Computer The Rise of the Golden Idol Review

At its heart, The Rise of the Golden Idol keeps the core gameplay of its predecessor, but adds some user-friendly tweaks. The biggest change? Players no longer need to switch between scenes and the fill-in-the-blank notebook. Now, solvable entries pop up right on the scene, like a desktop window. They move around, making it easy to explore and solve at the same time. Simply put, The Rise of the Golden Idol combines the "looking" and "thinking" parts on one screen. Between scenes, the detective revisits a chapter hub, needing a completed summary note to move on. This helps players keep track of the increasingly complex plot. It's easy to get lost in the game's tiny details, so this recap - which still includes puzzles - is a helpful addition that encourages players to better grasp and question the overall story.


While the plot only brings back one or two characters from the first game, it still echoes The Rise of the Golden Idol's themes of greed, power, and corruption, nailing the dark humor fans loved. In The Rise of the Golden Idol, centuries have muddied people's understanding of the idol and its use. The gory accidents and murders are mostly caused by well-meaning fools and power-hungry idiots. Many storylines, which are really elaborate jokes, focus on this. A standout example involves a dim-witted science intern who sets himself on fire using an idol-powered machine. His lab access was revoked after an unauthorized test. Later, he "learned" about the idol's powers from a conspiracy theory cult, believing his boss took away his access out of hatred. His second attempt to remove this "hatred" backfired, starting a fire. This kicks off a chain reaction of bad decisions, highlighting a theme of rewarded incompetence. (Sound familiar?)

The Rise of the Golden Idol's main drawback is its occasional lack of clarity in language. While scenarios are easy to grasp, minor differences in interpretation can lead to wrong answers. Sometimes, incorrect solutions make perfect sense but aren't the right ones. In these cases, the hints don't help much, as the developers can't predict exactly what's confusing players. They're just guessing what might be tripping someone up. A more useful system might offer a last-resort hint that points out where an answer is wrong. However, like in The Case of the Golden Idol, it's clear that Color Gray Games prefers players to solve puzzles without hints, even if it takes a while. This is evident in the hints popup, where the game suggests "meditating" on the answer - breathing in sync with an expanding and shrinking circle, similar to a mental health app. While this is the most rewarding way to crack a mystery, it risks turning off frustrated players completely.


These issues are minor, though, if you can push through the few unclear puzzle solutions. Like its predecessor, The Rise of the Golden Idol is a must-play mystery thriller that somehow weaves a web of clues into a coherent, amusing, and brilliant story. The game will be available on November 12 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. This review is based on the Windows PC version via Steam, using a pre-release download code provided by publisher Playstack. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships, which don't affect editorial content, but may result in commissions for products purchased through affiliate links.