The huge success, both commercial and especially critical, of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has embedded the game into the fabric of the wider Indy world, and one many questions is where exactly does Great Circle fit into that era of Indy’s life and adventures. It turns out very neatly, and Lucasfilm take a look at a number of examples including one of the biggest mysteries – whatever happened to Marion Ravenwood after Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The One That Got Away
Every time I begin The Last Crusade, I always ask myself: wait, where’s Marion Ravenwood? The Great Circle fills us in in no time at all, opening with a stunning recreation of Indy’s quest to retrieve the golden fertility idol as seen at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The unforgettable boulder chase takes on a new meaning in-game as it’s punctuated by the disembodied voice of Marion. Seemingly crushed by the boulder, Indy awakens from his bad dream, safe in his office, but alone; Jones recently returned from his latest adventure in Siwa to find Marion gone.This time, Indy tries to lose himself in his work, but as he packs, he finds a gift from Marion: a journal still in its wrapping. Despite Marcus Brody’s encouragement to process his emotions, Indy crumples the note and chooses adventure once again. This tension helps flavor Indy and Marion’s fraught relationship beyond the films, recharacterizing their arc in Raiders in which they transform from seemingly scorned ex-lovers to surviving the wrath of God together (now that’s a compatibility test). That “enemies to lovers” plotline is enriched by The Great Circle as it lends a rare softness to Jones’ character, illustrating the nuance during the in-between moments of the iconic couple. While the two argue in Raiders over who really hurt who and Jones seems to laugh it off, instead we’re afforded a glimpse into the Jones we’ll later see return in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The return of Ms. Ravenwood near Akator is all the more emotional for audiences and Indiana alike knowing that he’s missed her in waking and dreaming moments for almost twenty years. Later in the game, a hallucinatory sequence again includes the voice of Marion, and even the discovery of the headpiece to the Staff of Ra — a Ravenwood family heirloom fans have seared into their memory from Raiders, once again proving Marion still burns in Indy’s mind.
In related news, the first DLC Order of Giants is now available.
