Perfection is an asymptotic pursuit, always striven for, yet never obtained. We arc towards it, close enough to nearly touch, but at every instance, there is something, some element, some barrier that stands between us and that holy infinity of pure perfection. Yet still we strive. We are not ones to be dissuaded by the impossibility of the task we have set ourselves upon. We seek, and we draw near, and we are buffeted away, embracing that this denial simply means we get to try again and again and again.

The Case of the Golden Idol is pretty damn close to perfect, though. Maybe that infinite gap between the attainable and the dreamed is smaller than I believed.

This man woke up at noon and did basically nothing. Is this what it’s like to be rich?

The Case of the Golden Idol is a point and click puzzle game. You don’t play as any particular character, but rather from the perspective of an omniscient spectator, interested only in understanding the narrative and the drama within it. The game tells the story of the titular golden idol, a magical artefact which, when given different commands, has a variety of effects on the world, from starting fires to draining and giving life. It is exactly the sort of artefact that could do unspeakable evil in the wrong hands, and which - spoiler alert - does exactly that.

Mechanically, the Case of the Golden Idol is a point and click puzzle game, but less in the Botanicula sense, and more in the ABC Murders sense. The game consists of a set of tableaus depicting an event - usually a murder - with the player being tasked with understanding the tableau. Clicking serves as a way to gather clues and review evidence, and the game even has a helpful option to highlight all the various clues to avoid pixel hunting. The puzzle element is not within the world itself, but rather, the act of understanding the narrative and making sense of all the clues laid out on the table. This is a logic game. While the tableaus may seem overwhelming when first loaded, it is immensely satisfying to piece together the clues and create a coherent narrative. The clues themselves are expertly crafted, both to create dynamism within the tableau, and to still provide the information needed to solve the scene. It’s a tricky combination, and the Case of the Golden Idol pulls it off perfectly, providing just enough information to solve the mystery, while letting the natural pace of the action do the necessary work to withhold information.

/remembers the tale

The player serves only as a witness to the story in the Case of the Golden Idol. Whether the player successfully solves the mystery of a particular tableau or not has no real bearing on the story, beyond our ability to move forward within it. This creates an interesting dynamic, where the story itself propels the player forward without ever saying anything on its own. Weirdly, the Case of the Golden Idol feels like the player telling themselves a story, crafted from the various threads around them, but one they sort out for themselves nonetheless.

This lack of external pressure or any type of character also creates an environment where the player can examine a scene clinically and carefully. By freezing moments and engaging with them piecemeal, the game perfectly captures the sense of logic-based omniscience embodied in the like of Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes. When given the time and space, any of us can take disparate clues and figure out how they all fit together and what their narrative is. Any of us can be a master detective.

And it is oh so very satisfying to be that detective.

The tableaus are good fun. Did I mention that?

It’s that combination of the lack of external pressure with puzzles that give just enough information to be solvable, but not enough to be simple that make this game nearly perfect. It triggers that deep desire within all of us to understand something. The feeling of taking an empty board and filling it is immensely satisfying, even if the only reason we do it is for our own understanding. No one is counting on us to solve this. There are no stakes. All that matters is our own desire, but the Case of the Golden Idol is compelling enough that, rather than being a flaw, that works in its favour.

This is one of the best games I have played, and definitely one of my favourites. After beating the main game, I immediately bought the expansions and devoured those as well. It’s a mechanically simple game, but one that trusts the player to figure it all out. It is magnificent, and I love it.

Developer: Color Gray Games

Genre: Puzzle, Point And Click

Year: 2022

Country: Latvia

Language: English

Play Time: 3-4 Hours

Youtube: https://youtu.be/QPd-y3h8MVQ