The Case of the Golden Idol
Inspect pixel-art crime scenes and turn collected clues into an account of what happened. Identifying suspects, motives and weapons feeds into a connected mystery surrounding the Golden Idol and an aristocratic family.
- AI score · out of 10
- 8.8 / 10
About this game
The Case of the Golden Idol casts you as a detective investigating connected deaths in an eighteenth-century setting. Examine clues in freeze-frame pixel-art scenes, consider who the suspects are, and work out motives and murder weapons. The scene provides information to interpret rather than simply a story to read. You use collected clues to fill gaps in an account of the events, turning observations into a specific reconstruction. Each investigation is also part of a wider mystery involving the Golden Idol and a cursed aristocratic family. The recurring activity is to move between examining a scene and assembling an explanation, connecting individual deaths to the larger story.
Collected in series
The Golden Idol is a deduction series about making sense of strange deaths and the conspiracies behind them. You inspect scenes, collect telling details and work out who did what, gradually connecting individual cases into a larger story.
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Nintendo Switch
AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
For readers who want to construct a mystery's explanation themselves.
Filling narrative blanks asks for a specific account of events, which should appeal to players who enjoy making deductions explicit. Connected deaths give those individual explanations a wider context, offering a reason to reconsider how clues fit together.
Strengths
- Turning clues into an explicit account may make a deduction feel more concrete than merely recognizing a likely suspect.
- Linked investigations should interest players who enjoy understanding a larger mystery through smaller scenes.
Weaknesses
- Players who prefer to watch a mystery unfold may find constructing its explanations more demanding than passive reading.
Who it is for: Patient observers who enjoy connecting evidence and putting a precise explanation into words.
Play notes: The publisher states that Switch save progress cannot transfer from the original release to the Redux rerelease.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension Connected deaths give each scene a place within a larger mystery, which may encourage players to think beyond the immediate culprit. | Reviewed | 8.6 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension The move from examining clues to completing an account should suit players who want their reasoning to produce a specific explanation. | Reviewed | 9.1 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Freeze-frame pixel-art scenes may suit an investigative mindset by inviting attention to the depicted situation. | Reviewed | 8.8 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension The documented lack of Switch save transfer makes changing from the original release to Redux consequential for players with an existing investigation. | Reviewed | 8.0 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Color Gray Games
- Publisher
- Playstack
- Release date
- May 25, 2023
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Puzzle · Primary genre
- Tags
- ReplayableExploration2D GraphicsPuzzle SolvingInvestigationStory-drivenHistoricalSlow BurnSolo-friendlySide-scrolling
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Single player
- Perspectives
- Side view
Release editions
- Nintendo SwitchWorldwideMay 25, 2023
Game gallery
Sources
- steamcommunity.comSource revision: 1
- steamcommunity.com