The Case of the Golden Idol
Release Date: October 13, 2022
Adventure, point-and-click, detective, 2D, indie games, 18th century, Game Pass, singleplayer
OpenCritic
The adventure game The Case of the Golden Idol is a non-linear detective game in which we try to solve twelve murder cases in 18th-century realities over four decades.
The Case of the Golden Idol is a detective adventure game. The project was developed by Color Gray Games studio.
Plot
The game is set in the 18th century. Players take on the role of a detective who, over the course of four decades, must unravel the case of twelve mysterious murders. At first it seems that these crimes are unrelated, but over time it turns out that they have a lot in common. We will have to discover the identities of the perpetrators and the motives behind their acts.
Game mechanics
The Case of the Golden Idol is an adventure game with a point-n-click interface, which, however, strongly differs from the other games of the genre.
Each murder is divided into two phases. The first takes the form of a frozen scene from the moment of the victim's death. In it, we examine elements of the environment, look into the drawers and pockets of the characters and collect evidence and clues. These finds take the form of scrolls with words, which we use in the second phase of the investigation, where we have to match these words to blanks in sentences, creating a logical cause-and-effect sequence to explain what actually happened.
The first cases are simple and cover only one screen of the scene. Over time, however, the level of complexity of the crime gradually increases, until by the end of the adventure we have to connect clues from multiple screens together, creating a complex web of motives, evidence and deduction.
Game modes
The Case of the Golden Idol offers a single-player mode only.
Technical aspects
The game features two-dimensional graphics made in an unusual retro style.
Videos and Screens
[0:45] The Case of the Golden Idol Nintendo Switch trailer
[1:06] The Case of the Golden Idol trailer #1
Metro GameCentral: 8 / 10
Another great indie detective game that not only makes solving crimes fun and interesting but has some surprisingly good storytelling to tie everything together.
Softpedia: 8.5 / 10 by Cosmin Vasile
The Case of the Golden Idol is a tight adventure with good mechanics, excellent design for all the scenes, and great presentation. Players should try to play a sequence at a time, savor the clues and avoid relying on the hint system as much as possible.
GamingTrend: 90 / 100 by Olivia Davies
The Case of the Golden shook up the detective point and click genre, and rightfully so. You can tell a lot of love and passion has been put into every element of this game, from its narrative that weaves through the scenarios and the perfect way it allows the player to unfold the mystery for themselves through their game mechanics. It can get a tad overwhelming at times with some grand schemes to unfold, but if you play it at your own pace, you'll constantly be rewarded for figuring out how the game works and who has poisoned who this time.
The Case of the Golden Idol Summary
Platforms:
PC / Windows October 13, 2022
PlayStation 5 July 23, 2024
Xbox Series X/S July 9, 2024
Switch May 25, 2023
PlayStation 4 July 23, 2024
Xbox One July 9, 2024
Developer: Color Gray Games
Publisher: PlayStack
Age restrictions: 16+
The Case of the Golden Idol System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Dual Core 1.7 GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphic card Intel HD 4600 or better, 300 MB HDD, Windows 7 64-bit
Recommended: Intel Core i5-4200M 2.5 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeFoerce GTX 1050 or better, 300 MB HDD, Windows 10 64-bit
This Game has the Attention of Papers Please Dev and 99% Positive Reviews on Steam
Fans of detective adventure games should take an interest in The Case of the Golden Idol. The game is receiving nothing but praise, including from the creator of the hit from a few years ago - Papers, Please.
video games
Michal Ciezadlik
October 17, 2022