The Case of the Golden Idol

This was such a cool and unique game, and I had a lot of fun puzzling through each scenario. It feels like a Lucasarts adventure game crossed with a murder mystery. I would definitely recommend taking notes as you go, to keep track of the tiny details, and to have something to refer back to as you progress.

A wonderful game. No real hand holding, just use the clues available and your reasoning skills to advance. Nothing cheap, everything is 100% figurable based on the evidence provided. Significant story details are hidden amongst the evidence in supremely clever ways. I didn't fully grasp the final major plot development until slotting the last word in the last spot on the last puzzle, that moment felt like a divine achievement. awesome game.

Great detective-puzzle game to play with a friend over shared screen. 10/10

Very cool information game, in the vein of The Return of Obra Dinn. Puzzles aren't as clever IMO, but there are a few pretty fun twists. Everything can be figured out with some focused thinking, no guesswork required. Story is pretty solid too. I disliked the UI. The interface where you have to fill in the proof you understood what happened is super fiddly. I didn't fully love the graphics style either. Recommended if you like narrative information-style games.

Great investigative puzzle game. Sucked in by the story and played it in one sitting.

Does what it says on the tin. Riveting stuff in terms of conspiracies and the supernatural. Fascinating twists and callbacks tying everything together. Strange to see how it kind of unceremoniously ends the game with the DLC. Bit pricey for what's on offer though. It's great but please don't compare this with Return of the Obra Dinn. That's a truly unique indie masterwork and one for the ages...

Just a fantastic clue-finding deduction game that has a solid story through-line and very fair and well-constructed puzzles. The one time I thought I caught them in a mistake, it turned out the "error" was intentional and was a clue. The solving mechanics are well-thought-out and lead to maximum satisfaction with minimum frustration. 100% recommend.

Great puzzles. Very interesting way to tell a story too. I highly recommend this game.

This game has been amazing from start to finish. I'm not brilliant at solving puzzles. There are hints but It definitely does not hold your hand, rather it guides you in the right direction. You feel accomplished after solving each one. This game definitely had me wondering what was coming next after each chapter. I was so excited to finish each one and move onto the next chapter to find out what happened next. The DLC excellently expands on the history of the golden idol and ties in the main game excellently. The artstyle and soundtrack is great; perfectly eerie and mysterious. This game is very memorable and re-playable down the line.

I friggin' love this game. This is fun deduction and puzzle solving. The art is so unique too! If you're the type of person that loves piecing together clues, this is the game for you!

Just incredible. The puzzles are always thought-provoking and it's such a unique set-up. One of my favorite games of all time.

One of the best puzzle games of all time. With every case, the difficulty increases, and its story is also wonderful and engaging. The music is carefully selected for each case.

9/10 Puzzle game. Had so much fun looking for clues and connecting all the dots and finding out the logic behind each chapter stories.

The Case of the Golden Idol is a very enjoyable game. Possibly a little bit on the short side (my playtime includes the full game + the two extra episodes), but that's better than being too drawn out and not dense enough in content. This game differs from many other point & click detective games in that, rather than going step-by-step and solving one puzzle/clue at a time, it expects you to observe all available evidence at once, deduce the full chain of events, and only then provide a full solution. I would liken it to Return of the Obra Dinn, in the sense that you have to make deductions for what must have happened based on brief snapshots, and to Chants of Sennaar, in that you have to reconstruct more detailed information from isolated snippets. The music is serviceable, if not memorable, while the sound design is well done for the handful of sound effects that there are. The artwork is eccentric, but easy to get used to and full of character. Speaking of which, the primary characters all have a good degree of personality and their own motivations, and the entire story is connected throughout, which makes following through it a rewarding and satisfying experience. I found the difficulty to be appropriate. I'm used to detective and logic games, so people who aren't may find it a little trickier, but there is a hint system, and the game will tell you when all but two answers are correct, which does mean you can brute-force any little bits that you aren't 100% sure about. Some parts are a little contrived, such as people speaking lines that a normal person wouldn't say in order to convey information to the player, or characters keeping detailed clues to a secret code on their person. However, this is something that arises from the limitations of how the game is presented, so can't be judged too harshly. Overall, the game was definitely a positive experience, and I was glad to have picked it up.

[h1]Ideal length - I got bored exactly at the last DLC level[/h1] This game was lying in my wishlist for years, because I thought it's a Point & Click game. It is not - it is in fact a word guessing game. You search environment for words and then slot them into cards to create a full story. And it was cool - for the first half, at least. Later I felt like it's a bit too easy, and last two levels of main campain weirded me out with their political direction. DLC stories, being effectively a prequel, just didn't feel as interesting as main story ones. Still, I enjoyed the game for quite a bit. I think, I'll by the second part at some point - just not now.

Its a fun game but I maybe over-hyped it a bit for myself after playing similar games (e.g. Obra Dinn). Would definitely not recommend playing the Redux version because the UI is clearly a mobile backport and is a pain to work with on mouse and keyboard. Overall, still worth a play for the interesting storyline, great art, and difficult puzzles.

Great game for a set-your-pace deduction scenario. Clearly inspired by Obra Dinn, and I'm happy to see another game like it. Sometimes you do need to take a logical leap, inferring information that's not explicitly telegraphed by a specific clue but rather communicated by the logic of the scenario as a whole. That can be frustrating if you can't intuit the logic yourself, but when I'd find those situations come up it was normally able to be solved with a little brute force. Those few circumstances still don't ruin the enjoyment of the game as a whole and I strongly recommend this to anyone who likes elaborate mysteries and brain teasers.

A clever and satisfying puzzle game, with a good balance of easy starts and head-scratching finishes.

A fascinating puzzle game that requires good deductive skills. Gameplay is unique and storytelling is smart. Worth trying it out.

Fantastic puzzle game, though I don't think the DLC is quite worth the current price. I really liked that, for the most part, each level had a different twist on the mechanic.

I bought this game specifically to hear the soundtrack in game. Turned out to be a wild ride with incredible puzzles and immersive story. I loved it! 10/10

This provided a little more thinking challenge than a "fill-in-the-words" game would suggest. But more importantly, you start to fill in the plot holes in your head like words throughout the stages in a very organic manner - a mark of great story-telling. Would recommend to fans of the detective genre, even with the less-than-impressionable gameplay.

Great puzzles and captivating story! Couldn't put it down until I finished.

So far the best detective game I've ever played. Challenging, but not impossible. Only the last case tying everything together was a bit too much for me, and I didn't get enough information from the game. But that might be a skill issue.

I wasn't a fan of the UI and it might be considered a bit short by some, but that's all the negative traits can think of against all the qualities everyone lauds.

Amazing mystery games with two amazing DLCs. The mysteries were all really fun to figure out and the story was very fun. Only complaint is the identity of the "Spider of Lanka" was too obvious.

Great example of an approachable yet challenging point and click game. Nothing is ever too obvious but the game never leaves you completely lost as the context clues are very well laid out for the player to find and reason with. The art style is unique and one I found very enjoyable/appropriate considering the setting and subject. The story kept me hooked from a to z. If you're looking for a detective type game where you get to feel like Sherlock Holmes, this is it!!

An excellent point and click puzzle adventure. The story is great, and the solutions and what is being shown on the screen is not obvious. You have to deduce your answers. It can be tricky but everything is definitely there to deduce your answers. A well made puzzle narrative. If you like The Return of the Obra Dinn, then this is a must play.

Greatly recommended for people addicted to New York Times Wordle and Connection games. The story told through puzzle solving and artwork keeps you hooked

A very unique and atmospheric point and click detective story. It makes your brain sweat!

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 54: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (9/10 stars) A grim, brain-bending detective game that invites you to step into the shoes of a true investigator. No hand-holding, no glowing objective markers—just your logic, your notes, and a trail of very dead bodies. [i] The Case of the Golden Idol [/i] is a stellar example of how to do deduction right. You’ll unravel a sprawling conspiracy through 12 interconnected murder scenes, each one packed with clues, contradictions, and increasingly bizarre circumstances. It’s creepy, clever, and completely compelling. [i] The Case of the Golden Idol [/i] is a masterpiece of mystery design. It’s unflinchingly smart, unapologetically strange, and deeply satisfying—if you’re up for the challenge. Murder has never been so delightfully confusing. [b] 🧐 Pros: [/b] [list] [*] Phenomenal deductive gameplay. Each case presents a frozen-in-time diorama of murder and mayhem. You collect clues, build a web of information, and slot everything together to reconstruct exactly what happened. It’s like [i] Return of the Obra Dinn, [/i] but somehow even weirder. [*] Incredible writing and worldbuilding. The narrative is completely told through observation—letters, notes, body placement, facial expressions. Over time, you start to trace the rise and fall of a cult, political schemes, and generational madness. It’s wild in the best way. [*] Unique visual style. Offbeat, grotesque pixel art gives each scene a distinct and unsettling vibe. Everyone looks slightly wrong, and it’s perfect for the tone. [*] Genuinely rewarding when you solve things. No cheap twists. When you figure something out, it’s because you earned it. Every realization is a little "aha!" moment. [*] Smart UI. The “Thinking” screen is intuitive and lets you track deductions at your own pace. Being able to move between the scene and your puzzle board is smooth and satisfying. [/list] [b] 🧩 Cons: [/b] [list] [*] The difficulty curve is STEEP. This game does not go easy on you. Later cases require tracking dozens of moving parts, names, timelines, and motives. If you get stuck, there are no traditional hints—instead, you solve logic mini-puzzles to unlock vague nudges. This can be frustrating if you’re already overwhelmed (like I was!) [*] Not for casual puzzlers. If you don’t *love* cross-referencing clues and building flowcharts in your head (or notebook), this might feel like work rather than play. [/list]

Awful game. How on earth is the letter addressed to "dear sister" in the third game NOT addressed to the only woman present in the entire scene, Rose Cubert? I am angry and frustrated. None of this makes any sense to me.

Brilliant point-and-click puzzle game. Who knew fill-in-the-blank worksheets could be so intellectually stimulating?

Intruiging plot and absorbing gameplay. At the last case I was so engaged that I kept imagining possible solutions while not playing the game. Throughout all the cases I liked how solving non-mandatory elements of investigations helped to organize the thoughts. Brilliant position!

Great puzzles, a super fun time!

This is actually the best detective game ever made.

Great game, a must play if you enjoyed Return of the Obra Dinn

amazing, best mystery solving game

A really well-made puzzle game

this game scratched that itch that obra dinn did for me

10/10 - best of the best of these kinds of games

The perfect whodunit.

Nice little detective game

maybe I'm just too dumb for this game

Fantastic gameplay!

This game is a masterpiece. 10/10

great detective game

nice little mystery game

Nice

8/10