The Indiana Jones franchise has seen some troubled video game entries. It hasn’t even seen an entirely original installment since 2009’s Staff of Kings, which failed to properly emulate any of Indy’s inherent appeal. Each game either tarnishes Indy’s legacy or stagnates; the Lego spinoffs don’t add to the lore and Indiana Jones Adventure World barely starred the titular character at all. Nobody seems equipped to get Indy back on his feet in the gaming world.
Naughty Dog earns credit for filling an Indy-shaped hole with the Uncharted series, but Nathan Drake’s similarities to Indy begin and end with their (sort of) shared occupation. Indiana Jones is a franchise rich with gameplay possibilities, if only the right developer could hit the high notes – like these ones.
An Actual Adventure With, Y’Know, Adventure-y Stuff
Action/adventure games often emphasize the “action” and forget about the other part. Gunplay and combat are great mechanics for these types of games, but there’s more to adventuring than cliff climbing and breaking bridges. Sure, give me jaw-dropping moments and awesome set-piece moments, but also throw in some unpredictable excitement when finding and identifying new areas and treasures.
The next Indiana Jones game could look to the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot for inspiration; that game’s secret tombs were rewarding trials separate from the main game that still made sense in the context of the story. They don’t even need to be strict diversions – sidequests can be hidden along the path of the core plot without removing the player from it completely. The next Indiana Jones game could tip the scales back in favor of the “adventure” side of the action/adventure genre.
Big Levels, But No Open-World
A trademark of the Indiana Jones series is a reliance on real-world locations (or supposed locations of mythical ones) to give a sense of importance and scope. An Indiana Jones game set in an open world would have to compromise location for technological limitations (no system is powerful enough to render the entire continent of Eurasia). It might also pan the focus away from concentrated exploration. A narrative-driven game like Indiana Jones deserves to be complemented by a focused sense of progression, which can be lost in translating a game into open-world space.
Tight Combat, But Not Arkham Combat
Indiana Jones is not much of a fair fighter. When things come to fisticuffs, he’s not exactly graceful, either; his brawling bruiser style belies his military training. As fun and fluid as the Batman: Arkham series’ combat system is, and with as many games as we’d like to see it in, it’s just too pretty to put behind Indy’s scarred knuckles. If Indy’s outnumbered in an enemy encounter, it should feel like he is. The battle should be a blow-by-blow, deliberate experience – not a super-human’s punching bag routine.
[Turn the page to find out what should and shouldn't be in the next Indy game.]