also highlights how many awkward button taps you need to input in order to read through notes relating to the puzzle you’re trying to complete. 

Like an Indiana Jones movie, the main game effortlessly weaves action, stealth, puzzles, and casual exploration seamlessly, but The Order of Giants is just a linear adventure. Uncharted without the quippy companions. Even the final boss and ultimately acquiring the golden dagger of legend feels underbaked and dull. There’s no real story resolution, no big cutscene where Indy has an epiphany about the titular Order of Giants, it just ends and Indy goes back to the Vatican.

It’s still the game you loved. It’s reasonably well polished and looks great. But the content in The Order of Giants feels mostly devoid of what made the main game so good. I didn’t truly enjoy any of the puzzles, seeing them more as an obstacle, and there wasn’t enough meat on anything else to actually chew on.

If I’d bought Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Premium Edition at launch solely for the eventual DLC, I’d be sorely disappointed. If you’re on the fence about The Order of Giants now, then just stay away. It’s a nice extra story to have, but unless you’re one of the Great Circle’s strongest soldiers, there’s no need to play The Order of Giants — especially for the high asking price. It’s more Indy, but not more of what made Indy great.