The Rise of the Golden Idol
Genres: Puzzle, Mystery, Story Rich, Atmospheric, Adventure
Release Date: 12-11-2024
Developer: Color Gray Games
Our verdict
8.5/10
- Difficulty: Hard
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 10–15 h
The Rise of the Golden Idol is the standalone sequel to The Case of the Golden Idol, set two hundred years later in the 1970s. You investigate 20 linked cases of crime and death involving a treasure hunter, a team of scientists, a cult and corporate interests, all chasing the idol. The core loop is unchanged: study a frozen scene, collect words and clues, and fill in what happened. It suits deduction fans, ideally those who played the first game.
About 95% of 2,700 reviews are positive. Players say it is longer and more complex than the original, with better music, a polished new art style and an engaging overarching story. Many think it matches or beats the first game, and they recommend playing the two in order, though it stands on its own.
A vocal minority found the story weaker and some puzzles more obscure than before. Others note that the fill-in-the-blanks system can be frustrating when you know the answer but not the expected wording, plus some clunky menus and translation slips. Expect ten to fifteen hours. Fans of the original should buy it; newcomers should start with Case.
Pros
- Twenty linked 1970s cases, longer than the first game
- Overarching cult and corporate conspiracy ties scenes together
- Improved music and a polished new art style
Cons
- Fill-in-the-blanks wording can block a correct deduction
- Some players found the story and puzzles weaker than the original
- Clunky menus and occasional translation errors
About
The Idol was lost — but not forgotten. In this followup to the award winning detective game The Case of the Golden Idol, you are an observer that must investigate 20 strange cases of crime, death and depravity - all somehow connected. Use your detective skills to make sense of a grand mystery that unfolds across an age of hallucinogens, disco, fax machines and parapsychology.
200 YEARS LATER… THE IDOL RISES
Two hundred years after the unspeakable fate of the Cloudsley family, the Idol's legend lives on only in whispers and myth… but some are determined for this to change. Discover the mysterious forces connecting a tenacious treasure hunter, a team of scientists, the members of an enlightenment-seeking cult and corporate profiteers drawn to the all-powerful artifact.
FEATURES
LEAD YOUR OWN INVESTIGATION
The Rise of the Golden Idol is a new type of detective game where you freely explore each crime scene at your own pace, using logic to build your own theories. Click to collect clues and analyze each discovery to determine what happened, why, and who was responsible.
A CURIOUS CAST OF CHARACTERS
Convicted prisoners, new age cult leaders, corporate middle management and many more figures have a role to play in the wider mystery that unfolds — each driven by their own agenda. Scour each scene for key details to put names to faces and deduce their motives.
A NEW APPROACH TO SOLVING CRIMES
A reworked interface lets you quickly gather key terms from observations and witness testimonies, greatly expanding the depth and variety of each scenario. Upon the conclusion of each chapter, a new type of puzzle lets you revisit past deductions, recap the events of these interconnected cases, and investigate the threads that unify them.
