The Indie Informer

Color Gray Games has done it again — The Rise of the Golden Idol continues the series’ stellar legacy and is one of this year’s best. Set decades after the original, and sporting a painterly look that still embodies the first game’s unsettling feel, the developers have managed to construct a world of intrigue and murder brimming with innovative and ambitious puzzles. As a fan of the series, I got back into the familiar flow with glee and deeply appreciated some of this entry’s quality of life upgrades. Prepare yourself, because there’s an evil plot to unravel.

Watching the credits roll by, I had to wonder at how short they are. For such a small team to continuously release games so complex, brain-twisting, and still approachable is beyond my understanding. The developer’s most recent release sees the titular golden idol fall into the hands of scientists during the 1970s. Across twenty blood-laden cases, players follow the totem’s path of betrayal and power.

New to my veteran eyes is, first and foremost, the hand-painted style. It is not only striking, but allows me to read the details of the scene just a little bit easier. This also grants the creators an opportunity to plant even more subtle clues to help me break the case. Also new is a more dynamic style of gameplay.

The Case of the Golden Idol had two parts to investigation. The first let me rifle through a brief, looping scenario for clues and words to add to my word bank. The second half scrolled me over to a new screen where I could assemble my words into a field of empty boxes to spell out what had actually happened.

While the concept doesn’t stray far, The Rise makes a minor but an emmensly helpful change. Rather than splitting the two parts, the team has made it so I can toggle open my word bank and answer sheet at any time. Essentially, this means I could look directly at the evidence while puzzling out my deductions. I found this especially convenient when trying to put names to faces, as I could simply pop up the cheat sheet as soon as any character uttered a greeting or introduction.

Another great introduction is the slightly adjusted hint system. As always, this encourages anyone looking for help to head back, reexamine the scene, and try for the “ah-ha” moments that are so rewarding in this game. If I persist, however, I’m greeted by an element so laughably necessary that it got a chuckle from me every time.

Before revealing the tiered hint system, the game asks you to follow along with timed breathing exercises. Not only does it put a smile on my face, but the few seconds of cooldown helps ease my frustration and the extra oxygen can’t hurt my taxed brain. I can then choose to unveil three levels of guiding messages ranging from slightly cryptic to very direct.

The less I say about the story itself the better — after all figuring it all out yourself is the point and reward of the game. However, I will say that The Rise of the Golden Idol doesn’t hit the wild heights of its predecessor. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its own special flavor of potentially world-changing bizarreness. And each individual scene is three-dimensional and well-thought out in its own right. I definitely saw the begining in a new light after I’d spent around fifteen hours reaching the conclusion.

The Rise of the Golden Idol is a must-play for puzzle fans. Honestly, I’d encourage anyone to give it a go — no need to jump into the original first. Golden Idol titles ask a lot and encourage players to engage deeply with every detail — perhaps earning the series a reputation for difficulty. Putting in the work and watching the grand reveals are all the more rewarding for the effort, though, and satisfying on the highest level.