14 DAY TRIAL // There are exactly seven important characters I have to identify for this case. One of them was trivially easy to deduce by simply looking at a scene and reading one piece of paper. But the rest will be tricky and I’m pretty sure I am failing to understand the interactions between one group.
So I take another look at the scenes, clinking on people and trying to have a clear idea of how they are acting and why. I use a doc to chart possibilities. I might use one hint to see if it can clarify something. And I have not yet started thinking about the full story of this case, which I have to uncover to progress.
Golden Idol Mysteries: The Lemurian Vampire, to give it its full unwieldy name, is the final downloadable content pack for the excellent The Case of the Golden Idol. It was developed by Color Gray Games and published by Playstack. Players who pick it up will get access to three new cases that reveal more about the mysterious universe of the game while bringing the core story to an end.
The name gives pretty clear hints about the contours of the narrative. A Lemurian delegation is going to Monkey Paw Island. They want to see if rumors about a fountain of youth are true and maybe get rich in the process. This means an entirely new cast of characters for players to meet, get familiar with, and draw connections between. And more insight into this universe and the artifact at its center.
The big new mechanic in the DLC is the shift between moments of the day. It gives developers space to introduce more context and clues and makes it somewhat harder for players to piece together what’s happening and, hopefully, why. It’s not a huge gameplay tweak but ensures that even detectives who saw everything the core game has to offer will be challenged.
Players will start off in exploration mode, clicking on characters and objects to gather keywords that include names, concepts, and actions. The game helpfully highlights them, avoiding the annoyance of the classic pixel-hunting experience.
Get them all and it's time to shift to the thinking part. Gamers have to create a complete narrative of what’s is happening, identify characters, and perform other puzzle-adjacent tasks. Try to nail down a small number of ideas and details first and then expand from a solid base of knowledge. A hunt system is available for anyone who gets stuck.
The gameplay loop of The Case of the Golden Idol might seem slim but it’s very satisfying. When I felt stuck I simply quit the game and found myself exploring possibilities while doing other tasks. The entire experience is even better if you have another fan to share theories with.
Golden Idol Mysteries: The Lemurian Vampire expands on the already impressive presentation of the core game. The art style, the theme, and the mechanics work incredibly well. These three extra cases introduce new characters and locations, which manage to be charming, weird, and a little scary at the same time.
Conclusion
The core mystery puzzle structure of The Case of the Golden Idol is so good that I’m a little sad that no more cases are coming. This is a definite purchase for anyone who has played it and liked its ideas and will become one for anyone who picks it up in the future. I really hope Color Gray Games is working on a sequel that expands on its very good gameplay.
Review key provided by the publisher.
