The Rise of the Golden Idol Review (Merry Pringles)
This is a good game.
If you enjoyed the first game a lot you'll probably enjoy this one too, but it's simply not as compelling as its predecessor, and, honestly, I'm bummed about it.
This game does have some improvements, but I'm not going through them. You can find other opinions about them elsewhere and also, fatally, they're not that important. What is important is the story, the mysteries, the whole reason any of us are here. I'm sorry to say It falls flat. On a case by case basis (ha ha) there are many good scenarios in this game, I seldom had issues with their layout or the deductive process by which you solve them.
No, the big problems with this game for me are:
The meta narrative, the threads that transcend any individual case, is slow and weak. The Golden Idol itself is too sidelined. And the setting is underused.
The meta narrative in the first Golden Idol was outstanding and pushed the game from memorable to class leading. You can't have meaningful reveals or twists without a strong meta narrative in this game, and its absent. The first game spanned many generations, you saw characters and allegiances change slowly, which made their motives feel strong and earned. This game never delivers that weight, no one's motives are that interesting. To make matters worse, the game is so, incredibly, slow. The first game had things happening with the Idol almost immediately. This game does far too much setup, for not enough payoff. With that in mind lets talk about the truant idol.
Without saying too much, the Idol in this game is cumbersome in a way that makes it changing hands a near impossibility . The cloak and dagger from the first game can't exist due to the Idol's form. That's only part of the problem though. The Idol in this game is referenced, its consequences are seen but its all too often indirect; rarely do you see the Idol itself in the act. Early cases in particular often don't involve the Idol at all, and even in the cases that do its so rarely interesting. It's The Rise of the GOLDEN IDOL not Cleudo. The first game's Idol had more functionality and, again due to its form factor, was more flexible, which lead to it being used in more cunning ways. The only two things the Idol will ever do in this game are changing heat and changing memories. I mean come on, we've already seen the heat part in the first game (which was done better by the way, someone spontaneously combusted into ash whereas in this game their lab coat gets singed. Boring.) and the other ability, while genuinely a good addition, is just not enough. You see someone FLY with it in the first game! The Idol needed to be more present and have a greater variety of uses.
Lastly, the setting. This was my biggest concern before playing. The fixed time period immediately disallowed the kind of timescale of the first game, and I worried that it would impede the narrative impact. Turns out that was not where I took issue with the setting nor was it my biggest issue with the game, but there's still a problem. The setting could have been 50 years in the future and it wouldn't have changed a thing. In fact, the game could have spanned the previous 200 years, arrived at the 70s at the end and nothing would be different. The setting's only major contribution is the ubiquity of TVs. This is admittedly central to the game's conclusion, but again, comes too late in the story; it's only relevant in the last 15%. If you're going have a set time period, you should make the most of it.
As an aside, I also preferred the art of the original but that's just me.
I wondered if I should give this game a positive or negative review. The game is good (yes really, even after this torching), so the review should be positive, right? Well, Steam asks you a single specific question when submitting a review. They don't ask if the game is good, they ask "Do you recommend this game?". And the answer to that question, as you have already seen, is no. I recommend The Case of the Golden Idol.