This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s DLC.
The Indiana Jones franchise has dipped its toes into many different mythologies and historical concepts over the last four decades. From Christianity to Hinduism, Egyptian mythology, and even less-grounded Sci-Fi concepts like interdimensional flight and time travel. And that’s just the mainline movies. The Indiana Jones expanded universe goes much further.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle features a familiar source material at its core, but presents it in a new light, with Indy embarking on a quest to track down a series of religious artifacts located in some of the world’s most important historical sites. The recently released The Order of Giants DLC offers a much shorter, mostly standalone adventure that takes place right at the beginning of Indy’s Great Circle quest, and its subject matter should lay the blueprint for every Indiana Jones story to come.
Indiana Jones: The Order of Giants Is a Melting Pot of Mythology
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s The Order of Giants DLC begins with the titular protagonist hunting for the helmet of ‘The Nameless Crusader’ underneath the Vatican. Indy finds the helmet, along with an assortment of other artifacts and relics from the Crusades. The Nameless Crusader’s story continues in his tomb hidden in Rome’s Cloaca Maxima, which is filled with more Christian imagery, along with murals of the Garden of Eden and other Biblical moments.
Indiana Jones: The Order of Giants then goes on to dip its toes into Greek mythology, which is somewhat rare for the franchise. Players find historical letters discussing Ancient Roman Emperor Nero’s new champion in the gladiatorial pits. This “giant” warrior came from Greece, where he was given the nickname the ‘Monster of Crete’. It’s heavily implied that this warrior is the origin of the Minotaur myth, with him wearing heavy armor and a bull’s head helmet when fighting.
The Order of Giants even has a dash of Roman/Iranian mythology as well. Towards the end of the DLC, it’s revealed that there’s a secret cult operating underneath Rome. Known as the ‘Cult of Mithras’, this group worships the eponymous ancient Roman/Iranian god Mithras, who was often associated with the sun, war, and justice.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s Cult of Mithras believe that they need to open the ‘Monster Gate’ found deep inside the Cloaca Maxima, using the cylindrical keys found in each of the giants’ tombs. Once the gate is open, they believe they’ll find a “sacred bull” inside who must be sacrificed using the Dagger of Mithras. Its sacrifice is said to bring enlightenment to the perpetrator.
Future Indiana Jones Stories Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Mix Mythologies
Generally speaking, most Indiana Jones stories tend to focus on one mythology, concept, or core aspect of ancient history. This helps to keep the story easily digestible for general audiences, and allows the creators to dive deep into their chosen source material. But while this solo mythology approach makes a lot of sense, it isn’t quite as exciting as Indiana Jones: The Order of Giants‘ melting pot approach.
Mixing several mythologies together – like The Order of Giants does with its Monster of Crete who came to fight in Rome’s Colosseum – helps to make the adventure feel even grander in scope. If the artifact or person in question is so important that they’re baked into the DNA of multiple ancient religions and historical civilizations, then it must be truly legendary.
