Honestly, I didn't think I'd be spending my weekend trying to hit a Nazi with a piece of fruit. But here we are. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle achievements are kind of a weird mix. They range from the "how did I not get this?" variety to the "I need a spreadsheet and a second cup of coffee" level of completionism.
MachineGames did something clever here. They didn't just dump a list of "Kill 50 enemies with a headshot" tasks onto the pile. Instead, the achievements actually reward you for playing like Indy. You’re looking for history, you’re eating local snacks, and occasionally, you're being a bit of a menace with a fly swatter.
If you're looking to 100% this thing, you've got some work to do. There are 45 achievements in total. Some are secret, most are tied to the globe-trotting story, but the ones that'll actually trip you up are the collectibles.
The Grind for the "Archivist" Achievement
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Archivist. This is the big one. To get it, you have to collect every single Journal note in the game. We aren't talking about a dozen or so. We are talking about hundreds—497 to be exact.
It's a lot.
The notes are split between Adventure, Fieldwork, Discoveries, and Mysteries. Basically, if you see a piece of paper, a flyer, a photo, or a map, you better grab it. The catch? The very last note is locked behind the game’s most annoying puzzle in the final location. You can’t even see it until you’ve found every Ancient Relic in the game to open a hidden stone wall.
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It’s basically the game’s way of saying "I hope you explored every inch of the Vatican." If you missed one relic in Gizeh, you're hiking back.
Why Xbox Players Are Missing the Easy Stuff
There’s some funny data floating around about the "Little Horn" achievement. All you have to do is eat a Cornetto in the Vatican. That's it. It’s right at the start. Yet, only about a third of Xbox players have actually done it.
Maybe everyone is just too focused on the stealth? Or maybe they’re just not hungry?
The same goes for Bread is Life (Gizeh) and Celestial Delight (Sukhothai). You just have to find the local food—Aish Baladi bread or a Star Fruit—and press a button. If you're skipping the snacks, you're leaving Gamerscore on the table. It’s a bit weird that the "hard" stuff like finishing the story has higher completion rates than "eat a pastry."
Combat Achievements: Whip, Punch, and... Apples?
The combat achievements are where the personality of the game really comes out. MachineGames clearly wants you to use the environment.
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- The Right Note: You need to find a guitar and smash it over someone's head. You can usually find these in enemy barracks or the Nazi Recreational Area in Gizeh.
- Pest Control: This one requires a fly swatter. There’s one sitting on a crate just outside the Captain’s office in Castel Sant’Angelo.
- Apple of Discord: Yes, you have to hit an enemy with an apple. It doesn't do much damage, but it’s hilarious.
Then you have the more "technical" ones. Your Own Medicine is a classic Indy move. You whip a guy to disarm him, then pick up his own weapon and knock him out with it. It feels great when you pull it off, but it takes a second of coordination that button-mashing won't give you.
And don't forget Offensive Defense. You have to knock an enemy out using only counters. If you've been playing this like a standard shooter, you might not even realize there’s a deep parry mechanic. You have to time your blocks perfectly. It’s a bit of a pain if you're surrounded, so try to bait a single guard into a fistfight.
The Mystery of the Great Circle Puzzles
A huge chunk of the list is tied to "Mysteries." These aren't just side quests; they're environmental puzzles that require you to actually use your brain (or a guide, let's be real).
In the Vatican, you’ve got When in Rome. You have to solve every mystery there, including things like "The Bulls of Blood" and "A Snake in the Garden." Most of these involve finding inscriptions and taking photos for Antonio.
Sukhothai has the Beneath the Surface achievement, which is arguably harder because of the "Serpent's Chest." You actually have to backtrack to previous areas of the game once you have the rebreather. If you hate backtracking, this will be your least favorite part of the 100% run.
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The Gear Head Challenge
The Gear Head achievement in Sukhothai is another sticking point. You have to solve a massive Cogwheel puzzle. The trick is that the pieces aren't all in one room. You have to find ten different missing cogwheels scattered across the map and bring them back.
Pro tip: Buy the local maps from vendors. Seriously. They cost some currency, but they reveal the locations of collectibles you’ve missed. It saves you hours of wandering around aimlessly in the jungle.
How to Actually Get the 100%
If you’re serious about clearing the Indiana Jones and the Great Circle achievements, don’t try to do it all on your first run without help. The game allows you to revisit locations via the "Travels" section in your journal.
You don't have to wait until the credits roll. If you realize you missed a Stela in Gizeh (for the It Belongs in a Museum! achievement), just hop back.
Actionable Steps for Completionists:
- Photograph Everything: Your camera is your best friend. Take pictures of every mural, every weird statue, and definitely photograph Ernesto as soon as you buy the camera from him for the Ecco! achievement.
- Eat the Food: Every time you hit a new major hub (Vatican, Gizeh, Sukhothai), look for the local food item immediately. It takes five seconds.
- Invest in Adventure Books: You need the Bookman achievement, which requires learning all abilities. This means you need Adventure Points (AP). You get AP by finding relics and taking photos. It’s a cycle. The more you explore, the stronger Indy gets, the easier the combat achievements become.
- The Disguise Factor: Some achievements are much easier if you’re wearing the right clothes. For the boxing tournaments (Tour de Force), you’ll need to infiltrate enemy ranks in disguise to even get to the ring.
The reality is that this isn't a "hard" platinum or 100% in terms of skill. It’s a test of your patience and your eye for detail. Most people will finish the story and move on, but the real "Fortune and Glory" is in the stuff you have to squint to find.
Start by checking your journal to see how many radio frequencies you've brought to Gina. If you're missing some in Gizeh or Sukhothai, that's an easy place to start your cleanup. Keep your whip ready and your camera out.