The days are getting colder, the nights are getting longer. Going outside is becoming less and less attractive, and so I've been spending more of my evenings sat by my computer, which is essentially a mini heater by my legs, keeping them heated as I warm my brain with Rise of the Golden Idol, the new detective puzzle game from Color Gray Games and Playstack. This is a sequel to the 2022 game The Case of the Golden Idol.
I have not played The Case of the Golden Idol, but the reviews speak for themselves. It's an interconnected mystery set in the 1700s, following gruesome deaths which also centre on a golden idol. Two-hundred years later, we pick up the idol's story once more, in a new world that is still beset by gruesome deaths and mad accidents. It's also a world defined by a peculiar art style. The Case of the Golden Idol has a look seemingly inspired by the paintings of the era, while The Rise of the Golden Idol takes this and spruces it up, fitting with the 1970s. People are brilliantly gross and ugly, their facial expressions turned up to 11 to convey their emotions, madness, and more. It's something that helps The Rise of the Golden Idol come across as instantly charming, and while you might find the visuals a bit much, especially when the idly bobbing characters get up close, they're a lovely bit of design work, as they not only feel utterly unique, but also help within your case.
So, what do you actually do in The Rise of the Golden Idol? Well, you're placed into a scene, where you'll spot details and clues that will give you a series of keywords you can use to solve the events that transpired in the scene. You'll often have more than one location to go over, names to attach to the individuals in the scene, and usually one more secondary objective to figure out, such as the names of the characters in a movie being shown, or the meaning of certain symbols a mad woman has attached to an object. The paths of objects, the relationships between the characters you see before you, they're all important, and you'll usually have to solve it all before you can tackle the events of the scene. Over each scenario, you'll build up the overarching story of a chapter, meeting familiar faces and figuring out the terrible deeds that have been done to accomplish a larger goal.
It is a challenging game, as you can't just pay attention to what is said and what you read in the clues. You also have to keep an eye on the map, and make a lot of deductions for yourself, especially as time goes on. You never really get frustrated with The Rise of the Golden Idol, though, as there's always something else to work at, another piece of the puzzle you've not yet paid enough attention to. Also, the game has an element of allowing guess work, as if you're right near the end of a scenario, and have all but two or fewer answers correct, you can swap around some words of the things you're not quite certain on.
You've got hints, too, which the game doesn't really want you to abuse. It tackles frustrated presses of the hint requests by making you do a breathing exercise before you get your clue. An interesting way to make the player ask themselves once more if they would like to figure it all out for themselves. I'm not ashamed to say I used hints on more than one occasion, but didn't find them all to be made equal. Some are very useful, whereas others you'll head straight to the direct hint and still feel like you've not had your question answered.
Outside of some naff hints, the only other complaint I have about the game is that as time goes on, the UI can get increasingly cluttered. When you need people's names, where they were, and what they were doing out in front of you, as well as all the other words you've collected alongside the events of the scenario, it can be a struggle to see it all, and you're often clicking to get rid of one thing only to bring it back up again. It's a small frustration, but one that would have helped in the long run if fixed. The UI is otherwise very easy on the eyes, as Color Gray Games has traded out the parchment look of The Case of the Golden Idol for yellowed, printed paper in this sequel.
Outside of those two minor complaints, The Rise of the Golden Idol is a delight of a detective game and the perfect way to spend these cold, winter nights. It's a short experience, depending on how quickly you can solve the murders, but as you fall further into how the overarching story plays out, and piece more of the puzzle together, it'll easily keep you hooked until you've done it all.
