The Case of the Golden Idol
[DEMO AVAILABLE] The Case of the Golden Idol is ready to rekindle the detective game genre
Posted August 24, 2022London, August 24. Playstack — the London games publisher that has demonstrated a keen eye for discovering outstanding indie projects such as Mortal Shell, The Last Faith, and The Entropy Centre — has now thrown its full weight behind The Case of the Golden Idol, a new kind of puzzle game that allows players to carry out detective work in a fresh and non-linear fashion. A first-look demo of the game, which showcases the game’s tutorial and first two conundrums, is available now on Steam.
Developed by the Latvian indie outfit Color Gray Games and launching on PC later this year, The Case of the Golden Idol has already drawn praise from highly respected games developers:
“Fantastic art, great mysteries, and rewarding, methodical gameplay. Loved every minute of the demo and want more”.
- Lucas Pope (creator, The Return of the Obra Dinn, Papers Please)
“I felt like both an idiot and a genius… I would love to make a game like this”.
“I felt like both an idiot and a genius… I would love to make a game like this”.
- Erik Wolpaw (writer, Portal, Portal 2)
“Fun, well-made, clever, fantastic style and tone”.
- Sean Vanaman (writer, Firewatch, Half-Life: Alyx )
“Feels like a spiritual successor to my favorite detective game ever, Return of the Obra Dinn. Nails the investigation aspect”.
- Julian Colbus (co-creator, Lacuna)
The Case of the Golden Idol is a narrative detective game set in an alternate 18th-century England where players must investigate 11 most strange and gruesome deaths spanning forty years. Something awful connects these tragedies, perhaps a curse on the aristocratic family at the center of the story, or perhaps a deeper conspiracy…
Each case is presented as a snapshot scene frozen in time. Players can freely search through these scenes in whichever fashion they choose to deduce the suspect, motive, and chronology of events. The player’s theory is then placed into an interactive notepad, which in turn will inform the player whether their theory is correct or not.
“It was very important to us that we do not hold the player’s hand, respect their intelligence and intuition, and let them discover for themselves,” says Color Gray Games’ co-founder Andrejs Klavins.
“The other element that was very exciting for us,” continues Andrejs, “is that we built a bigger story around these eleven deaths. So information from one scene may be crucial in helping you understand what happened in the wider narrative. What you uncover in one case could add context to ones you've previously solved, or may even help you solve scenes that stumped you previously.”
“It was very important to us that we do not hold the player’s hand, respect their intelligence and intuition, and let them discover for themselves,” says Color Gray Games’ co-founder Andrejs Klavins.
“The other element that was very exciting for us,” continues Andrejs, “is that we built a bigger story around these eleven deaths. So information from one scene may be crucial in helping you understand what happened in the wider narrative. What you uncover in one case could add context to ones you've previously solved, or may even help you solve scenes that stumped you previously.”
The Case of the Golden Idol will challenge players’ abilities to think critically, collect crucial evidence, and interpret clues that will be key to their success.
The Steam demo provides access to the game’s first three conundrums - which grants players a clear understanding of the game’s mechanics, the difficulty level and provides a glimpse into the overall narrative of the full game.
Reveal the true nature of the mysterious Golden Idol and those who covet it. Follow the forty-year journey of a cursed aristocratic family as you untangle a web of deceit and villainy in your hunt for the truth behind this dark conspiracy.
