THE CASE OF THE GOLDEN IDOL
Solve a string of bizarre murders.
$25.95 | PC | thegoldenidol.com
A woman lies dead on a sofa, her mouth open in shock. A few members of the dinner party she was attending stare in horror at the scene while others level angry accusations at each other. There’s only one person smiling happily about the woman’s grim fate, and that’s me, the detective. I’ve got another intriguing murder to solve in The Case of the Golden Idol, one of the most novel and challenging mystery games I’ve played in years.
I begin my investigation, clicking on anything and everything, starting with the guests. They’re frozen in time, stuck in the moment the victim perished, so I’m free to go through their pockets with my mouse pointer to peer at their coins, rings and monogrammed handkerchiefs. A waste bin contains discarded correspondence, a dinner table holds unfinished meals, and most interestingly, a pouch dangles on a rope outside a window as if someone was trying to conceal something from the rest of the household.
Over the next hour I slowly piece together the identities of each person and learn who masterminded the killing, who carried it out and for what reason, not to mention a few interesting plot twists along the way. This murder, and likewise this entire game, is a darkly brilliant tale told in discrete clues, and it makes me feel pretty clever for piecing them together and figuring it out.
There were a couple cases that didn’t entirely come together for me. In one I couldn’t fully figure out the motive, and I wound up occasionally brute-forcing the final few names or details of a case, trying every possible combination with the empty slots. But just because a few pieces didn’t fall into place didn’t stop the overall story from reaching a satisfying end
Paired with the satisfaction that comes from solving a complicated crime and moving on to the next, there’s a long and fascinating story running through these murders, all centred around the Golden Idol itself.
"There’s only one person smiling happily about the woman’s grim fate, and that’s me, the detective."
A challenging and inventive set of mysteries tied together with a brilliant storyline. Christopher Livingston
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