In October 2023, I had the privilege of interviewing Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab. During the conclusion of the interview, we discussed Haab’s future project, and Barton was quite surprised that it had not been announced yet. When I heard him say that, my first thought was that Haab would be writing the score for the Indiana Jones game that was yet to be released. If one composer could write a score in John Williams’ style without being John Williams, it would be Haab since he has written more traditional Star Wars music for many Star Wars games than Williams has ever done. When in December 2024, the game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle came out, with the music written by Gordy Haab, I could finally hear what Haab would write for another franchise famous for Williams’ iconic music. I know that his career started 20 years ago with writing music for an Indiana Jones game, but I was unable to find the time and an opportunity to listen to it.
Haab had the opportunity to develop his own themes for the game. There are two prominent ones, one for the Great Circle concept and the other for the reporter Gina. They can be found in the first two tracks, “The Great Circle” and “Gina’s Theme,” which are both lovely creations. Haab didn’t have to create a theme for Indy, since he has already had one for many decades. You do not hear the iconic theme by John Williams that often, but it appears from time to time as a hint, including in the track “A New Adventure Awaits,” which also has a clever and subtle hint to Marion’s theme.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a game that tries to be as faithful as possible to the Indiana Jones character. That means a lot of exploring, sneaking, solving puzzles, magical wonders and surroundings, some melee fights and whip lashes, but not much shooting, and the music reflects this. The music Haab wrote for the game is mostly subtle in the background during the gameplay, but the orchestral music starts to shine during the magical, joyful and silly moments or the more action-focused scenes. During those moments, you can hear the familiar musical tricks in the style John Williams would have used, but blended with Haab’s own flair. I do not associate a choir with music belonging to the Indiana Jones franchise, which Haab did in “The Flood” as a great example.
While most of the music is wonderfully orchestral, with many nods to how it should sound for an Indiana Jones movie, I also need to mention the bonus tracks, which are quite different. The last four tracks on the soundtrack album are some excellent jazz songs, which are muffled in the background during a dream sequence Indy is experiencing in the game. I like the idea that Haab was allowed to write those as well instead of existing pieces being used. It showcases beautifully that Haab is quite capable of writing great music in a totally different genre than his usual orchestral work.
The game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has been very well received by critics and gamers alike, and what I liked about reading some of the reviews is that they mention how great the music is and how well it works in the game. I totally agree with that assessment; Haab did a terrific job and over-delivered with a fantastic score worthy of the franchise. Very successful games will almost certainly receive a sequel, which excites me because Haab showed that, in addition to his Star Wars music, he is perfectly able to create an outstanding score for Indiana Jones as well.
Listen or buy
- Buy this soundtrack from Amazon or Apple Music
- Listen to this soundtrack on Spotify
Tracklist
The highlights are in bold.
- The Great Circle (5:07)
- Gina’s Theme (1:14)
- One Stormy Night (2:25)
- The Intruder (1:52)
- Story Time (2:30)
- A New Adventure Awaits (1:53)
- Birdwatching (4:40)
- Follow That Nun (1:56)
- The Parchment (1:56)
- The Catacomb (5:14)
- Secret Stones (6:01)
- Find That Cat (2:40)
- Where Are We (1:43)
- Signs of the Stones (2:16)
- The Dig Site (2:45)
- A Short Exit (2:39)
- Gizeh (3:14)
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes (1:27)
- Being Buried (2:42)
- The Unbodied (1:43)
- Nepal Air (2:40)
- An Unexpected Reunion (2:13)
- The Battleship (4:03)
- The Stone Activates (2:02)
- To Sukhothai (2:22)
- The Archive (1:47)
- The Path Is Revealed (6:25)
- Ziggurat (4:07)
- The Flood (1:18)
- Voss’ Plans (4:28)
- It’s a Circle (2:44)
- The Heavens Open Up (7:08)
- Until the Next Adventure (3:15)
- Count G (3:02)
- Mark the Strong (4:11)
- Smitten (2:48)
- Etcetera Etcetera (6:19)
Total length: 1 hour and 57 minutes
Walt Disney Records (2024)
