Summary
In craftingIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, developer MachineGames has persistently made it clear that its goal was to ensure players actually felt like the character of Indiana Jones. In light of that, many of its priorities during development revolved around perfectingIndiana Jones and the Great Circle’s depiction of the titular character, first by studying the full scope of his personality, mannerisms, and skills summed up in Harrison Ford’s iconic portrayal of the character, and then by directing the talented Troy Baker to implement those characteristics into his own performance.
Frankly,Troy Baker’s performance as Indiana JonesinIndiana Jones and the Great Circleis arguably his best work yet, delivering one of the most accurate depictions of the beloved archaeologist ever seen in a video game. His performance was so good, in fact, that Harrison Ford has recently gone on record saying that he is convinced that there is no need for AI to digitally recreate actors and actresses after seeing what Troy Baker did inIndiana Jones and the Great Circle. At the same time, while the character of Indiana Jones inThe Great Circlefelt authentic and true to its roots, there is one thing about the archaeologist it might have overblown that MachineGames will now not be able to take back in a sequel.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Really Played Up Indy’s Fear of Snakes
Indiana Jones Is Famously Afraid of Snakes
There are certainly plenty of things about the character of Indiana Jones that make up who he is as a person, an archaeologist, and a protagonist. One of the most well-known facts about Indiana Jones is that he is very afraid of snakes. This phobia, known as ophidiophobia, is a running joke throughout theIndiana Jonesfranchise, so, of course,Indiana Jones and the Great Circlehad to include it. Indy’s fear is first revealed inRaiders of the Lost Arkwhen he exclaims, “Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?” upon discovering a chamber filled with them, and that fear was then occasionally used as a gag in subsequentIndiana Jonesmovies.
It wasn’t ever made clear as to why Indy hates snakes inRaiders of the Lost ArkandTemple of Doom, but it was always assumed that there was a legitimate reason for his fear, apart from the fact that snakes can sometimes just be naturally frightening to a person. However, the origin of his ophidiophobia is shown inIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where a young Indy falls into a circus train car full of snakes, effectively traumatizing him for life. Despite the adventurous and fearless persona he works so hard to maintain, Indy’s fear of snakes remains one of his most humorous and iconic traits.
Indy’s Character in The Great Circle Seems to Be Even More Afraid of Snakes
In its efforts to ensure Indy was accurately portrayed throughout its story,Indiana Jones and the Great Circleleaned into the character’s fear of snakes. Quite frequently duringIndiana Jones and the Great Circle’s story, Indy has an encounter with a snake, where his ophidiophobia is put on full, comedic display. Unfortunately, the game arguably leans far too heavily into that fear, to the point that Indy’s character inIndiana Jones and the Great Circledoesn’t really feel like the same Indy from the films when he comes face-to-face with a snake.
Despite the adventurous and fearless persona he works so hard to maintain, Indy’s fear of snakes remains one of his most humorous and iconic traits.
When Indy faces asnake inIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, an almost childlike fear comes out of him, depicting him as someone with very little control over his emotions. However, the Indy from the films, although he is clearly afraid of snakes, does his best to keep that fear as reserved as possible, especially when there are others around. The Indy inIndiana Jones and the Great Circledoes next to nothing to hide his fear, thereby blowing this particular characteristic of the beloved character out of proportion. The most unfortunate thing here is that MachineGames will now have to continue to lean into this design choice in futureIndiana Jonesgames, as taking it back now would be inconsistent with what the developer has started.
