When one thinks about Indiana Jones, constant nonstop action adventure with little time to rest in between episodes is what usually comes to mind. Indiana Jones serves as a tribute to the old adventure serials from the 1930's and 40's. These serials had its hero getting himself into one hazardous situation after another, which is exactly what the movies did. Unfortunately, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine does not follow this formula.
This PC game takes place in 1947, World War II has ended, the Nazis have been defeated, and Europe is divided by an iron curtain. While this is happening, the Soviet Union is exploring the ruins of Babylon, searching for an ancient machine more powerful than the atom bomb. Recruited by the CIA, famed archaeologist Indiana Jones is sent on a mission to the far corners of the Earth in order to find the missing pieces of the machine before the communists.
That is the premise of a game which largely consists of Indy trying to get from point A to point B, frequently having to gather certain items in order to solve a number of puzzles to complete the level. This is the largest flaw of the game. Instead of fighting enemies and participating in intense fast paced action, the player is stuck pushing block and finding keys. There is an absolute minimal amount of actual fighting and there is a maximum amount of Indy slowly climbing wall and running around trying to figure out what to do next. The lack of excitement is only amplified by the almost complete lack of music throughout the entire game. The music that is present is used after the player has achieved something (usually insignificant) or to cue them of a nearby trap.
The area that the game really fails is in its actual gameplay. The control is extremely stiff and clumsy. It is very difficult to make fast agile maneuvers while in a gun fight and it is equally difficult to make slow precise movements while lining up for a jump or inching you way through booby traps. Indy's whip is completely useless in combat; to do one crack takes almost three seconds, giving enemies ample time to shoot or simply move. You have nine weapons to choose from which include pistols, rifles, a shotgun, and bazooka. Only one of these weapons really standout from the rest, this is the combat rifle whose long range makes it easy to pick off enemies from a distance, but is still useful when enemies are nearby. Since most of the game takes place in close quarters, you rarely ever get in a situation where the bazooka is an effective weapon. Despite the several control problems, the levels are not terribly difficult. The levels are more about platforming and solving puzzles rather than shooting. The puzzles themselves are usually quite easy to solve, although sometimes the solution is not very clear. Searching the internet for a walkthrough will be needed a couple times.
The voice acting in this game is decent enough. Doug Lee does sound a lot like Ford and manages to stay relatively in character despite save some bad dialogue which is really the fault of the writers. The supporting cast is also good, they do not sound like monotone script readers, and they sound more like really people that have emotions, speech pattern, and even some good accents.
The design of the levels is quite bland and repetitive, with very basic platforming and puzzle solving in place of any type of action. The only thing the game excels in is its scenery. At times the game is more fun to look at than it is to play. The scenery of nearly every level has believable surroundings and designs that match the levels time period and geography. The designers had clearly done there homework.
However, this is the only real element that the game does well in. Overall, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is a very slow and clunky adaptation to a fast-paced action series. It is a bland platformer with only pretty scenery and a few interesting contraption to hold the players interest.
