The first update for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is here, and from the patch notes, we’re seeing several fixes, the addition of ray tracing, and, importantly, new information about AMD FSR support.
Machine Games has released Update 1 for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle following the game’s early launch for Premium Edition members. It is now fully released for all players (as of December 9th) and Update 1 addresses several issues players experienced during the initial launch and introduces full ray tracing support. However, this path tracing isn’t currently available on AMD GPUs at all. The patch notes also mention AMD FSR support.
According to the patch notes, “AMD FSR support will be added in a future game update.” This confirms that FidelityFX Super Resolution is coming, though the exact release date and implementation remain unknown. Currently, the game runs smoothly only on high-end gaming rigs, but with AMD FSR, gamers could significantly boost their FPS – especially those playing on handheld consoles like the ASUS ROG Ally or Steam Deck.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle performance on the ASUS ROG Ally X
With AMD FSR support on the horizon, it’s worth exploring how Indiana Jones and the Great Circle perform on the ASUS ROG Ally X in its current state. The ASUS ROG Ally X is powered by AMD’s Z1 Extreme APU, built on the Zen 4 architecture. It features 8 cores, 16 threads, 24MB of total cache, and a boost clock of up to 5.10 GHz. For graphics, it packs AMD Radeon RDNA 3 technology, offering solid capabilities for gaming on the go. But running this adventure title on specifications this impressive, doesn’t shell out the performance you would expect.
YouTuber NotAGameAddict recently published a video showcasing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle running on the ASUS ROG Ally X. On dynamic lowest settings at 720p, the handheld console managed an average of 50-55 FPS in less populated areas. However, in densely populated zones, the frame rate dropped to around 40 FPS at times. Increasing the resolution to 1080p on the same dynamic lowest settings further impacted performance, averaging 40-45 FPS. During a cutscene, the frame rate even dipped below 30 FPS, causing a visible stutter seen in the video.
This performance should translate over to other Z1 Extreme handhelds such as the original ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go, though the larger 24GB of RAM in the Ally X may give it an advantage over those two to some degree. We already know that the game runs terribly on Steam Deck, so FSR will be the only potential saving grace for the Deck.
Handheld gamers could benefit from AMD FSR for smoother performance
With the game dropping below 30 FPS, AMD FSR support could be a game changer for handheld console gamers aiming for a stable 60 FPS during gameplay. Since AMD FSR enables a balance between performance and visual quality, handheld systems could enjoy a better-looking game with playable frame rates instead of relying solely on settings like dynamic lowest. For example, we were able to get God of War Ragnarok running surprisingly well on Steam Deck with help from FSR 3.
That said, details about the “future update” remain scarce, and it’s unclear when gamers will finally get to use AMD FSR for smoother performance. In the meantime, Windows handheld users can also turn to AFMF 2, which has proven to be an excellent feature for integrated graphics.
