Indiana Jones and the Great Circle DLC Integrates Seamlessly with Dynamic Difficulty
MachineGames is preparing to launch The Order of Giants, the first major downloadable content for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, on September 4. In an interview with IGN, Creative Director Axel Torvenius and Lead Designer Zeke Virant revealed intriguing details about how this new adventure will weave into the main game, including a unique dynamic difficulty system.
Axel Torvenius explained that while most DLCs are either mini-sequels or standalone side stories, MachineGames felt neither approach was right for The Order of Giants. Instead, they opted for a deep integration into the existing campaign, expanding the Vatican chapter to include the iconic city of Rome. This choice, however, presented significant technical challenges.
“I can tell you that we had a lot of struggles with the technical side, making sure that players' existing save games [would work],” Torvenius shared. “The systems already implemented didn't always help us integrate a large amount of new content into the middle of the game. So, the engineers and programmers, and designers too, had to do a lot of work. It wasn't easy, but we decided it was the best option.”
The developers aimed to cater to both players who have already completed the main campaign and newcomers. By expanding the Vatican chapter, new players will experience the DLC as a natural part of their first playthrough. For veterans, The Great Circle's ability to revisit explored regions means they can seamlessly return to Italy to delve into The Order of Giants. This integration creates a truly seamless experience, making it feel like the DLC genuinely expands on existing content.
Torvenius further elaborated on the narrative integration: “We achieved a balance because, obviously, the DLC is a completely self-contained adventure. That is, there are hooks and common threads between the main story and the DLC, but the DLC's plot does not affect the main plot, even if the DLC's plot gives you a deeper understanding of some elements. So this was definitely not the easiest and perhaps not the smartest, but the most successful [way to implement DLC].”
Dynamic Difficulty Adjusts to Your Progress
To ensure The Order of Giants offers an engaging challenge for all players, MachineGames has implemented a dynamic difficulty system. This system cleverly adjusts the DLC's challenge based on your current progress in the main campaign.
Lead Designer Zeke Virant detailed how this works: “We tried several ideas, but the simplest and, in fact, most successful option was that if you reached the Vatican but haven't yet reached Giza, we keep the first difficulty level. If you reached Giza, we raise the level to the second. And when you reach Sukhothai, we'll raise it to the third. This way, we [can adjust] the number of combinations enemies can use, the amount of health, and how many opponents can attack you at once.”
The DLC will shed more light on the history of the Nephilim. However, not all mysteries will be fully revealed, a deliberate choice by the developers. Torvenius explained that leaving some secrets encourages player discovery: “We always try to give players the feeling that they figured it out themselves, and when the complete picture comes together, it should be logical. But for me, it's always important, without giving too much away, to make you gradually piece together that picture yourself.”
Axel Torvenius expressed confidence that The Order of Giants will impress fans, even suggesting it surpasses the main game in some aspects. “In terms of overall quality, the DLC is definitely on par with the main game, and in some ways, it's even better. For those who love The Great Circle and MachineGames' world of Indiana Jones, this is a new serving of the same. It was created for them. And if you haven't played the base game, we really hope this will be a great opportunity for those who want to play. Its development was a real adventure, we put a lot of work into it, but we found it interesting.” He concluded, “I think our love for Indiana Jones is evident, and we are very proud of it.”
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, including Game Pass. The action-adventure title is also slated to arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.
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