Just as it looked like the dust had settled on arguments over 2024’s ‘game of the year’, along comes this last-minute, red-hot contender from developer MachineGames (who have form when it comes to Nazi-bashing thanks to their recent Wolfenstein entries). A long-awaited new adventure to join the classic film series (parts four and five notwithstanding), The Great Circle easily earns its place among the best of the franchise.

Set between the first two films, the game depicts Indy’s race around the world as he attempts to stop a fascist army that’s trying to harness the combined mystical power of a set of ancient sites that happen to be aligned in a near-perfect circle. The globe-trotting adventure takes in Marshall College, Connecticut (Indy’s university as seen in the films), Vatican City, around the Great Pyramids of Giza, across the Himalayas, through Shanghai, Thailand and beyond.

Most locations serve as open-world hubs in which Indy must solve puzzles, help out the locals and generally explore for hidden artefacts. Although players can unlock a few period costumes to help infiltrate secure areas, most of the action relies on stealth, so it’s interesting that the game is mainly played in first-person perspective. While it can be awkward to spot enemies without an external camera, by placing the player in Indy’s shoes The Great Circle really sells itself as a piece of wish fulfilment. The fantasy of playing as the iconic character is further embellished thanks to the casting of Troy Baker as the lead. The actor (best known for his voice work in The Last Of Us, Uncharted 4 and BioShock Infinite) absolutely nails the mellifluous, gravelly timbre of a forty-something Ford; it’s not always a spot-on impersonation but it doesn’t need to be: Baker really gets the essence of the character, and he puts in a performance that these days even Ford himself would fail to achieve.

Visually, Indy is depicted with winning accuracy: the character’s face modelling is lifelike, expressive and animated with a range of subtle, idiosyncratic tics redolent from the early films. In fact, the game sets out its authentic stall right from the start with a superb prologue that recreates the opening of Raiders Of The Lost Ark with scene-perfect staging accompanied by John Williams’s eerie score.

The rich environments are a joy to explore, with glistening ray traced reflections and beautiful evocations of ancient sites, including a sublime facsimile of the Sistine Chapel. When combat is called for, it mainly involves punching fascists in the face, an entertaining prospect elevated by the same over-the-top crunchy audio that sound designer Ben Burtt employed in the films. Indy’s whip is similarly fun to wield, although it’s mainly used for swinging and climbing.

The game cracks along at a fair pace thanks to a smart, funny script and top performances from Alessandra Mastronardi as sidekick Gina, the late Tony Todd as mysterious foe Locus, and a scenery chewing, lip-curling turn by Marios Gavrilis as Nazi boss Emmerich Voss. This is a triumphant adaptation of the beloved franchise, and here's hoping it heralds an exciting new era for Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones And The Great Circle is out now on PC and Xbox Series X/S; out on PlayStation 5 in the spring.