Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2023Published by indie.io
Arto
Developer OrionGames
You were created by the last brushstrokes of a dying god to restore color and life to the lands. Master an array of abilities and weapons, create more than eighty paint-infused projectile spells, and make choices that will help shape the future of this world. From the Steam store page
61 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Aug 1, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
63
Fresh
38 positive · 22 negative
95% range 51–74%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 38 | 22 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
1 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mixed
49 of 75 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Mixed reactions: praised for art and concept, but performance issues divide players.
Many players praise Arto's vibrant visuals, unique painting mechanic, and satisfying combat, calling it a beautiful and fun indie gem. Some find the concept addictive and the soundtrack excellent. [2][7][9][11][18]
However, a significant number of players report severe performance issues, including low frame rates, stuttering, and game-breaking bugs that make the game unplayable in later stages. Some allege the developers have abandoned the game without fixing these problems. [24][25][26][28][32][33]
Praised visual style · unique painting mechanic · combat · soundtrack
Criticised performance issues · bugs · developer abandonment
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 7, 2026. Method
Reactions
60 of 61 · most liked firstThe Golden Palominos Live at Danceteria, New York City March 25, 1982 Anton Fier - drums Arto Lindsey - vocals, guitar John Zorn - alto saxophone, game calls Bill Laswell - bass Jamaaladeen Tacuma - bass David Van Tiegham - percussion youtu.be/XXwrls_8AJo?...
unlabelledView post →the game is fun, but its currently unplayable mid to late game the game drops frames really hard and stutters constantly, unless they get it fully optimized i'd avoid it
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Been following this game since I discovered it in like February or whatever. Was pretty excited to try it out and these are my opinions: - Cute female MC. - Good, unique concept, and good visuals. - Decent OST for what it is. - Combat is kinda fast but honestly can get repetitive, despite there not being as much of it as you think (a lot of it is just running around watching the world come to life). Definitely not the best combat system I've experienced, but still cool. - Story is whatever,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's the first time I've seen such a bad optimization in an indie game. There is no reason to recommend this game. Don't the production team know how to fix it?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really, really REALLY wanted to recommend this, but alas, the game suffers from some serious bugs and issues. Frame rates are atrocious and I've stumbled upon a bug that rendered my playthrough unplayable, meaning I'd have to start everything over and keep my fingers crossed that nothing of the sort would happen again. This would all not be THAT much of an issue, IF the developers were active in any way, trying to fix bugs and replying to our questions and feedback, but it seems this (very)…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unfortunately the frames drop so badly, that it's unplayable in a lot of locations. Shame, because the concept is cool.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bright, vibrant, and easy to pick up indie gem with responsive combat and gorgeous visuals. Really enjoying watching the art styles unfold over the game, the visual flourishes and unique themes work really well together. I'd personally recommend playing controller over M&K, but both work. Well worth the price. Wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking for an indie hack n' slash with a couple unique twists that differentiates it from the pack.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →25 fps with a RTX 3070... Laggy AF barely playable.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The low frame rate of the game ruins all the pleasure and content of this game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is so much fun. I downloaded it during my work hours, and was late for a meeting. LOL
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game has fun gameplay with intriguing story and rich worldbuilding for the time that I spent playing. However I have encountered game breaking bug that was reported months ago and was not fixed. This game does not have much replayability, and I consider my time wasted.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a great experience! Since I had access to this game early, I have already reached the end once. This game is very interesting, fun and quite beautiful. Its a totally fresh take on world building, riding on top of very solid and familiar hack and slash combat mechanics. I was almost halfway through before i realized how unique and customizable the paint-magic mechanics are! I recommend finding the bird NPCs early on in the central painted area to unlock the abilities that allow for all…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a game I want to like but with how buggy and broken it is I can't recommend it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Actually took my time and explored and unlocked everything. Well, at least what I managed to. Seems I'm still missing some side quest and no idea what/where. Game is awesome visually, combat is so and so, becomes better after a while. Story decent, UI is horrible sometimes (looking at you, text bubbles, menu navigating and MAP). Performance very weird - the temple area, especially during the final phase of the game, is absolutely awful. Speaking of the final phase, Really hard to figure out…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm actually enjoying this game it also runs well on the steam deck
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has performance issues and the devs abandoned the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow, this game is really impressive so far! I love coloring in the world, it's low-key addicting. I colored in every piece that I can of every area so far and it's very satisfying.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of my all time favorite games is Okami, Arto reminds me a lot of that game, but its wonderfully weird in its own way and equally beautiful. This game had me hooked within the first hour on its beauty, fast paced combat, and sheer amount of color. The main inspirations for this title appear to be DeBlob and Okami, both fantastic games that were criminally overlooked at launch and it appears unfortunately the same has happened here. with only 37 reviews two months after launch. The boss…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very cool game! So far really enjoying the gameplay! The music is amazing, combat satisfying and coloring the world is defo a unique feature. Game is really pretty too. Defo recommend if u like unique aesthetically pleasant indies.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Had a bunch of fun with the combat and painting in the world. Very solid, very fun. Interesting world as well. Played on mouse and keyboard
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of the most beautiful games I have come across in a long time. The combat is also quite fun but the music and just the overall look of the game and the environment surrounding you will immerse you and take you on a ride. Every time I discovered something new, it excited me and kept pushing me forward just to discover what I might find and see next. I can easily see me putting over 15 hours into this game. The skill tree is also a nice feature but I do wish it was a bit bigger to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just played the first bit of ARTO, it's an interesting game with a fun design. The main character is a sword/paint-wielding killer that has a mad dash and shield option. I just beat the first mini-boss which was fun, I still need to unlock the weapons and skills but the game is off to a great start. The sound and visual effects are cool, and not overly distracting.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was one of the beta demo testers and cant wait to play the full game now, I will update this review once i played the full game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is something endearing about walking into the scenery and seeing it getting colorful as you go by. It's a different sensation, quite unique and pretty fun to witness. But then, the game goes to 20 FPS, stutters, lags, and worst of all, slowdowns, all while enemies are rampant on your screen. This is not once, not twice, but EVERY DAMN TIME and in different scenarios too. You can see that in the TRAILERS on the store page... This is a mess of a game, so broken I couldn't even bother to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very stylish hack & slash game, doesn’t overstay itself at 5ish hours. Highly recommended despite some optimization issues.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome game, the first hour is super fun! The combat is engaging and coloring the world is satisfying!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Arto is a fun hack and slash/Souls like game with a beautifully vibrant and fun indie style flavor. I'm thoroughly enjoying the game so far, and can't wait to see what else is in store! 10/10!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What is Grand Theft Arto? It's a site exploring the many ZX Spectrum game covers, loading screens and other graphics stolen from other places. #zxspectrum #retrogaming
unlabelledView post →The name's Arto Rowley. OCs, fanart and comics is my game. Welcome aboard!
unlabelledView post →In a few words, I'd say this is a pass. The act of slowly coloring in the world while you run around is satisfying (in the same way that Powerwash Simulator is). But the rest of the game is rough. At one point, I stumbled into a challenge-cave that had a lot of boulders falling from the ceiling. But the game didn't give any sort of sign that the boulders were about to fall in a specific spot, so a fair bit of the challenge came down to luck in hoping that you didn't lose too much health from…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →https://youtu.be/4bOZclNImGs Despite some of the gameplay elements falling a bit short the visual style is compelling enough to make this title stand out.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent! Easy to pick up and surprisingly deep game mechanically. A real indie gem.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an exceptional game - have never played anything like it out of an indie studio. Highly recommend you give it a try if you're interested in hack'n'slash, creative/artistic design, action rpg, kind of out there/different concepts or storylines. Easy game to get into straight away. The color filling was addicting and the diversity of biomes / creativity kept it interesting. Soundtrack was really good too. Only just started playing today and can't wait to unlock all of the weapons / get…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For once an indie game having "a striking visual style" doesn't just mean minimalist pixel art.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →really like the concept and artstyle, but right now I don't want to play further because during exploration, the game is severely lagging. Strangely not during fights.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Super fun game with a really cool concept. Originally had some stuttering but it has mostly been fixed with recent patch for me. Two thumbs up! Will update as I play more.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very nice game! Really enjoyed the artwork and fighting mechanics. A lot of new vocabulary might be a bit overwhelming at first but I'm sure they will be explained further down the road.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is one of the best open world games I've played. From the story line to the graphics to the banger music, it's all unique! Wonderfully written and designed, I LOVE IT!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very cool game! lovely art styles and the combat feels great
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Figured I'd give this game a try since it was new! The art style and animations are great, combat also feels fluid. The UI has a distinct style that reminds me of Jet Set Radio Future, though the upgrade screen is a little bit huge on a 27" 4k monitor. The default mapping for Interact is B and dashing is A, which personally feels a bit backwards to me, though this can be remapped in the menu. Overall my impression of this game is good, would definitely recommend giving it a try!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is not a bad game to play; however, I couldnt help but feel like writing this to simply say this game is extremely bright and hurt my eyes to play. I actually stopped just now specifically because of this. I am sure brightness adjustments could help, but a pure white area with a pure white outfit on your character... I understand why from the lore side, but man does that hurt. I skipped the intro and jumped into the game, tbh I like the concept. First boss killed, and it was…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →♥♥♥♥ unoptimized game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cool game. I'm enjoying it so far but even after trying 3 different new save files, I still can't get on the first boat. I'm sure this will be a great game once this bug gets fixed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, has nice visuals, snappy combat. Fun lighthearted romp!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Colorful, Exciting, Challenging, and overall a great experience. They should multiplayer/co-op, but besides that, it's a wonderful game 10/10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very pretty game with fun combat and pretty hard bosses
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Enjoying so far. Really fun concept. Looks and plays great, sound is awesome!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →surprisingly a nice game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a game, Arto is fine. The visual style is cool, with a fair bit of variety between the different areas and the combat is good enough, with just one combo and a couple different weapons you unlock here and there as well as a ranged attack. I think it had some potential, but sadly I had to stop playing because the performance is genuinely AWFUL. The game micro stutters all over the place, constantly slows down to the point that everything runs in slow motion and the graphics settings either…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fantastic soulsy experience with an artsy twist. I'd love to recommend it, but the game failed to maintain a stable frame rate (often dipping below 30fps in the grassier regions) and crashed several times over the course of my playthrough.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I could have forgiven it for the relatively simple gameplay, if not for the frame-rate issues and random stalling/crashing when trying to fast-travel
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unoptimized, and low quality.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love the art style. It feels like a genuinely good game. Sadly, it is not for me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is pretty creative and fun. We pretty much have to bring saturation to a colorless world. The amount I played was solid. Recommended. Gameplay here: https://youtu.be/oad6gnFEjIA
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love the style, However I found the game a bit too challenging to enjoy. Wished it had a difficulty slider or was a bit easier.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Arto is a striking and imaginative action-adventure experience that uses color not just as an aesthetic flourish, but as a narrative and mechanical foundation. Developed by OrionGames and published by indie.io, it immediately distinguishes itself through its visual identity—players begin in a monochrome, desolate world drained of vibrancy and life, and their mission becomes one of restoration. Instead of following a conventional heroic destiny, the protagonist’s journey emphasizes creation,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Needs improvement
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has potential I will say that. It's very colorful and from what I played the story is ok. But none of it was enough to hold me. The bosses are super easy even with a not great dodge. It's a 4/10 for me and I wanted to like this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beautiful visuals! A joy to play
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its fairly nice... but its sliiiiightyy buggy
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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