Point-and-click puzzle games are often on the short end of the stick because of what, at first glance, may seem like simple mechanics and slow-paced gameplay. Compared to their heyday in the 90s and early 2000s, these games have become more niche in recent years as action, open-world, and story-driven games have largely stolen the spotlight. However, the genre has been kept alive by a dedicated fanbase and a constant stream of releases, especially in the indie game scene. Color Gray Games' The Rise of the Golden IdolOn the other hand, it might be enough to break the genre's niche ceiling and appeal to gamers beyond those already passionate about point-and-click detective games, as it offers a compelling story and challenging gameplay to boot.
The Rise of the Golden Idol Color Gray is a sequel to the game. The Case of the Golden IdolAnd it feels poised to make some kind of appearance at this year's Game Awards, given everything it has to offer. As a standalone sequel, even those never played before Golden Idol Can follow its story, though already playing the first game can help players see all the improvements the sequel has made to the now-franchise formula. With some incredibly challenging puzzles to solve and one of the most shocking, terrifying, and atmospheric stories I've seen unfold in quite some time, The Rise of the Golden Idol A shot in the arm may be its genre needs to rise again.

related to
5 modern point and click adventure games to play if you love Chinatown Detective Agency
With the point-and-click adventure making a comeback, there are a few recent releases that fans should check out if they want a modern take on the genre.
The Rise of the Golden Idol specializes in atmospheric storytelling
After spending about 10 hours The Rise of the Golden Idol’s story, one of my biggest takeaways is its excellence in creating a spine-tingling atmosphere, no matter how innocent the scene may seem at first. The shock value, for one thing, often left my jaw on the floor and eyes glued to the screen in disbelief as I watched murder after murder unfold over and over — because The Rise of the Golden IdolThe character animations occur in two-second loops. Uncomfortable feeling of The Rise of the Golden Idol's distorted character expressions made frequent trips through every strand of hair on the back of my neck, often serving as an effective distraction from the real culprit.
The Rise of the Golden Idol Not always scary and terrifying, but certainly has its moments. Anyone who takes a gander at the game's pre-release screenshots can see a lot, but that's only a small fraction of its scariest scenes. It's not just what's shown on screen that makes these moments hair-raising to witness, but more so the underlying motives of the game's criminals, their devious behavior, and their apparent lack of remorse for their victims. The crime they committed. Music is another big contribution The Rise of the Golden Idolof atmosphere, it usually thickens and loses its shape depending on which part of the story is being examined.
The challenge of the rise of Golden Idol's puzzles increases their reward value
While The Rise of the Golden Idol Primarily about telling a story, that story cannot be told unless the players succeed in their quest to uncover the truth. Like its predecessor, The Rise of the Golden IdolThe overarching story is broken down into a bunch of short plot points called “events”, where players are tasked with gathering clues in the form of words and then applying them to the event page in the correct order. Once each event page is filled out correctly, that piece of the puzzle is added to the main story at hand until players reach the end of the game and see each piece brought to a very rewarding conclusion.
where The Rise of the Golden IdolThe puzzles really shine in their challenge. In fact, during my time with the game there were moments where I felt so stumped I had to ask someone with fresh eyes to help me out. The game has a hint system, but it's really nothing more than a hint system. First, if I ever used it, it always tried its best to convince me not to, but I sometimes just couldn't help myself and went with it anyway. Second, the signs are indeed signs and are sometimes so vague that they sometimes throw me off and confuse me even more.
After spending about 10 hours
The Rise of the Golden Idol
’s story, one of my biggest takeaways is its excellence in creating a spine-tingling atmosphere, no matter how innocent the scene may seem at first.
The main reason The Rise of the Golden Idol It is very challenging as it excels at throwing players off the scent at every turn. One incident, in particular, had me completely thrown for a loop for several hours because I was so stubborn to watch the scene play out differently. However, this was largely due to a character giving me evidence that didn't turn out to be evidence.
Another thing is that the game's puzzles become progressively more complex, often adding multiple levels to each event and many more words that don't even belong on the event card. Moreover, the difficulty of The Rise of the Golden IdolThe tutorial is absolutely nothing for what comes after the event, which is simply the game's way of showing the player's hand holding allergy. That being said, one way the game helps is by revealing that two or fewer words are misplaced.
Unfortunately, “help” is being generous because there are often so many words that getting to the point where two or less are wrong is a tall order.
Most of the time The Rise of the Golden IdolEvents also have optional purposes, such as determining who is in the scene or what object was used for what. Many of the game's cues help accomplish these objectives, which demonstrates their importance. Although they may be optional, completing these tasks is often paramount to success, as it makes filling out event pages much easier.
I didn't run into too many glitches on the technical side of things, but sometimes I felt like the event page was updating to reflect my progress. After restarting the game, it would work, which told me it was indeed a bug. Other than that, I can say that this is not a game for the faint of heart. sometimes, The Rise of the Golden IdolThe signs pointed out things to me that I didn't even consider looking at. In short, each event requires players to see every big and small detail and not just rely on words to tell the whole story, and that feature alone can frustrate some players.

related to
Case of the Golden Idol Review
The Case of the Golden Idol takes a clever approach to solving its mysteries that makes players feel like Victorian super sleuths.
The rise of Golden Idol could usher in a new golden age for its genre
Growing up playing point-and-click puzzle games Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? and Monkey Island series, I am more than familiar with the genre and I thoroughly enjoyed those experiences. Since then, these games have largely gone under my radar as my primary focus has shifted to the opposite side of the gameplay spectrum over the last two decades. but, The Rise of the Golden Idol This has convinced me that it may be time to return to the genre itself, because if games like this are currently offering it, then the massive popularity it once maintained deserves a revival.
overall, The Rise of the Golden Idol It's a huge achievement in storytelling and gameplay, especially for a point-and-click puzzle game. Despite its steep challenges and the possibility of players encountering game-halting bugs, The Rise of the Golden Idol Worth a try, even for those who don't consider themselves fans of the genre. Its gameplay is slow and deliberate, but filling those event pages, completing each objective, and witnessing the entire story unfold is immensely satisfying — something even some fast-paced action games fail to accomplish.

Reviewed on PC
- developer(s)
- Color gray games
- publisher(s)
- playstack
- Great for creating atmosphere
- The story is compelling with a satisfying conclusion
- The gameplay is challenging but rewarding
- Can be very challenging for some
- Bugs are likely to stop gameplay