Investigate 18th century murders in The Case Of The Golden Idol demo

The Case Of The Golden Idol is a detective game in which you explore 2D scenes of grisly murders. As you click around, you’ll discover new words to add to your inventory, which you can then use to fill in your explanation of the crime. How did who get into whose room, which person was killed, and how did the murder take place?

These are the sorts of questions you’ll be answering across 12 different murders – and there’s a demo available now, if you want to start to work the case right away.

Here’s the latest trailer, which makes a strong – ahem – case for playing it:

The Case Of The Golden Idol is set in the 18th century and follows a “cursed aristocratic family”, with the 12 strange deaths you’re investigating spanning 40 years but all being somehow connected. It’s your job to uncover the “true killers” and their motives.

I love detective games that allow for some actual detection, which seems to be the focus of Golden Idol. You’re able to freely poke around scenes, gathering clues in your own time, seemingly without being strong-armed into the correct answer by the narrative. You will get confirmation that your conclusions are correct, however.

I also love the art style here, which is characterful, gruesome, and with its pixel shading, is reminiscent of classic Apple adventure games. Like a coloured-in Déjà Vu, maybe.

Best of all, although there’s no release date yet, there’s a demo of The Case Of The Golden Idol you can play right now by downloading it from Steam.

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