‘The Case of the Golden Idol’ – TouchArcade
I’m having a “It’s been one of those days!” moment so please forgive me for being short here, but yeah, The Case of the Golden Idol. Game of the Week. ‘Nuff said. Oh? That’s actually not enough said? Well, when Mikhail told me this was his own personal Game of the Week, I definitely had a thought along the lines of “Really? This?” Despite having a lot of character in its art style and overall vibe, The Case of the Golden Idol kind of comes off as just another modern adventure game paying homage to the genre greats of the ’90s.
And in a lot of ways it IS that, but it’s also so much more, and it’s hard to understand that just from screenshots or trailers alone. Perhaps that’s why this game still seems so under the radar despite originally releasing almost two years ago and having nothing but gushing praise from those who have played it, as well as critical acclaim from reviewer-types. Well, let this game’s arrival on Netflix be your catalyst to get this one directly on your radar screen. Not under it.
What’s most surprising to me about The Case of the Golden Idol, at least in my early time with it, is that this is really a puzzle game first and foremost, but dressed up in classic adventure game attire. The logic-based deduction is done so perfectly as you start sussing out the clues and info surrounding a dozen separate murder scenes, and it’s almost unbelievable how well working through the puzzles really burns an impressive amount of information into your brain without you even realizing it. I kind of wish this game was secretly teaching me a second language or something with how well it imparts information.
At the end of the day this is a game that truly makes you feel like a detective, and the way it leans into its absurdity, and silliness, and even darkness as a complex narrative is formed is ultra satisfying. The Case of the Golden Idol is a really unique game and one that will hopefully find a greatly expanded audience now that it’s essentially “free” for Netflix subscribers.
