Former Indiana Jones dev slams The Great Circle for 'creative lapse'
To quote Indiana Jones, "Nazis, I hate these guys." Still, some 40 years after Dr. Jones first punched the Third Reich in Raiders of the Lost Ark, it's getting a bit tired. It seems we aren't alone in wanting to see Indy take on some new enemies, as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has been called out for the tired trope.
While Indiana Jones and Nazis go together like Hobbits and Orcs or Jedi and Sith, the various Indiana Jones movies and games don't have much variety in enemies. Okay, so Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had aliens and swapped Nazis for Soviets, but that's beside the point.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis director calls out Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Click to enlargeNow, the Director behind 1992's point-and-click adventure Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis has called out Bethesda's upcoming game for once again including Nazis. Speaking to Time Extension, Hal Barwood said he'd like to see the franchise head in a new direction.
Barwood explained how Fate of Atlantis was going to include the idea of resurrecting Hitler, but it was changed because the team realised its games had a strong following in Germany. He also reflected on how Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny again included Nazis.
"I think as the Jones' universe became formulaic to the people who were involved with it in film especially, but also in games, they just thought that Nazis were an inherent part of that world," said Barwood. "I didn't think so at all. I just think it was a tremendous mistake to have Nazis in Dial of Destiny."
He went on to say, "I just thought that resurrecting and rehashing that material was not a good idea." Remembering how Dial of Destiny included Mads Mikkelsen as Jurgen Vollar, and Nazis feature prominently in the first trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, you can't help but see his point.
Barwood concluded, "They just couldn't think of something that didn't involve the Nazis, and the franchise was lying heavy on their shoulders. And so, they just thought they should go and do what had already been done. That's a creative lapse, which I’m sorry to have been aware of. I wish it hadn't happened."
It could be time to rest Indiana Jones
Click to enlargeThe two most recent Indy outings might be relying on Nazis, but they're hardly going to be the last time we see the whip-cracking adventurer. Even if Harrison Ford hadn't said he was done with the role, Dial of Destiny's reviews and box office bombing further hammered home that the IP is heading for a rest.
While we imagine there will eventually be a return of Indiana Jones to the silver screen, it might be better to see the character get a video game resurgence instead. The legendary Troy Baker is voicing Indy in the latest game, and if it's a hit, there's always a chance we could see more entries in the franchise.
