Indiana Jones and the Order of the Giants: A DLC that Digs into Rome's Catacombs - The Review

With Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle, MachineGames had shown it could bring the famous archaeologist back to the forefront of video games, weaving cinematic language with mechanics capable of enhancing his adventurous spirit. The release of the first additional content, The Order of the Giants, does not seek to replicate that epic scale nor to relaunch its global dimension, but adopts a different direction: reducing space to increase tension, transforming the underground of Rome into a theater dense with history and suggestions.

The DLC focuses on enclosed environments, catacombs and crypts that replace spectacular landscapes with corridors permeated by humidity and symbols worn by time. It's a clear change of pace, reminiscent of the darker sequences of The Last Crusade and which uses environmental storytelling to narrate, more through stones and engravings than through dialogue. The atmosphere doesn't arise from a redundant use of scenic effects, but from careful work on lights, shadows, and visual details that envelop the player in constant tension.

This approach is also reflected in the experience's structure: The Order of the Giants is a self-contained content, accessible from an intermediate point in the main campaign, and offers an average of five to eight hours of gameplay. A compact narrative arc, therefore, that doesn't unnecessarily expand but chooses to focus on a single setting, enriched with historical and mythological references, capable of sustaining the entire weight of the story on its own. A choice that confirms the studio's intent: not just a simple filler, but a piece that helps consolidate the narrative universe of Indiana Jones.

A knight lost in time brings back "The Last Crusade" vibes

The story of the Order of the Giants DLC takes shape in Rome, when Indiana Jones is approached by Father Ricci, a young priest who has discovered a hidden text within a fresco. That document mentions a nameless crusader knight and the mystery of his helmet, an object that becomes the starting point for a journey into the city's underground. What seems like a simple assignment soon turns into a much broader entanglement, leading Indy to confront a secret cult determined to guard the truths related to the Order of the Nephilim.

The writing heavily relies on using environments as a narrative vehicle. The catacombs and crypts are not just settings: through engraved symbols, worn frescoes, and hidden relics, they tell fragments of history that the player must interpret. It's an approach that strengthens immersion and restores authenticity to Indy's role, an archaeologist even before an adventurer.

The overall tone remains more dark and ritualistic compared to the base game: the Nazis step back and leave the scene to new cultists, obsessive and menacing figures who embody a different type of enemy, less military and more symbolic. This shift makes the atmosphere darker, closer to the more mysterious sequences of The Last Crusade, where tension didn't just come from action, but also from the sense of facing buried and dangerous truths.

In this way, The Order of the Giants builds a compact narrative arc that doesn't focus on vastness, but on the density of the story: a mosaic of clues, cults, and symbols that enrich the Indiana Jones universe without ever losing sight of coherence with its imagery.

A thrilling and satisfying pulp rhythm (perhaps too much stealth) in full Indy style

From a gameplay perspective, The Order of the Giants doesn't introduce new systems but recalibrates existing ones, using the new setting to give the player a different perception of the same formula. The choice to set almost the entire DLC in the Roman underground has a direct impact on how mechanics are managed: narrow corridors, cramped spaces, and low light necessitate a more cautious approach, where every step requires attention.

The stealth component benefits most from the new context. Cultist patrols don't offer many opportunities for circumvention and force precise timing. Here, a limitation that was already present in the base game emerges: the absence of true silent takedowns. Getting behind an enemy doesn't grant any tactical advantage, and this reduces the variety of strategies.

When cover is blown, combat ensues, which is tougher than in the main adventure. Cultists have larger health bars and react aggressively, forcing players to make the most of available resources. These aren't frequent encounters, but when they happen, they abruptly interrupt the rhythm and can put those who haven't accumulated enough ammunition or medkits in difficulty.

On the other hand, the environmental puzzles adopt a more immediate approach. They remain consistent with the context — inscriptions to align, levers to activate, symbols to decipher — but rarely prove complex or truly challenging. There are suggestive moments, such as having to interpret the arrangement of frescoes to open a passage or discover a mechanism hidden behind an altar, but the difficulty remains contained. While this favors the fluidity of the pace, it can leave a sense of incompleteness for those who appreciated the more elaborate challenges of the base game.

The true strength of the gameplay lies in the variety of situations. Despite the familiar mechanics, the expansion intelligently alternates infiltrations, puzzles, and exploration, avoiding a feeling of repetition. A dark corridor guarded by two cultists might be followed by a room rich in visual clues to interpret, and shortly after by an escape sequence where the player must run, jump, and use the whip to escape a collapsing tunnel. It is in these transitions that the DLC recaptures the essence of Indiana Jones: not so much in the innovation of mechanics, but in how they intertwine to generate tension and surprise.

Overall, the gameplay of The Order of the Giants doesn't rewrite the formula, but adapts it to a context that highlights its strengths and exposes its limitations. The claustrophobic atmosphere makes stealth sections more impactful, tougher combat raises the tension, and lighter puzzles keep the pace flowing.

Rome's catacombs have never been so fascinating!

Visually, the developers chose to change pace with this DLC compared to the base game. If The Ancient Circle made scenic variety one of its hallmarks, alternating sunny deserts, mountains, and monumental temples, the DLC instead concentrates all its charm in the shadows of the Roman underground. There are no grand postcards to admire, but corridors invaded by water, crypts yellowed by time, underground chapels where candlelight reflects on worn walls.

The art direction works by subtraction: narrower spaces, darker palettes, details that emerge little by little. It is in the way a torch's glow draws silhouettes on the walls or in the water that slides along corroded bricks that the DLC builds its visual identity. In some sections, simply looking up reveals decorated vaults, corroded frescoes, and symbols that, beyond their scenic value, guide the player's progression. Here, environmental storytelling becomes even more evident: the rooms tell stories through materials, without needing too many words.

From a technical standpoint, the expansion maintains the level of the base game. On PC, with maximum settings and ray tracing active, performance reaches stable 120 FPS, with drops to 60 during heavier cutscenes. No significant bugs or loading issues are noted: optimization appears well-executed and consistent with the production level.

The result is not designed to impress with vastness and colors, but to immerse in an oppressive and credible atmosphere, where every detail helps reinforce the feeling of truly being beneath Rome. It's not postcard beauty that strikes, but the aesthetic coherence that links every brick, every drop, and every engraving to a world that seems to have centuries of history to tell.