The Rise of the Golden Idol Reviews
A gritty detective adventure that's nearly as clever and captivating as the original.
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.
A decrease in murder lowers the stakes, but The Rise of the Golden Idol is still an inventive detective game where deductive reasoning prevails
Consistently building on a simple set of rules with progressively inventive twists, this detective puzzle game offers up tough but fair head scratchers you'll feel like a genius for solving.
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.
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!
The Rise of the Golden Idol scratches a very specific puzzle-solving itch and provides plenty of “Eureka!” moments.
A compelling modern mystery thriller that's bigger, better and more ambitious than its already brilliant predecessor.
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.
The Rise of the Golden Idol makes a great mystery series even better.
Perhaps by its very nature as a sequel, Rise of the Golden Idol was never going to be the revelation that the original was. But 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.
The Rise of the Golden Idol feels regressive as a sequel but is still a worthwhile play for series fans.
The Rise of the Golden Idol is truly a valuable and amazing work in the adventure and detective genre; in an era where we see fewer games in this style, the creation of Color Gray Games studio can satisfy the puzzle lovers' thirst for a while. Especially since creativity in the design of these puzzles is abundant, and other elements like an engaging story and fitting designs further enhance the game's value. So, if you're interested in adventure games, especially detective ones, you absolutely must not miss The Rise of the Golden Idol.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Rise of the Golden Idol is a smart sequel that doesn’t massively reinvent what the brilliant Case of the Golden Idol did but adds some smart new additions, updates the visual style and UI, and makes its storytelling more cohesive with a well paced difficulty curve. While the UI can get a bit cluttered and disruptive with questionable controller navigation and the game can get bogged down in semantics and its mechanics, it’s one of the most enjoyable, entertaining narrative experiences I’ve had in some time and a series you absolutely must make the time to check out!
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.