The Order of Giants Keeps One Franchise Tradition Alive and Well

The Indiana Jones series has been around for over four decades, and like any iconic franchise, it’s forged a lot of series traditions in that time. Whenever a new piece of Indiana Jones media comes out, whether it’s a novel, movie, or video game, there are certain series staples that fans expect to see, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle contains just about all of them.

The overarching plot of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle sees the eponymous adventurer chasing down a series of religious artifacts all while being hunted around the globe by Nazis. This adventure brings him face to face with ancient burial sites, extravagant villains, and much to the chagrin of the hero, plenty of snakes. The Great Circle is stuffed with references and homages to the series’ identity, and that extends to its recently released The Order of Giants DLC, which puts a classic Indiana Jones staple at the forefront.

Indiana Jones: The Order of Giants Embraces Humor at Every Turn

The Order of Giants Begins With a Talking Parrot

The Indiana Jones franchise is generally quite grounded, until it suddenly isn’t. Though the stakes are always real and both the action and narrative feel weighty, Indiana Jones isn’t afraid to suddenly pull the rug out from under fans’ feet, often in the third act.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle repeats this franchise tradition, as does its DLC. But The Order of Giants isn’t afraid to get a little silly from the outset. To begin Indiana Jones: The Order of Giants, players need to meet Father Ricci in the Vatican. Father Ricci is accompanied by his pet parrot, Pio, who is used for comedic effect throughout the DLC, often repeating Indy and Ricci’s dialogue at inopportune times.

The Order of Giants Is Filled with Classic Indy One-Liners

The James Bond franchise was a major point of inspiration for both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg during the development of Raiders of the Lost Ark. More specifically, it was the early Sean Connery-era Bond movies that the filmmaking duo used as a basis for much of Indiana Jones‘ identity. As such, Indiana Jones is filled with snappy one-liners, and so is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s DLC.

One of the funniest one-liners in Indiana Jones: The Order of Giants is also one of its most subtle. While exploring the sewers of Rome, Indy pushes a fascist down a waterway. As he gently murmurs the words, “Look out below,” the fascist’s body lands with a violent crash into some scaffolding, juxtaposing the calmness of Indy’s voice.

The Order of Giants Ends on a Lovely Bit of Subversion

Like all good adventure stories, most Indiana Jones movies end with its heroes walking or riding off into the sunset, their triumph over villainy accentuated by John Williams’ iconic theme. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s Order of Giants DLC flips this series staple on its head.

After a surprisingly epic boss fight, Indiana Jones: The Order of Giants ends with Indy simply stealing a bike from a fascist and riding it awkwardly all the way back to the Vatican, almost crashing into a few pedestrians along the way. Rather than receive the full orchestra treatment, this DLC ends with a lighter version of the Indiana Jones theme, highlighting the humorously mundane moment.

To top it off, Indy’s bumbling bike journey is layered underneath the classic visual of a map and a red line tracing the hero’s journey. While this visual is often used to show the great distances Indy travels during his adventures, it’s used here in the DLC to poke light fun at how short his journey back to the Vatican is, with the red line tracing his slow movements through Rome’s city streets.