Where to even start with this game!
Well I guess I should admit my bias, I’ve been madly in love with Indiana Jones (and a bit with Harrison Ford as well) ever since I was a little girl seeing the first Indiana Jones film.
These films were made for me, the hero is my dream man, the stories taking place in the era I find so fascinating, action, history, archaeology, etc.
These films had it all.
So it’s going to be difficult for me to be critical, it’s kind of pathetic, I literally paused the game regularly to just giggle at Indy looking lovely.
At my age, at his age, at my age, young man!
Anyway, seriously, the game is amazing, it felt like I was running around one of the early Indiana Jones films, whoever made this clearly shared my love for the franchise, you can see it in every detail.
Also, before we get started, compliments to Troy Baker who voiced Indy in this game.
He got the voice just right, when the game started I even believed I was listening to Harrison Ford or some sort of digital AI magic where they had used recordings of his voice, but no, it was just mr. Baker.
That’s how much he sounds like Indy.
I guess I now have to go marry him or something.
Anyway, I will go through some of the things in the game I liked most, will probably also complain about tiny details nobody cares about, which will be annoying and there will be tons of spoilers.
Just so you know, you’ve been warned.
The game starts with one of my favourite scenes of any film ever.
I remember seeing this at home, on my father’s very fancy VHS recorder back in the early 80s, he asked me if the film was perhaps to scary for my friend who would come over that day and I told him I thought it was too scary for me too.
I think I was 10.
But goodness what a great scene and now we get to play it ourselves!!
I love being told when a film takes place.
I cheered and blushed when we get our first close-up of Indy:
No, it wasn’t just a little fun video, you actually get to be Indy in the famous temple run scene!!
Screamed again when I saw the spiders, even though they don’t scare me in real life:
Oh the Chachapoyan Fertility Idol!
I need to get a nice replica prop of that for my home, the memory of this scene has been with me for decades:
Oh that smirk… sigh…
The boulder!
Run, run!
Back to the college where Indy teaches, oh boy is there a lot to see, I spend so much time staring at everything here:
But there were fun details everywhere else as well, I played with this old wireless for ages:
Someone made all these little leaflets:
Indy’s office!!
Great gramophone record, but it’s a bit small, I have a bunch of 1930s records and they’re bigger:
A message from Marion… the one that got away…
Oh Brody, silly boy, Indy can do that, he’s very good at it:
This too made me so happy, I loved this typical travelling scene from the golden age of film when I saw it in real 1930s films, I loved seeing it in the Indiana Jones films and cheered when I saw it in this game:
We’re in Italy, fascists everywhere, and Indy makes a very true statement:
Indy dressed as a priest confused my heart:
What do you mean, limit reached?
GIVE ME MORE FOOD:
Oh look, they put me in the game!
Oh my favourite medieval helmet!
Oh the Sistine Chapel!
There’s so much history everywhere, even an archaeological dig with lovely Roman remains and you get to explore it:
Side quest! Oh no, a missing cat!
Of course I put everything aside to go find the cat, but there are many:
I also got to do one of my favourite activities: kill nazis:
And they’re everywhere:
Just when I think I can be no more in love with Indy than I already am and then he says he loves the smell of old books… swoon…
But I am still going to have to mention it when I see mistakes, like this one.
Indy takes photographs with his camera and somehow, magically, they get developed in minutes, like a Polaroid.
Back then, and even still in my lifetime, it would take days for film to be developed & printed, unless you did it at home.
And Indy has no dark room in his bag.
It’s colour film as well, so that would involve a specialist.
Taking photos is fun, but they should have just gone with Indy taking notes and making sketches in his little book:
Levers!
Secret doors!
Dark passageways!
The game has it all!
As a history addict, there’s so much to see, I spend a lot of time just snooping around and examining artefacts:
Ooohhh, Saint Michael the Archangel, a painting by Ignacio de Ries!
Look what I just found!!
The dame Indy gets to work together with isn’t my type, her hairstyle is a bit weird for the era.
Yes, I’m just jealous.
Yeah, sorry, but when I find a place like this I’m going to have to look around here and check out every single thing:
The bad guy is a proper bad guy, always nice to have a truly evil Nazi as your nemesis, just look at his nasty gob:
Nazis breaking old stuff, now I have to kill them even harder:
A Zeppelin!
I’m obsessed with airships, when I saw this one I got so excited, would the game let me explore it?
You better developers, you better!
Although we are allowed to hitch a ride on her, we don’t get to explore it.
I was really upset about this, I wanted to check out the smoking salon, the berths, restaurant, etc.
I was genuinely disappointed.
Another gorgeous travel intermission:
I’m not too keen on Gina, but she’s right about this:
We’re in Egypt!
She’s smaller than I thought she would be:
Again, I’m delighted by all the wonderful historical details, so much to see!
Oh no… is Indy going Schliemann style??
Yes, that’s me whacking a German soldier with a plunger:
I mean, how can a view like this not make you happy?
Excuse me for a minute while I take care of a few nazis:
The only painting I damaged:
I will never forgive the developers for making me destroy this wall:
You tell ’em Indy:
More travelling, we get to see so much of the world!
From the hot Egyptian desert to the cold mountains.
I’ve climbed mountains like this, loved it, very scary but great memories:
And I know you young whippersnappers aren’t impressed by this sort of thing, but auntie Jo remembers when computer graphics were just squares moving about a bit, so to me people in the snow actually leaving a trace still excites me:
And there’s a massive ship!
And it’s full of nazi ice cream!
I have to admit I had to laugh when this evil nazi was insulting Indy and Americans in general, sorry:
And then we’re off again!
This was quite an exiting adrenaline escape in again a very well crafted location:
And then you find yourself hanging from a plane!
Dogfight!
And then you’re fighting on a wing…
Then we go to Siam!
Another amazing location:
Hello, is it me you’re looking for?
Sadly he wasn’t calling me:
Gorgeous!
Oh come on Indy, we don’t believe you, you risk your life for history all the time, you risk it for your hat!
Pesky Nazis:
Well done Gina:
The Ziggurat of Ur with Nazi flags on it?
We can’t have that, go get ’em Indy:
Yes, that’s what you think it is:
Nazis going out the classic way:
A goodbye in front of a tante Ju, how romantic!
I cheered:
What a great game, what a wonderful, cinematic ending:
So, conclusion!
Historically speaking I didn’t notice much that was really wrong, besides of course the ark, the supernatural stuff, etc. but that’s allowed, those aren’t mistakes, they’re plot choices!
As I said before, the game was made with a lot of love for the original stories and characters, it fits in so well with the franchise.
The game has fun puzzles, dungeons, discoveries to be made, fist fights and shootouts.
All the classics.
If you love Indiana Jones, you’re going to love this game.
Bravo.
It seems that the overwhelming success of the game has pleasantly surprised the suits at the top, so the odds of sequels are pretty good:
I can’t wait.
PS Indy I love you.
Fake History Hunter 