I never knew pummeling Nazis on a handheld could be so much fun, but Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's Nintendo Switch 2 debut proves fortune, glory and punching fascists can be even more entertaining on the go

When Bethesda Softworks launched Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for Xbox and PC in late 2024, it surprised both fans of the film franchise and loyal followers of developer MachineGames.

While many expected the licensed entry to be an Indy-themed re-skin of the studio's popular first-person Wolfenstein games, others thought it might be just another familiar Uncharted or Tomb Raider romp…only topped with a fedora.

Of course, those assumptions proved to be about as reliable as a pet monkey when the game ultimately delivered a sprawling, epic adventure that not only captured the spirit of its beloved source material, but rivaled the legendary archaeologist's big screen exploits.

While the Great Circle indeed packed a literal punch in the combat department, and featured its fair share of tombs to raid, its action and puzzles were organically balanced with immersive exploration, rich world-building, nuanced characterizations, and cinematic storytelling.

But it seems crafting a successful, expectation-subverting Indiana Jones was just the beginning, as MachineGames has unearthed another shiny treasure in the form of the Great Circle's Switch 2 release. Much more than a competent port that retains and optimizes the original's (whip) cracking formula, Indy's debut on Nintendo's new system significantly raises the bar for what's possible on the hybrid hardware.

As pretty as the Lost Ark

The first thing that hit me in the Great Circle on Switch 2 wasn't a foe's jaw-shattering punch, but its striking presentation. Having previously reviewed the game on the powerful PlayStation 5 Pro, I was well acquainted with its eye-popping visuals. That said, I wasn't expecting Nintendo's lower-powered console to serve up a comparable graphical feast, especially when I was playing in its resolution-reducing handheld and tabletop modes.

But the incredible level of detail on display impressed at every turn, whether I was ogling blinding sunbeams being filtered through lush foliage or marveling at the realistic shadows my torches cast on crypt walls. Thanks to DLSS upscaling doing some of the heavy lifting, the game looks as sharp as a Cairo swordsman's blade running at 1080p resolution when docked and played on a separate screen.

It was my time punching Nazis and cracking conundrums in handheld mode, however, that continually had me scooping my jaw from the floor. Whether playing the Great Circle in the palm of my hand or propped on my desk or dining room table, it shined like a golden idol on the system's portable display. While the resolution is dropped to 720p in handheld mode, nothing else is sacrificed in terms of tech, from its leveraging of ray-traced global illumination to the strand-based hair that ratchet's the realism of character models.

Coupled with the game's artistic excellence, this means every last detail, particle effect, shadow and lighting trick — from Marshall College's many reflective surfaces to that intimidating cleft in villain Emmerih Voss' chin — makes a confident leap onto the small screen. And while side-by-side comparisons with more powerful hardware — looking at you, PS5 Pro – will reveal subtle shortcomings, such as fuzzier up-close textures — the differences are generally negligible and never break the immersion.

Smooth as a slithering snake

Indy's search for fortune and glory on the Switch 2 is forced to make a bigger sacrifice in the performance department, as the game is locked at 30fps. But while that dip – down from other versions' 60fps – might sound as detrimental as a massive, rolling boulder on your tail, it barely makes a blip.

Without the luxury of being able to offer the "quality" and "performance" modes that've become commonplace with higher-end consoles, MachineGames (which smartly handled the port in-house) decided to prioritize the former for Switch 2. And, as detailed above, that choice has paid off in spades, resulting in one of the most visually impressive experiences to ever grace the system's 7.9-inch LCD screen.

Of course, the presentation-pushing decision wasn't made hastily, as the optimization-obsessed studio seemed to know exactly what it was doing, cutting corners where necessary, but not at the cost of quality. The Great Circle is a rip-roaring Indiana Jones adventure, but it generally favors measured exploration, careful stealth, and thoughtful puzzle-solving over seat-of-the-pants action.

Sure, the fists fly, Indy's whip cracks, and plenty of makeshift melee weapons break over bad guys' skulls; the story also packs its share of thrilling chases, frantic shootouts, and explosive set pieces. But none of this ever becomes so performance-intensive that it slows the game in the same way a massive open-world or cluttered battlefield might. As such, the rock solid 30fps performance rarely presents more than the occasional hiccup — a bit of pop-in here, a cutscene stutter there.

One of the game's most absorbing aspects is its globe-spanning, semi-open areas — from the Vatican and Gizeh to the Himalayas and Shanghai — all ripe for exploration and discovery. These dense, detail-drenched locales are living, breathing hubs and, to maintain the game's visual splendor and peppy performance, the studio has reduced the number of NPCs populating some of these environments. But unless you've played the previous versions — and took a census of their various hub areas — you likely won't notice.

Ninten-difference

The Great Circle made some small concessions to properly run on the Switch 2, but it's also leveraged many of the hardware's unique features, from mouse and gyro controls to HD Rumble (sadly, motion controls have not been implemented for gesture-based whip-wielding.) The mouse-like functionality works as advertised and is fun to fool around with, but it didn't pull me in to the point I'd trade it for traditional mechanics. The gyro motion, however, definitely upped the immersion, especially when carefully exploring environment and closely inspecting items. If I ever wanted to level-up the first-person perspective, I'd use the feature to truly feel like I was under Indy's weathered hat.

The real star though, is the HD Rumble, which surprised me with every new interaction I had. Incredibly layered and nuanced, the feature injected extra realism into even the simplest inputs, like brushing spiders off double-crossing Satipo's back. But while sweeping away the creepy crawlies triggers a satisfying tactile sensation, that's just a taste of what the tech can do.

The slow-building vibration that pulses over your palms when that oversized rock nips at your heels is a fantastic showcase of the feature, and everything — from enemy-ensnaring whip strikes to the gentle placement of puzzle pieces — significantly benefits from the HD Rumble's masterful implementation. Not since using Sony's innovative DualSense controller have I been so taken with a peripheral's ability to bring something fresh to the medium.

A visually stunning, cinema-rivaling adventure that put players in Indy's well-trodden boots like never before, the Great Circle had already cemented itself as a must-play for fans of the series, as well as armchair adventures of all stripes. On top of providing all the whip-cracking, crypt-exploring, mystery-deciphering fun you'd expect from the franchise, it excelled in its world-building, storytelling, and characterizations — including Troy Baker's spot-on performance as the Harrison Ford-originated hero.

Amazingly, all of this has been retained and optimized — with little sacrifice – to be successfully squeezed onto the Switch 2, giving owners of the system not just one of its best games to date, but one that paves a promising path for the future of highly ambitious, AAA titles destined for Nintendo's hybrid hardware.

Should I play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Nintendo Switch 2?

Play it if…

Don’t play it if…

Accessibility

As with previous versions the game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's Switch 2 release offers a treasure trove of accessibility options. On top of a ton of customizations for subtitles, closed captions, and user interface elements, camera modes — such as screen shake and motion blur — can be toggled.

Color filter modes – protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia – are available for visually-impaired players, while various HUD settings and adjustments allow for further customization.

The game also features separate difficulty options for its action and adventure elements, allowing for specific aspects – like enemy quantity and behavior — to be tweaked for the former, while the latter offers assists for puzzles, navigation, item location, and more.

How I reviewed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Nintendo Switch 2

I played Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for 30-plus hours, with the majority of that time spent in the Switch 2's handheld and tabletop modes.

I paid particular attention to its visual quality and performance, especially in comparison to the PS5 Pro version, which I previously reviewed.

I also focused on Switch 2-specific features, like the mouse and gyro controls, as well as the HD Rumble integration.

First reviewed June 2026