Der schwere, braune Lederkoffer steht aufgeklappt auf dem Holzstuhl im lichtdurchfluteten Büro. Was darf nicht fehlen für die Reise in den Vatikan? Hemden und Hosen müssen mit und – selbstverständlich – die Peitsche! Wenn Indiana Jones ins nächste Abenteuer aufbricht, darf diese ebenso wenig fehlen wie der Fedora-Hut. Die Geißel ist sein Werkzeug, mit der er tödliche Abgründe lässig überschwingen und, wenn es nicht anders geht, Nazis auch eins auf die Rübe geben kann.
Wer Indiana Jones ist und was er macht, muss wahrscheinlich nicht groß erklärt werden. Vor gut 40 Jahren kam der erste von insgesamt fünf Kinofilmen mit Harrison Ford als Action-Archäologen in die Kinos, zahlreiche Videospiele gab es ebenso. Nach 15 Jahren ist mit „Indiana Jones und der Große Kreis“ jetzt ein neuer Titel auf dem Markt. Darin stiehlt sein Antagonist, der SS-Mann und Adolf Hitlers Chefarchäologe Emmerich Voss, Dr. Jones teilweise die Show.
Denn das Spiel, in dem sich Action und mehr oder weniger knifflige Rätsel ablösen, glänzt zwar durch schön gestaltete Schauplätze: Vatikan, Gizeh oder Himalaja. Außergewöhnlich gut gelungen sind aber die Videosequenzen zwischen den einzelnen Aufgaben. „Wir haben dafür mit Motion Capture gearbeitet, das bedeutet, neben unserer Stimme wurde jede Bewegung, jede Geste, jeder Blick eingefangen und dann animiert“, erklärt Marios Gavrilis das Verfahren.
Gavrilis is a German actor and voice actor and portrays Voss in the game. He emphasizes that voice actors do not apply in this case: “At the end of the day, we are actors who are put into suits and whose performances are exploited digitally. In our particular case, in addition to the cameras that capture the digital signal, we shot with real film cameras and Hollywood blockbuster-level equipment. Anyone who plays the game will therefore also notice that the acting scenes are very cinematic and you get the feeling that you are sitting in the cinema.”
Emmerich Voss, portrayed by Gavrilis, is a textbook villain. He travels the world on behalf of Hitler to find the key to an ancient power. He is intelligent, reads books by Sigmund Freud and, with his wire-rimmed glasses and slicked-back hair, looks like a slick Nazi who doesn't just play psychological games with his superior. “Voss treats language like an instrument of torture. Every sentence, every syllable is razor-sharp and serves the purpose of intimidating and manipulating his opponents,” says Gavrilis, describing the character.
Voss leads excavations in Giza for the leader in 1937, which means the game is set between the films “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Last Crusade”. Like Jones, he is looking for relics of the “Great Circle”. But while Jones wants to see them in a museum, Voss wants to exploit their powerful potential. The plot follows the paths of the first films. In “The Great Circle” Emmerich Voss is one of several characters who appear for the first time. Another is Gina Lombardi, an Italian journalist who follows Jones on his adventure around the world for personal reasons. The unlikely couple creates strange moments.
When they both look for a cat statue and Lombardi can't find it, Jones wants to teach her the pecking order: “It's not an ordinary cat. Listen, Gina, just leave it to the professionals.” Lombardi retaliates by letting Jones do the physical work. The role model conveyed in this way fits completely into the temporal context. Lombardi is nevertheless quick-witted and doesn't shy away from swinging her fists during scuffles with the Nazis. The movements and paths of Jones' female support often seem unintentionally strange and confused.
While Lombardi and Jones flirt and tease each other, the deeper relationship in this game lies between hero and anti-hero. “Although Gina Lombardi is Indiana Jones' sidekick and love interest, on another level Voss and Indy are the 'intellectual couple' around which everything revolves. “Both are infatuated with their obsession to look for the treasures and prove to each other who is better,” says Gavrilis, describing the plot.
Graphically, “Indiana Jones” hardly gives cause for criticism, and thanks to the excellent cutscenes, the game almost looks like one of the Spielberg films from the 1980s. Only the behavior of Lombardi and some opponents does not seem mature yet. However, if you want to play the game on a computer, you may face a problem because the basic hardware requirements are very high. But the game produced by the Swedish studio Machine Games can also be enjoyed wonderfully on an Xbox S or X.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is approved for ages 18 and up and costs around 80 euros. The game is currently available for PC and Xbox. A Playstation version will follow in 2025.
