REVIEW – With Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle, MachineGames proved the whip-cracking archaeologist could shine once more in the gaming spotlight, blending cinematic storytelling with mechanics that channeled his adventurous spirit. The first DLC, The Order of Giants, doesn’t attempt to retread that globe-trotting spectacle or replicate the same sweeping scope. Instead, it goes underground—literally—turning Rome’s catacombs into a tense, claustrophobic labyrinth filled with history, myth, and danger. Tested on PlayStation 5, this expansion thrives on atmosphere and environmental storytelling, offering players a more intimate but no less engaging slice of Indy’s world.

The Order of Giants shifts the stage from sprawling vistas to suffocating tunnels, flooded crypts, and walls marked with centuries of symbols. Gone are the sweeping deserts and ancient temples—here, tension is born from damp corridors, shadows that cling to every corner, and carvings that whisper more than dialogue ever could. The tone feels closer to The Last Crusade’s darkest moments, where mystery and myth fed the suspense more than explosions or spectacle. Atmosphere is the currency here, carefully crafted with light, shadow, and fine detail.

This structural choice matches the design philosophy: a standalone DLC unlocked midway through the main campaign, offering five to eight hours of condensed playtime. It’s a focused story arc that doesn’t sprawl unnecessarily, instead anchoring itself in one haunting location packed with historical and mythological references. MachineGames signals clearly: this isn’t filler, but a deliberate, self-contained chapter that expands the Indiana Jones mythos in meaningful ways.

A Lost Knight and the Weight of Myth

The tale begins in Rome, where a young priest, Father Ricci, discovers a hidden manuscript buried behind a fresco. The text references an unnamed Crusader knight and his enigmatic helmet—an artifact that pulls Indy beneath the city streets. What begins as a simple errand soon spirals into a larger conspiracy, dragging Jones into conflict with a secret cult sworn to protect the legacy of the Order of the Nephilim. The further Indy descends, the higher the stakes become.

Storytelling leans heavily on the setting. Catacombs and crypts aren’t mere backdrops—they’re active storytellers. Symbols carved in stone, weathered frescoes, and hidden relics all carry fragments of history for players to piece together. This approach restores Indy to his roots: an archaeologist deciphering clues before a globe-trotting hero with a revolver.

The overall tone is darker, ritualistic, and more suffocating than the base game. Nazis step aside, replaced by zealot cultists—obsessive, symbolic adversaries who feel more spiritual than militaristic. It’s a tonal pivot that mirrors The Last Crusade’s most enigmatic sequences, where suspense stemmed from buried truths as much as it did from gunfire. The Order of Giants thrives on this density, weaving a web of symbols, mysteries, and conspiracies into a story that feels essential rather than expendable.

Rhythm, Tension, and the Indy Touch

From a gameplay standpoint, the expansion doesn’t introduce brand-new systems but smartly adapts existing ones to the claustrophobic Roman underworld. Narrow hallways, dim light, and closed spaces force players to move carefully. Stealth becomes a necessity, as patrols allow little room for improvisation and demand perfect timing. It also exposes a weakness carried over from the main game: there are no true stealth takedowns. Sneaking up on an enemy provides no tactical payoff, trimming variety from infiltration sequences.

When stealth fails, combat hits harder than in the base campaign. Cultists are sturdier and attack relentlessly, draining ammo and health packs quickly. These battles are less frequent but far more punishing, breaking the flow abruptly and punishing unprepared players. The intensity adds tension, but also frustration for those who don’t stock up.

Puzzles take the opposite approach: simpler, faster, but well-aligned with the context. Aligning inscriptions, pulling levers, decoding symbols—nothing too complex, but immersive enough to feel rewarding. Some stand-out moments exist, like interpreting frescoes to unlock secret passages or triggering mechanisms hidden behind altars. The difficulty remains moderate, which keeps pacing smooth but may disappoint fans of the main game’s more intricate riddles.

The real strength lies in variety. The DLC shuffles stealth, puzzles, exploration, and action to avoid monotony. One moment you’re sneaking past cultists in a tight corridor, the next you’re piecing together clues from frescoes, and soon after you’re sprinting through a collapsing tunnel, whip in hand. These shifts capture the essence of Indiana Jones—not by reinventing mechanics, but by stitching them together into tense, pulpy sequences that constantly surprise.

Ultimately, The Order of Giants doesn’t reinvent the formula—it reshapes it. Claustrophobic stealth sharpens the tension, harder fights raise the stakes, and lighter puzzles keep the tempo balanced. It’s the same toolbox, applied with a different rhythm, and it works.

Rome’s Catacombs Have Never Looked This Good

Visually, the DLC abandons the base game’s scenic variety for something more focused. The Ancient Circle showcased deserts, mountains, and sunlit temples; The Order of Giants traps its beauty in shadows. Instead of postcard-worthy landscapes, you wander waterlogged tunnels, aged crypts, and candlelit chapels. It’s a change of palette, trading scale for density.

The art direction builds by subtraction: darker palettes, confined spaces, and details that reveal themselves slowly. A torchlight sketching shadows on stone, water trickling across worn bricks, frescoes guiding you forward—these aren’t just atmospheric touches, they’re narrative tools. The catacombs feel alive with history, every brick and carving telling silent stories. Environmental storytelling here is sharper and more deliberate than anywhere else in the franchise.

On the technical side, performance remains on par with the base game. On PC, max settings with ray tracing push 120 FPS, dipping to 60 in heavier cutscenes. Optimization is stable, with no major crashes or bugs. On Xbox Series X, the game runs at a locked 60 FPS with dynamic 1800p resolution and global illumination ray tracing enabled. The PS5 version mirrors that stability, ensuring smooth play despite the more demanding visuals.

The Order of Giants doesn’t impress with scale or color, but with coherence. Every sound, shadow, and texture reinforces the illusion of walking beneath centuries-old Rome. It’s not pretty in a postcard sense—it’s convincing in a historical, atmospheric sense, and that’s far more valuable here.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”

Thanks to Bethesda Softworks for providing the review copy.

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: MachineGames
Genre: Action-Adventure, DLC
Release Date: September 4, 2025