You’re standing in the middle of a sun-drenched Vatican courtyard, wearing a stolen priest’s cassock that’s a little tight in the shoulders, and you have absolutely no clue where to turn. Sound familiar? If you’ve been playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, you know that feeling well. This isn't your typical modern waypoint-fest where a giant glowing arrow leads you by the nose to the next cutscene.
MachineGames decided to do something a bit risky. They went old school.
Instead of a persistent mini-map in the corner of your screen, they gave us a physical journal and a handful of hand-drawn paper maps. It’s immersive as hell, sure. But it’s also making a lot of people pull their hair out.
The Great Circle Maps Aren't What You Think
Most modern games treat maps like a GPS. You look at it, you see exactly where you are, and you see a dotted line to your goal. In this game, the Indiana Jones and the Great Circle maps function more like a reference tool for a real explorer.
Basically, Indy pulls out a physical piece of paper. You can see his thumbs holding the edges. If you haven't found a map for the area yet, you're literally flying blind, relying on street signs and landmarks. It’s a bold choice that forces you to actually look at the world rather than just staring at a 2D UI element.
Why the Vatican Map is a Nightmare (at first)
The Vatican is the first big "open hub" you hit, and it’s a massive jump from the linear halls of Marshall College.
A lot of players—myself included—spent the first hour there walking in circles because the map doesn't immediately show you every floor or sub-level clearly. There’s a specific frustration when you see a marker for an Ancient Relic, but you’re standing right on top of it and there’s nothing but a stone floor.
Hint: check the corners of the icons. If the bottom corners of a relic symbol are slightly brighter or highlighted, it usually means the item is on a different vertical level—most likely underground in those sprawling catacombs.
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How Fast Travel Actually Works (Because the Tutorial is Fast)
Here is something most people miss because they're too busy dodging Nazi patrols: you can't just click on the map to teleport. This isn't Skyrim.
To use fast travel in the larger sandbox areas like Gizeh or Sukhothai, you have to find signposts. They look like regular wooden or metal street signs, but they have a tiny, subtle glint on the top of the pole.
Once you’ve physically walked up to a signpost and "discovered" it, you can use it to jump to any other signpost you’ve already found. It’s localized fast travel. You can't jump from Egypt to the Vatican using a sign, but you can jump from the Great Sphinx to the Gizeh field camp in seconds.
If you want to travel between countries, you have to open your journal and use the "Travel" section to revisit previous maps. This is how you go back to mop up those missed Adventure Books or Medicine Bottles.
The Mystery of the Missing Markers
Have you ever bought a map brochure from a vendor and then opened your map only to see... nothing?
It feels like a bug. It’s not.
The Indiana Jones and the Great Circle maps only display specific collectible icons when you are actively tracking the related "Discovery" in your journal. For example, if you bought a guide for Vatican Relics, those markers only show up if you highlight the "Riddles of the Ancients" quest.
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It’s a bit clunky. Honestly, it’s probably the most "love it or hate it" part of the UI. It keeps the screen clean, but it adds a lot of menu-fiddling that can break the flow of exploration.
Map Locations You’ll Visit
The game is structured around three massive open hubs and several smaller, more "on-rails" cinematic levels.
- Vatican City: Dense, vertical, and heavy on stealth. You'll spend a lot of time checking the map for disguise zones.
- Gizeh: This is the biggest map in the game. It’s a massive sandbox with the pyramids, various dig sites, and a lot of empty desert that makes the fast travel signposts essential.
- Sukhothai: A jungle-heavy area in Thailand with lots of water. Navigating the river is a huge part of the map design here.
- The Himalayas & Shanghai: These are generally more linear. The maps here are simpler because the game is pushing you through specific set pieces, like the frozen Nazi battleship.
Finding the Map Brochures
If you’re a completionist, you need to hunt down the "Map Information" booklets. These aren't just for flavor; they are the only way to populate your map with the locations of:
- Adventure Books: These give you the points needed to unlock skills.
- Medicine Bottles: Your primary way to increase Indy's health pool.
- Ancient Relics: High-value items that provide massive amounts of Adventure Points.
You can usually find these brochures for sale from local "fixers" or shopkeepers in the neutral zones of each map. In Gizeh, look for vendors in the village areas. In the Vatican, you might find them tucked away in offices or provided by your contact, Gina.
Getting the Most Out of Your Journal
Think of the journal as your real-time map. While the paper map shows you the "where," the journal shows you the "how."
Whenever Indy takes a photo of a landmark or a puzzle clue, it gets pasted into the journal. If you’re lost on a puzzle, don’t look at the map—look at the photos in your journal. Often, the solution is literally staring at you from a picture you took ten minutes ago.
A Quick Trick for Better Navigation
If you find the physical map too hard to read, go into the Accessibility Settings. There are options to toggle "Objective Location Markers" and "Objective Text."
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Turning these on will put a more traditional waypoint on your screen. It ruins the "immersion" somewhat, but it’s a lifesaver if you’re tired of hitting a dead end in the Roman sewers for the fifth time in a row.
Actionable Next Steps for New Explorers
Stop trying to play this like an Ubisoft game.
First, when you enter a new area, find the highest point. Pull out your camera and scan the horizon. When the reticle turns green, take a photo. This often unlocks a "Discovery" that will make navigating that specific section of the map much easier.
Second, check every signpost you see. Even if you don't think you'll need to fast travel, having that point unlocked will save you a ten-minute walk later when the story sends you back across the desert.
Lastly, pay attention to the blue suitcase icon on your map. This indicates areas you can "revisit" with new gear or disguises. If you see a locked gate in the Vatican but don't have the right key or disguise yet, mark it mentally. You'll be coming back.
The Indiana Jones and the Great Circle maps are designed to make you feel like a scholar, not just a player. Embrace the confusion, look at the landmarks, and maybe keep a real-life notepad handy—just like Indy would.