The new "Indiana Jones" game is the largest project that Uppsala-based studio Machinegames has worked on, explains director Jerk Gustafsson.
This is the biggest thing we've done, not just in terms of size. I don't want to try to guess how many hours it takes to play, but this is longer than anything we've done before, he says during a presentation of the game.
The adventure takes place in the 1930s and takes the player to several continents – to the Himalayas, the Vatican, and Egypt. It's a fairly linear story, while the player gets to run around a bit more freely and explore side quests in certain places.
In the suitcase, Dr. Jones has a revolver, a notebook, and a camera. The trusty whip is also included, both for swinging between locations and for whipping Nazis. They put in an enormous amount of effort to find the right mechanics for the whip.
Saying it was a lot of work is an understatement, says Jerk Gustafsson.
Smart puzzles
Just like in the films, the renowned archaeologist is faced with various ancient puzzles and riddles that must be solved to progress. Some are easy, others more difficult.
I admit that I've felt pretty stupid when I've tested some of them. We have puzzle designers on the team who are really smart, says creative director Axel Torvenius.
Besides Indiana Jones himself, the game is populated by, among others, Gina Lombardi – an Italian reporter who accompanies the main character, and the villainous Nazi Emmerich Voss.
The characters have been brought to life by scanning the actors' features. But scanning in a young Harrison Ford was, of course, impossible.
Lucasfilm's archives
To carve out a portrait-like Indy, they had to rely on other sources, including old portrait photos of Ford from various angles from the filming of "Raiders of the Lost Ark".
We've gotten to see Lucasfilm's archives and have seen concept art and behind-the-scenes material that ordinary mortals don't have access to, says Jerk Gustafsson, pleased.
The biggest challenge was hitting the right tone – a mix of classic adventure and 80s film – and fitting it into a modern big game.
The key was to convey the main character's humanity, believes Gustafsson.
Indiana Jones is not a superhero. It's tough and exhausting for him, while he has charm and humor. We really tried to create something down-to-earth.
Developed by Swedish Machinegames, with headquarters in Uppsala, which is behind the new "Wolfenstein" games.
The game is being made on behalf of the owners and publishers Zenimax/Bethesda, which in turn is owned by tech giant Microsoft.
Indiana Jones is voiced by voice actor Troy Baker ("The Last of Us"). Alessandra Mastronardi portrays Gina Lombardi, and Emmerich Voss is played by Marios Gavrilis.
The game will first be released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on December 9. Next year, it will also be released for PlayStation 5.
