The Case of the Golden Idol. The most original games of 2022

At first glance, the game doesn't look serious. But it's actually the first genuine detective game in a long time. (Photo credit: The Case of the Golden Idol, Playstack, 2022)

This is one of those games where detective skills REALLY matter. The plot doesn't require much exploration from us (especially when important items in the menu are highlighted). Instead, it's focused on simple logical puzzles that appear after each of twelve deaths, the secrets of which we'll have to solve. And there will much more difficult conclusions and detective observations to make, preferably as objective as possible.

There are many occasions here to rack your brainz.

The strongest suit of this game is that no one leads us by the hand. We can draw conclusions all we want, and time will inexorably go on with more victims appearing. Each crime remains so unconventional that finding a single, perfect solution to finding all the killers seems impossible. Strongly recommended for January evenings!

Infernax can only be "accused of" being slightly too similar to Castlevania. This game with a very simple, but really atmospheric audiovisual setting works great as... something else. It's hard to put your finger on it, because it consists of difficult, dynamic combat, exploration of rooms, some adventure elements, moral choices (like saving or killing) and unusual boss fights. So while Infernax largely defies being categorized as any particular genre, I definitely recommend it, even if not every element of this game is as original as the remaining titles on the list.

1. The Case of the Golden Idol in our encyclopedia