Another key element for The Great CircleThe interpretation of the character was to let him change over time – MachineGames doesn't want to create a static symbol of who Indiana Jones is, but rather provide a meaningful exploration of how he grows after “Raiders” and before “The Last Crusade”. . . It's not just the story that matters, but also the game itself – MachineGames has found ways to suggest Indy's personal development through mechanics.
“There are different ways we worked with it,” Torvenius begins. “During the game we reward the player with Adventure Points. These points can be used to unlock skills found in skill books. These are essentially new skills you learn throughout the adventure – and all of these skills and moves you unlock have been carefully designed to fit Indy's character. Some of these are things like increased health or stamina, others are related to the use of the whip – all traits closely linked to Indiana Jones. This creates a sense of experiential education.
“There is also a visual progression where his hat and jacket become a little more worn as the experience progresses, and the same goes for the diary. Indy's diary grows in size, with smudges and scribbles on the pages to highlight the player's journey. All of these things work very well together – the player will never feel like Indy’s character isn’t evolving as the game progresses.”
And of course, the majority of the game plays a major role in the first-person perspective. Although it may be challenging to set the game within A character so defined by his appearance gave MachineGames the chance to utilize his experience in this area – especially in the recent Wolfenstein games.
“We knew from the start that this was an extremely important challenge,” says Andersson. “Luckily this isn’t our first rodeo. Large parts of the team have always worked together on story-based first-person games The Chronicles of Riddick And The darkness. “I also think the Wolfenstein series surprised the world because it had a very interesting and likeable character in BJ Blazkowicz, so we have a lot of experience with that.”
“An important thing that has been part of our DNA for a very long time – and definitely helps create great characters – is that we put story at the center,” adds Torvenius. “We always start with a strong narrative and always end with a narratively strong ending. And our experience is to tightly link these stories with solid gameplay.
“The perfect mix of strong cutscenes and interesting gameplay, driven by an interesting, complex character with many nuances who evolves over the course of the game is crucial.” A good story survives everything and that's why we always attach great importance to it getting the story just right.”
