Shortly after the announcement of the creation of Lucasfilm Games, Bethesda added to the hype by announcing that they are collaborating with them on the development of a brand-spanking-new Indiana Jones game.
It’s been a long time coming, that’s for sure. We haven’t seen Indie in a video game since Lego Indiana Jones 2 (if we’re not counting the relatively short-lived Facebook game) so it’s about time he made his way back to us.
— Bethesda (@bethesda) January 12, 2021
Unfortunately, details on the game are practically non-existent at this time. All we really know is that we’ll be getting a completely original story which is definitely a good thing – movie tie-ins have a reputation of being notoriously bad after all. Perhaps Bethesda will release more details soon, but for now all we can do is speculate.
With that in mind, here is what we’d like to see in the new Indiana Jones Game:
Open World
I’m sure I’m not alone here, but what I really want is for this game to be open world. Now I’m not expecting something rivalling the likes of The Witcher 3 or Skyrim in terms of map size, but I want at least some level of exploration. Bethesda have already announced that the story will be an original which puts it in good stead for this since they won’t be restricted by a pre-existing plot and given the nature of Indiana Jones and the scale of their games, it is likely that we’ll get this.
Or at least, I hope so.
New characters
From Marion Ravenwood to Short Round, Indie is known for having a companion by his side throughout the movies. The Lego games incorporated this and I hope the new game will do this too even if they only have minor roles. I don’t anticipate the game will be multiplayer, but companions tend to add depth to both the protagonist and the story by giving them someone to converse with but also give way for puzzles that require more than one person to complete.
Challenging puzzles
Speaking of puzzles, they are a must for an Indiana Jones game. Jones is a badass, but he’s also incredibly smart so it would be great to see him showing off his brains by solving some relatively complex puzzles. Now, Dr Jones is no doubt better at solving puzzles than the majority of us, but we still want to be challenged. This is something the Tomb Raider and Uncharted games have always done well, so hopefully the new Indiana Jones game will give us something similar.
Varied Combat
What is a game without combat?
Combat is usually the crux of any action/adventure game and Jones himself is no stranger to a good brawl so it’s important they get this right. I’d like to see the same some hand-to-hand combat along with a good variety of weapons, both real and makeshift. I’m not expecting Indie to rock up with an AK-47 or anything, but a revolver, dagger and of course Indie’s trusty whip are fair game. It would be nice to see some stealth elements too for those who prefer that playstyle and let’s face it – Indie might be able to handle himself well, but he’s no one man army. There’s a limit to the number of foes he can face at once without being overpowered.
Multiple platforms
The last one is a little more problematic down to Microsoft’s relatively recent acquisition of Bethesda. Microsoft have openly stated that they don’t want to pull Bethesda content from other platforms completely, but that doesn’t mean the game will hit all consoles at the same time. It’s looking quite likely that even if future Bethesda games aren’t exclusive they might be released on Xbox and PC first. There might well also be differences in quality.
Hopefully, all gamers will be able to enjoy the game regardless of platform though, even if not right away.
Well, that’s all from me – what would you like to see from the new Indiana Jones game?
