The Rise of the Golden Idol

The Rise of the Golden Idol is a seriously clever detective game, with exceptional design that helps you solve its mysteries yourself.

We found The Rise of the Golden Idol to be a fantastic game from start to finish. Perhaps a bit easier than the first and with an easier story to follow, but just as absorbing and fun. If you like mystery games and have enjoyed titles like Return of the Obra Dinn or Strange Horticulture (or, of course, The Case of the Golden Idol), we think you shouldn't miss this sequel, which, by the way, is available on mobile devices at no additional cost for Netflix subscribers.

The Rise of the Golden Idol is a great sequel and will give all fans of the original plenty of new interesting and violent scenarios to solve. The game’s mechanics are easy to pick up, even for newcomers, with a solid raft of quality-of-life improvements to make it easier to gather clues and find solutions. It would be lovely if the various windows could be resized. The title can cause some frustration when it comes to the big end of the chapter narratives, mainly because of wording that lacks a certain precision. When that happens, do not hesitate to breathe in and out and use the hint system. The Rise of the Golden Idol is good enough that it makes sense to play one or two scenes per session, savoring the many details and the joy associated with some clever deductions.

The end result of The Rise of the Golden Idol is one of great success. In the midst of a multitude of puzzles and point-and-click gameplay is a gem that is worthy of the best thinky game of 2024.

You might have to take notes outside the game to keep up, but it’s worth putting up with the annoyance. Rise of the Golden Idol is one of the most captivating mystery games around, one that makes clever use of every tool available to it and expands the possibilities of what a logical deduction game can achieve.

A few underwhelming cases do little to dampen The Rise of the Golden Idol's unmistakable quality. This is a worthy successor to one of 2022's best games, putting a fresh spin on its singular concept with another collection of challenging and inventive puzzles. With a compelling story tying it all together and smart changes to its interface, Rise of the Golden Idol is everything you could ask for from a sequel; it's an excellent continuation of a singular idea, and there's already more on the way. Armchair sleuths are eating well.

The Rise of the Golden Idol is a brain-breaking collection of mysteries all wrapped up in one absurd narrative and is a must-have for lovers of investigation games. While it doesn’t quite replace the original game in my heart, the puzzles are bigger and better, the plot progression is more fluid, and it’s all-around beefier. Golden Idol’s unique take on investigation and logical progression is as engrossing as it is difficult, and keeping up with its complex mysteries makes you feel like a master detective when you finally hit that “aha!” moment. I’m waiting with bated breath for those DLCs!

Overall, The Rise of the Golden Idol is a massive achievement in storytelling and gameplay, especially for a point-and-click puzzle game. Despite its steep challenge and the potential for players to encounter a game-halting bug, The Rise of the Golden Idol is worth a try, even for those who might not consider themselves a fan of the genre. Its gameplay is slow and intentional, but filling out those Event pages, completing every objective, and witnessing the whole story unfold is highly satisfying — something even some of the most fast-paced action games fail to accomplish.

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.

The Rise of the Golden Idol wonderfully evolves on the original with some truly devious cases that empower you to feel like a genius as you piece everything together and read between the lines. Loads of details make this best played with a notebook to hand, each case stretching you to think in genuinely fresh directions.

Rise of the Golden Idol is a fantastic game. It is a brilliant 10-15 hour affair that focuses on your mind instead of your reflexes. While it’s best with a mouse, I wholeheartedly recommend it no matter where you’re playing. It has a thoroughly ridiculous and satisfying story and is a worthy sequel to one of 2022’s best games.

A gritty detective adventure that's nearly as clever and captivating as the original.

Rise of the Golden Idol has raised the bar it set one unit higher. An exquisite detective story full of incredibly well-crafted logic puzzles awaits you.

The Rise of the Golden Idol scratches a very specific puzzle-solving itch and provides plenty of “Eureka!” moments.

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.

That there's nothing conventional about this beauty is firmly to its credit. [Issue#405, p.118]

The Rise of the Golden Idol is a good sequel with creative situations and an intriguing storyline. The difficulty level could be much higher, but this is another fine investigation from Color Gray Games.

The crime scenes are so weird that you never know where this game is going to take you, but you’ll always have what you need to figure it out.

The Rise of the Golden Idol is the direct sequel to Color Grey Games' remarkable investigative video game, a title capable of evolving every situation and mechanic encountered in its predecessor. After ensuring that the writing maintained a very high standard, the developers have enhanced almost every aspect of the point-and-click gameplay, offering an impressive variety of situations and making the solution to each investigation feel like a hard-won victory. While the artistic and sound elements have also evolved toward excellence, the slightly weaker characterization and overall impact of the narrative have kept it just a few steps away from masterpiece status.

If you enjoy puzzle games, then, particularly ones with dark themes of crime and murder, you’re going to love The Rise of the Golden Idol. Few other games let you lead the charge of your own investigations in quite the same way, and trust me when I say that finding the correct answer feels like a serious victory.

The Rise of the Golden Idol makes a great mystery series even better.

A compelling modern mystery thriller that's bigger, better and more ambitious than its already brilliant predecessor.

By playing to the strengths of the first game’s concept through even more intricate puzzle design, it offers a worthy follow-up in a spirited new setting.