The Rise of the Golden Idol
The Rise of the Golden Idol
Game
Game2022
The Case of the Golden Idol
Developer Color Gray Games
The Case of the Golden Idol is a 2022 puzzle video game developed by Color Gray Games and published by Playstack. The game depicts a narrative spanning 40 years in the 18th century, in which players collect clues to piece together concepts, characters, and evidence to provide context to the story. It was originally released for PC and was ported to consoles and mobile platforms in 2023 and 2024. The Case of the… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
457 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
95
LovedLoved
271 positive · 15 negative
95% range 92–97%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 271 | 15 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 55 | 4 | 65 |
| Lemmy * | 5 | 0 | 19 |
| Mastodon * | 11 | 1 | 11 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Overwhelmingly Positive
7,260 of 7,394 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Overwhelmingly positive, with praise for its puzzles and story, though some find it less satisfying than Obra Dinn.
Players overwhelmingly praise The Case of the Golden Idol as a brilliant deduction game that scratches the same itch as Return of the Obra Dinn, with many calling it an S-tier puzzle experience. The story is described as engaging, darkly funny, and well-crafted, with satisfying twists that keep players hooked. The puzzles are consistently lauded for being challenging yet solvable, with a gentle learning curve that rewards careful observation. [4][11][18][19][24][26]
However, some players note that the game can be less satisfying than Obra Dinn, with one calling it more streamlined but lacking the same sauce and satisfaction. A few criticize the art style, occasional typos in DLC, and the ability to brute-force some puzzles, which slightly diminishes the experience. The price is also mentioned as a minor caveat by one player. [3][5][6][9][15][21][36]
Praised puzzle design · story and narrative · deduction mechanics · satisfying difficulty
Criticised comparison to Obra Dinn · art style · typos in DLC · brute-force solutions · price
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 7, 2026. Method
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
The Case of the Golden Idol sits at 95% positive across 286 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The PC version of The Case of the Golden Idol received "generally positive" reviews, while the Switch version received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator Metacritic. The game appeared on several year-end lists as one of the best games of 2022. IGN nominated the game as one of the best puzzle games of 2022 on the basis of its "refreshing take" on the murder mystery genre and gameplay. PC Gamer awarded the game as having the best story of the year, praising the "deep and fascinating" narrative surrounding the idol, its history and powers, and the intertwined lives of the game's characters. Polygon, rating the game as one of the best of 2022, stated the game "expertly supports…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 457 · most liked firstI Hate Native Linux Games. This is just a vent post / unpopular opinion (? unsure if unpopular). Specifically on Steam. Linux native builds are so buggy and glitchy and never work right. Always some combination of: - No sound - Old outdated version missing content and incompatible online - Controllers don't work - Crashes, doesn't launch at all - Horrific FPS - Cutscenes don't play - Weird game breaking softlocks and logic errors, like critical items not spawning and dialogue not triggering -…
neutral · AI labelView post →One of my most fond gaming memories is buying this game on a Friday night a couple years back alongside a chicken sandwich. I ate the chicken sandwich in a few minutes, but couldn't put this game down for hours. Both were delicious. Man that was a good night. Anyway just get the game, it's really really good.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My favorite PAID games on the Play Store (+ user recommendations 💬). **Latest entries - 28 June 2025:** - [Levelhead](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bscotch.levelhead) 💬 🎮 👥️ - Platform** - [Crashlands 2](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bscotch.crashlands2) 💬 🎮 - Survival crafting** ::: spoiler Other recent entries - **[Ogu and the Secret Forest](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.SinkHoleStudio.OguForest) 🎮 - Action adventure** -…
neutral · AI labelView post →I've played Return of the Obra Dinn, The Case of the Golden Idol, and No Case Should Remain Unsolved. The Roottrees are Dead is the best detective game I've ever played. If you're a fan of thinky games, you owe it to yourself to play this one (and the other games I mentioned if you haven't already).
positive · AI labelView post →'Wrongly Accused' A short detective game set in 1970s Italy, inspired by the Case of the Golden Idol. Relies on deductive skills with multiple outcomes possible. Made for the 2023 @thinkygames.com game jam. #indiegame #detectivegame #puzzlegame elomelogames.itch.io/wrongly-accu...
neutral · AI labelView post →The Case of the Golden Idol is back on Mobile! First two cases are free - $6.99 upgrade for the full game + both DLCs You gotta try it
neutral · AI labelView post →*play 48. The Case of the Golden Idol Yeah, I'm sure I'll love this when I find time for it, it's probably a shock I haven't played it yet! Ooops.
positive · AI labelView post →The Seance of Blake Manor featured: “A massive breakthrough hit, The Séance of Blake Manor is a 19th-century supernatural detective game in which you investigate the spooky disappearance of Evelyn Deane. Is it 2025’s The Case of the Golden Idol? Yeah, that sounds about right.”
neutral · AI labelView post →People have been talking about this game for a while as sort of a successor to Obra Dinn. It's not an adventure game, it's a detective type game where you're just filling in the blanks (literally) as to who everyone is and what transpired in the scene you are viewing. There are 11 main game scenes and 6 DLC scenes. Base game took me about 4 hours and the DLCs took about the same amount of time despite being half the number of levels. The core story is entertaining and would make a good novel…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We're pleased to announce that The Case of the Golden Idol has returned to mobile! Play the first two cases for free and then unlock the full game and both DLCs for a one time purchase! Download now from the🍎Apple App Store or 🤖 Google Play Store
neutral · AI labelView post →Decided to start playing The Case of the Golden Idol today and oh man is this a “me” game! Each level’s like a mini logic puzzle you have to work your way through. Id describe it as a game for folks who read Slylock Fox comics in the Sunday paper growin up, but like…on steroids. It’s v good so far!
positive · AI labelView post →Okay, I ditched the old rule guessing system for my Mimic game and resorted to copying the homework of The Case of the Golden Idol. The old thing was just too open-ended and people had a hard time coming up with the right word combination. #gamedev #indiedev #Unity3D #MadeWithUnity #MimicSleuth
neutral · AI labelView post →Would you like to learn about how The Case of the Golden Idol was created? We will be spilling some behind the scenes secrets on the @intogames.bsky.social podcast! 🔎 You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiJm...
neutral · AI labelView post →Finished The Rise of the Golden Idol, one of my favorite games of the year. It has one small stumble in Chapter 3, but on the whole a huge evolution from The Case of the Golden Idol. I can't wait for the DLC... excited to continue playing games like this on the side of whatever larger game I'm into.
positive · AI labelView post →Now it's a good game I enjoyed it and all; but just because you liked obra dinn doesn't mean you will enjoy this. Obra Dinn is DIRECTED, like a film, from the music, the camera, all of it. It has a more morose and heartfelt attitude towards the brave or not so brave souls on the Obra dinn. This game is like watching aristocratic family members from the monkey island universe connive and murder each other with a magic device, it doesn't have the same vibe it's not the same, there are shocking…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Standard: -Flock -Kunitsu-Gami: -Magical Delicacy -Tchia -The Case of the Golden Idol [2/2] news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/0...
neutral · AI labelView post →None of my wishlist games were under 10€ so I skipped all of the deals there. Instead I bought (or put to the cart as I wanna sleep over my decisions) lots of DLCs to Total War Warhammers, Powerwash Simulator and other games I already own and like to play. One new game I want to purchase is the Case of the Golden Idol which looks really interesting
positive · AI labelView post →This game wasn't on my radar at all, but from the first minute I was completely enthralled. A perfect marriage of puzzle and mystery, I was compelled by both the gameplay and the story equally. If you liked Obra Din you must play this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll structure this review as follows: - Positive Aspects - Neutral/Mixed Aspects - Negative Aspects - Comparison with Obra Dinn If you're familiar with Return of the Obra Dinn, you'll have a better frame of reference. The Case of the Golden Idol is a locked-room deduction game. You investigate static scenes depicting characters' deaths to reconstruct the cause and effect. The pixel art aesthetics and some mechanics echo Pope's Obra Dinn, but it ultimately delivers a more focused,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really don't like the art style, but the game mechanics and story is solid :) worth it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here are a few, hopefully they aren't mentioned yet: - walking simulator/light puzzle game - Firewatch, What Remains of Edith Finch, INSIDE, A Juggler's Tale, Abzu, Nuts - puzzle - Manifold Garden, The Case of the Golden Idol, GNOG, Gorogoa - misc - Inscryption, Pony Island - 3d platformer/adventure - Yooka Laylee - metroidvania/platformer - Blue Fire - programming - Human Resource Machine, TIS-100 - souls-like/boss rush - Furi, Titan Souls Some of these might be AA, it's hard to tell the…
neutral · AI labelView post →Favorite Mystery/Puzzle games?. I've been playing *The Case of the Golden Idol* this week and I love how it doesn't pull punches and how I actually have to figure things out without a multiple choice quiz. A rarely mentioned cute little puzzle game that you might like is called *Carto*. What are your favorite mystery/puzzle games that don't spoon-feed you?
positive · AI labelView post →I started playing The Case of the Golden Idol and the first scene was one person pushing another person off of a cliff. They just get right to it. Mystery solved. 👀
positive · AI labelView post →The main game especially clicks along well and provides satisfying twists, appropriate for the mystery genre. I found the second DLC (Lemurian Vampire) to contain some pretty egregious typos, that made solving the mystery a matter of brute force rather than clever deduction.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game follows the story of a mysterious artifact as it passes from hand to hand. It does this through 11 moments in time where someone dies, and you, as an omniscient observer, get to piece together the events that led up to this tragedy in order to figure out how the victim snuffed it. You do this by dancing between 2-4 rooms, investigating the various literature and characters (by seeing what's in their pockets/what they're saying/thinking in that moment) within them. After collecting the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’ve posted about this somewhere else too, maybe a different account idk. But for games to play with people that aren’t really “gamers” I actually prefer single player games with light amounts of fast paced action or none at all. The “coop” comes from taking turns with the controller. This works well with puzzle or logic games with generous reaction time requirements (again, or none at all), as well as story based games with light action. A lot of these games also come with natural pauses in…
neutral · AI labelView post →Been playing The Case of the Golden Idol, which is an interactive "fill in the blanks" mystery game where you basically solve multiple murders that are all centered around a mysterious golden idol that everyone wants to possess. It's a nice relaxing change of pace from other games.
positive · AI labelView post →Another entry from the #madewithvisionairejam is from Esmeralda and it is a wonderfully fun game. Very much in the vain of The Case of the Golden Idol. It has two cases and I can't wait for some more. check it out👇 esmeralda.itch.io/the-case-of-... #IndieGame #GameDev #PointAndClick #DeductionGame
neutral · AI labelView post →I don't remember where I accidentally stumbled upon The Case of the Golden Idol, but it sounded so intriguing that I simply had to get my hands on it shortly after. Now, after completing it in short of 20 hours, I can safely say that it's a fantastic and unique experience – or at least I've yet to encounter anything similar. The only major caveat I have to say is that the price felt a bit steep considering the fact that even with all the DLC you will probably beat it in 12–20 hours, and there's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think Return of the Obra Dinn might scratch the itch. Not *quite* what you're thinking of, I think, but it's still a fantastic game worth playing. Maybe also The Case of the Golden Idol, but that's much more of a detective/logic puzzle game. Interesting (but probably not good for streaming)
neutral · AI labelView post →If you like logic and puzzle games, this is definitely a game for you. Highly recommended, including the DLCs. Story The Case of the Golden Idol and the two DLCs revolve around the whereabouts of the Golden Idol through time, and the fate of the people who got into contact with it. The two DLCs are prequels to the main story. Gameplay The Case of the Golden Idol is a series of events that are connected to each other. Each event is shown in a number of scenes that are frozen in time. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Choose 20 games that greatly influence you. One game per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, no particular order. Day 15: The Case of the Golden Idol - Color Gray Games (2022) #GameChallenge #Games #GameDev #PromoSky
neutral · AI labelView post →🔴 Going LIVE on Twitch!!! I'm so excited for today's stream... I had so much fun playing The Case of the Golden Idol last year, and now it's time for THE RISE OF THE GOLDEN IDOL!!! I'm ready to DEDUCE... MWAHAHA www.twitch.tv/LirieLirie #LirieLive #VTuber #Twitch
neutral · AI labelView post →I've been a massive fan of puzzle games for over 20 years. This game scratched an itch that I didn't even know I had.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →literally wish I could become concussed so I could forget this game and play it all over again
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Steam] The Case of the Golden Idol ($8.09 / 55% off).
neutral · AI labelView post →It's #screenshotsaturday! My investigation game is available to wishlist! It's inspired by stuff like Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol, it's got queer characters and funny writing. #gamedev #indiedev #gaming #gamedesign
neutral · AI labelView post →My investigation game Sticker Detective is available to wishlist!! it's an investigation game inspired by Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol, with queer characters and funny writing. store.steampowered.com/app/4387730/... #gamedev #indiedev #indiegame
neutral · AI labelView post →absolutely perfect game. the story is equally funny, dark, grim, and thought-provoking all at the same time. the mystery is actually really well done, some of the levels require you to really think, backtrack, and do a lot of double checks of all the evidence to make sure you have the right solution. the fact that you can brute force through a bunch of the solutions is a *tiny* bit of a bummer but honestly, not too bad of a deal, just try not to do it every time lmao. the graphics/sprites are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Final anniversary activity - we played The Case of the Golden Idol, a mystery game recommended by @backpagepod.bsky.social It's BRILLIANT! You're shown a still image of murder, and must examine the scene to work out exactly who killed whom, how, and why.
positive · AI labelView post →it kinda felt like a more to the point obra dinn with less sauce and less satisfaction. obra dinn certainly had higher highs, but this game is almost equally as compelling because it has more consistency - the segmentation of mysteries makes it way less annoying because you very rarely get stuck for long. worth a play if you liked obra dinn for sure
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is one of those games that i wish i could replay again for the first time. i really loved Return of the Obra Dinn and The Roottrees are Dead, and this scratched that same itch. also kind of has a Papers Please vibe? i wish the game was longer just because i enjoyed playing it so much, but the length is very appropriate for the story - and the story was way more interesting than i expected it to be (for these kind of games, i just show up because playing detective is fun lol). the game is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am not generally interested in this genre, however, this game had me engaged throughout the base game and both DLC's. The mystery is depicted through a series of masterfully crafted clues, where going over the facts again is sure to get you closer to uncovering the truth behind the golden idol and its pursuers. I never thought a puzzle was too obscure or felt like I had to make a stab in the dark. The humour was chucklesome and the art style was quirky, which coalesces to make the whole…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Little Problems Review - Little Problems, Big Fun. Little Problems is an adorable detective game developed by Posh Cat Studios and published by Amplified Games. It features gameplay similar to titles such as The Case of the Golden Idol and the Duck Detective duology, in which players have to examine a static scene for clues about the identities of people involved, the nature of the current problem, and what characters’ goals and issues are.
neutral · AI labelView post →My game highlights this year were: ● Jusant ● Chants of Sennaar ● The Case of the Golden Idol ● Cocoon ● Flintlock: Siege of Dawn ● Slay the Princess
positive · AI labelView post →I am absolutely loving everything the Case of the Golden Idol has to offer and I am going to dive right into the sequel after I finish this playthrough. youtu.be/kSxZ1bX5BG4
positive · AI labelView post →New Let's Play! We're playing the Case of the Golden Idol, a detective game where by exploring the scene you uncover words that help you identify the people involved and what happened. It's just excellent. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDJH...
positive · AI labelView post →Bluesky, share you favorite indie game(s) Outer Wilds The Pale Beyond The Case of the Golden Idol The Wreck Stray Gods Killer Frequency Genesis Noir Before Your Eyes I‘m an interactive fiction lover and proudly so!
neutral · AI labelView post →Inspired by Obra Dinn, but firmly in the deduction genre's S tier on its own merits. You solve the game scene by scene, but there's also an overarching plot to piece together and all of it just works magnificently. Strong recommendation, as well as its DLC. Play the sequel too!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty decent game, I enjoyed many of the puzzles but toward the end there is so much clicking back and forth required that I just lost interest a bit and resorted to walkthroughs. I feel the game could be improved if there was a better hints system (ie it recognises you're stuck and points you in a certain direction).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I couldn't get a full list because I was relying on having set a flag forcing a specific version of Proton to identify which games were problematic to jog my memory... Unfortunately this data is local only and was not synced between computers, so it was lost when I changed distro. Just from my limited memory though, I can list some that I distinctly remembered when writing up my post, though it's many more in reality. It's also surprisingly hard to see whether a game even has a Linux native…
neutral · AI labelView post →Really nice game, the cases in each chapter have some of the best detective puzzles in any game I have played, some of them really stumped me but it was because of me overlooking something or not paying enough attention to the stage. It always felt satisfying to solve the puzzles but the story is what kept me engaged, it just effortlessly tells such an engaging and compelling narrative with so little, and it makes the player use the puzzle solving skills to fully build this narrative. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Little Problems Review - Little Problems, Big Fun. Little Problems is an adorable detective game developed by Posh Cat Studios and published by Amplified Games. It features gameplay similar to titles such as The Case of the Golden Idol and the Duck Detective duology, in which players have to examine a static scene for clues about the identities of people involved, the nature of the current problem, and what characters’ goals and issues are.
neutral · AI labelView post →here's my experience with The Case of the Golden Idol so far: 1. like-minded mystery-solvers seem to love this game. let's play the demo 2. wow, this is great! i'll get the base game and DLC in the sale, to play when i'm next in the mood 3. when did it become 2AM and why am i seeing credits
positive · AI labelView post →I have The Case of the Golden Idol and The Rise of the Golden Idol on my Steam wishlist already. Might as well add this upcoming game as well from one of the folks who contributed to that series! #gaming #videogames
neutral · AI labelView post →I was finally in the mood to sit down and complete a game today, so I finished The Case of the Golden Idol! I wrote some quick thoughts about it on Backloggd - good game!
positive · AI labelView post →We put it all together and finish the main story of The Case of the Golden Idol!🎉 This game was amazing. Genuinely loved it from start to finish. And guess who's already recorded the DLC?👀
positive · AI labelView post →# Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (Steam, GOG, Switch) If you liked The Case of the Golden Idol and want more of it ahead of the launch of its sequel, Duck Detective is a miniature version of that that's suitable for children and still fun for adults. I won't say it's quite as good as Golden Idol, and it's definitely not as long, but it's priced accordingly, and it's a good way to spend a weekend afternoon.
neutral · AI labelView post →I spent some time blowing through The Case of the Golden Idol yesterday. It's every bit as good as I've heard and fuses hidden object games, murder mysteries and adventure gaming into one interesting puzzle-solving experience. If you haven't tried this one yet, I definitely recommend it!
positive · AI labelView post →Loved The Case of the Golden Idol? Check out LOGBOOK: Beneath the Storm, my first solo dev game! You are a detective in a 17th-century maritime world, solving murders cases to unravel the truth beneath the sea. 🔗 Wishlist now: store.steampowered.com/search/?deve... #indiegame #indiedev #gamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →
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