It's always a blast being put in the fictional shoes of an investigator trying to figure out how a crime happened, identifying the individuals involved, and learning more about a story. The Case of the Golden Idol does just that, even if players don't play a detective in the traditional sense.
Instead, players are merely a witness to events unfolding in front of them. It is up to them to move between screens and collect evidence to discover what really went on prior to what is visually shown in a particular chapter. While it may not be a complex game in terms of mechanics, there are some tips that players should keep in mind while conducting an investigation.
7 Find Every Word
One of the main gameplay elements of The Case of the Golden Idol is that players will need to find specific words to add to the bottom of the screen. This is done in "Exploring" mode, which allows players to interact with individuals and objects in the environment to get clues.
These words are important for solving a chapter's mystery as each investigation will conclude once players successfully place the right words in the right order on the "Thinking" panel. Players will see in the bottom right that the number of words to find is shown, so they should go out of their way to find all words for a scenario as it will help in the thinking process.
6 Focus On Identities First
When diving into a chapter, especially if it is later in the game, it is understandable for players to get overwhelmed by the number of details that they have to pay attention to and what is important. Luckily, the "Thinking" panel will give some guidance as to what to look out for first.
In nearly every scenario, one of the first things players should do is identify all of the people who are in the scene with their exact first and last names. While this may feel like just a miniature matching game, it can actually be really helpful when trying to put stories together what exactly transpired.
5 Read Passages Carefully
While most of the reading in this game comes down to short blurbs, there are moments during The Case of the Golden Idol where players will need to stop and really look into a book or letter that may have some key details in it to solve the overall mystery.
There will even be moments in which players will need to read between the lines of some of this evidence. This is because the developers do a good job of not making investigations entirely obvious to solve. So in a situation where players can open a book, it may be best to do so and pay attention.
4 Set Dressing Can Be Important
The game encourages players to play with the highlights turned on. These little glimmers of light will shine over anything that can be interacted with. While these will provide most of the details of the overall mystery though, players may want to keep an eye out for other aspects that aren't highlighted.
The environment is meant to set the tone for the overall story and may seem insignificant in some capacity. However, there will be times when key details such as the distance between two locations or identifying where the murder is taking place that may not stand out in the early stages of the investigation.
3 Pay Attention To Dialogue And Animation
There is so much to interact with in this game that it may feel like there is something else that needs to be looked into. Along with the set dressing, something else that is often overlooked is what is being said and what the characters look like at that moment.
For instance, certain animations of a character may indicate that they are under the influence or have been wounded. Alternatively, a character may say something to make hint at their role in the murder or general circumstance. The point here is that everything can and will be used at some point in the game to throw a player off.
2 Keep Past Events In Mind
Nothing about The Case of the Golden Idol is isolated. Every chapter is connected in some way to the next, with reoccurring characters across multiple chapters and a story playing out that has been greatly influenced by the presence of an idol with too much power.
With this in mind, understanding the events of the game can be just as important as understanding what is happening in the specific chapter that is being actively looked at. Keeping the story in mind will help players remember characters that show up frequently and understand why certain emotions or grudges may still be held by these individuals.
1 Be Wary Of False Flags
Despite needing to pay attention to everything, there will be moments where personal theories built using overwhelming evidence may need to be put aside to solve the mystery. There will be plenty of moments where names placed in the "Thinking" panel will be considered inaccurate and players will need to try again.
The Case of the Golden Idol will throw in evidence that simply has no bearing on the current mystery as red herrings, even if it feels like it should be the right answer. Some theories can be debunked by just looking at new details, but it may be filling in words in the "Thinking" panel that ultimately leads players to the right conclusion.
The Case of the Golden Idol is out now on PC.