Indiana Jones Game: 10 Things It Must Learn From Uncharted & Tomb Raider

Though linear, narrative-driven games are few in number on the AAA scale, MachineGames could use the simplicity of straightforward storytelling to their advantage as they look to bring Indiana Jones to the next generation of consoles.

Surely the intention is to generate numerous sequels and create a franchise for the iconic character, so it's imperative to establish the tone, character development, setting and gameplay mechanics before focusing on how many side quests Indy can rack up on his way to the next big treasure.

Uncharted's stubborn commitment to linear level design is somewhat of a dinosaur in years past as most developers look to crack open levels to give the player a sense of exploration. Tomb Raider (2013) balanced the level design beautifully, placing higher importance on the story beats while dotting around small trinkets and collectibles to keep the player's curiosities satisfied. We're not saying the game has to play out like a 10-hour film, but dropping Indy into a vast, open world akin to Horizon: Zero Dawn or The Witcher III would be a mistake.

We're all looking for a way to permanently forget the dismal fourth film, and a high-budget linear story (much like MachineGames' own Wolfenstein series) would provide just that.