Every month, Xbox Live rewards its Gold Subscribers with free game downloads. This includes both big names, and few nearly forgotten titles, such as 2003’s original Xbox game, Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb.
Despite its age, Xbox fans seem to be having a good time with the Indiana Jones game. And according to fans, the game is not only fun but looks great on modern consoles.
Reddit user Markoss365 posts several screenshots on the Xbox One Subreddit, praising the game’s graphics. Other users soon chimed in with more accolades for this lost gem. One commenter attributed the good looks to the console’s Auto HDR. This is a feature of the Xbox Series X and Series S. It automatically adjusts the brightness and contrast to create a more vibrant image. Auto HDR allows older games to shine in a way that was not possible when released initially.
Players also had a lot of good things to say about the gameplay in Emperor’s Tomb. The original developers put a lot of work into the game’s hand-to-hand combat, and the result is a realistic and extremely visceral gameplay experience. “I’m not normally a violent person, but this game’s combat brings out something primal,” says Reddit user Sean_Gossett. “There’s something extremely satisfying about grabbing a Nazi, putting him in a headlock, and getting a few punches in before smashing him headfirst into a wall.” Many other players, both new and returning, expressed similar sentiments.
That’s not to say Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb is without its critics. Some commenters complained that while the hand-to-hand combat is impressive, gunplay and character control can be clunky and difficult to use. However, the game also received praise for its plot. Emperor’s Tomb serves as a prequel to the 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, so all the praise is unsurprising since some consider The Emperor’s Tomb to be one of the best Indiana Jones games of all time. If anyone wants to know why Indy was running around China at the beginning of the movie, now might be the time to find out.
The Indiana Jones franchise has been quiet since The Crystal Skull in 2008. However, that’s changing sometime soon. Lucasfilm Games and Bethesda Softworks announced in January plans for a new Indiana Jones game. Details are sparse, but it’s an original story starring the swashbuckling archaeologist at the peak of his career. The new project is being developed cooperatively by Lucasfilm Games and Wolfenstein developer MachineGames.
In the meantime, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can download Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb for free until February 15. It’s also available for $9.99 from the Microsoft store and $5.99 from Steam. While the price makes a strong case for picking it up on the PC, Auto HDR is a feature unique to the Xbox Series S and Series X.
Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S through backward compatibility.