Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2022
The Case of the Golden Idol
Developer Color Gray Games
The Case of the Golden Idol is a 2022 puzzle video game developed by Color Gray Games and published by Playstack. The game depicts a narrative spanning 40 years in the 18th century, in which players collect clues to piece together concepts, characters, and evidence to provide context to the story. It was originally released for PC and was ported to consoles and mobile platforms in 2023 and 2024. The Case of the… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
371 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
96
LovedLoved
242 positive · 11 negative
95% range 92–98%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 242 | 11 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
118 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Overwhelmingly Positive
10,806 of 11,051 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Overwhelmingly positive, with praise for its puzzles and story, though some find it less satisfying than Obra Dinn.
Players overwhelmingly praise The Case of the Golden Idol as a brilliant deduction game that scratches the same itch as Return of the Obra Dinn, with many calling it an S-tier puzzle experience. The story is described as engaging, darkly funny, and well-crafted, with satisfying twists that keep players hooked. The puzzles are consistently lauded for being challenging yet solvable, with a gentle learning curve that rewards careful observation. [4][11][18][19][24][26]
However, some players note that the game can be less satisfying than Obra Dinn, with one calling it more streamlined but lacking the same sauce and satisfaction. A few criticize the art style, occasional typos in DLC, and the ability to brute-force some puzzles, which slightly diminishes the experience. The price is also mentioned as a minor caveat by one player. [3][5][6][9][15][21][36]
Praised puzzle design · story and narrative · deduction mechanics · satisfying difficulty
Criticised comparison to Obra Dinn · art style · typos in DLC · brute-force solutions · price
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 7, 2026. Method
Reactions
60 of 371 · most liked firstOne of my most fond gaming memories is buying this game on a Friday night a couple years back alongside a chicken sandwich. I ate the chicken sandwich in a few minutes, but couldn't put this game down for hours. Both were delicious. Man that was a good night. Anyway just get the game, it's really really good.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've played Return of the Obra Dinn, The Case of the Golden Idol, and No Case Should Remain Unsolved. The Roottrees are Dead is the best detective game I've ever played. If you're a fan of thinky games, you owe it to yourself to play this one (and the other games I mentioned if you haven't already).
unlabelledView post →'Wrongly Accused' A short detective game set in 1970s Italy, inspired by the Case of the Golden Idol. Relies on deductive skills with multiple outcomes possible. Made for the 2023 @thinkygames.com game jam. #indiegame #detectivegame #puzzlegame elomelogames.itch.io/wrongly-accu...
unlabelledView post →The Case of the Golden Idol is back on Mobile! First two cases are free - $6.99 upgrade for the full game + both DLCs You gotta try it
unlabelledView post →*play 48. The Case of the Golden Idol Yeah, I'm sure I'll love this when I find time for it, it's probably a shock I haven't played it yet! Ooops.
unlabelledView post →The Seance of Blake Manor featured: “A massive breakthrough hit, The Séance of Blake Manor is a 19th-century supernatural detective game in which you investigate the spooky disappearance of Evelyn Deane. Is it 2025’s The Case of the Golden Idol? Yeah, that sounds about right.”
unlabelledView post →People have been talking about this game for a while as sort of a successor to Obra Dinn. It's not an adventure game, it's a detective type game where you're just filling in the blanks (literally) as to who everyone is and what transpired in the scene you are viewing. There are 11 main game scenes and 6 DLC scenes. Base game took me about 4 hours and the DLCs took about the same amount of time despite being half the number of levels. The core story is entertaining and would make a good novel…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We're pleased to announce that The Case of the Golden Idol has returned to mobile! Play the first two cases for free and then unlock the full game and both DLCs for a one time purchase! Download now from the🍎Apple App Store or 🤖 Google Play Store
unlabelledView post →Decided to start playing The Case of the Golden Idol today and oh man is this a “me” game! Each level’s like a mini logic puzzle you have to work your way through. Id describe it as a game for folks who read Slylock Fox comics in the Sunday paper growin up, but like…on steroids. It’s v good so far!
unlabelledView post →Okay, I ditched the old rule guessing system for my Mimic game and resorted to copying the homework of The Case of the Golden Idol. The old thing was just too open-ended and people had a hard time coming up with the right word combination. #gamedev #indiedev #Unity3D #MadeWithUnity #MimicSleuth
unlabelledView post →Would you like to learn about how The Case of the Golden Idol was created? We will be spilling some behind the scenes secrets on the @intogames.bsky.social podcast! 🔎 You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiJm...
unlabelledView post →Finished The Rise of the Golden Idol, one of my favorite games of the year. It has one small stumble in Chapter 3, but on the whole a huge evolution from The Case of the Golden Idol. I can't wait for the DLC... excited to continue playing games like this on the side of whatever larger game I'm into.
unlabelledView post →Now it's a good game I enjoyed it and all; but just because you liked obra dinn doesn't mean you will enjoy this. Obra Dinn is DIRECTED, like a film, from the music, the camera, all of it. It has a more morose and heartfelt attitude towards the brave or not so brave souls on the Obra dinn. This game is like watching aristocratic family members from the monkey island universe connive and murder each other with a magic device, it doesn't have the same vibe it's not the same, there are shocking…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Standard: -Flock -Kunitsu-Gami: -Magical Delicacy -Tchia -The Case of the Golden Idol [2/2] news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/0...
unlabelledView post →This game wasn't on my radar at all, but from the first minute I was completely enthralled. A perfect marriage of puzzle and mystery, I was compelled by both the gameplay and the story equally. If you liked Obra Din you must play this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll structure this review as follows: - Positive Aspects - Neutral/Mixed Aspects - Negative Aspects - Comparison with Obra Dinn If you're familiar with Return of the Obra Dinn, you'll have a better frame of reference. The Case of the Golden Idol is a locked-room deduction game. You investigate static scenes depicting characters' deaths to reconstruct the cause and effect. The pixel art aesthetics and some mechanics echo Pope's Obra Dinn, but it ultimately delivers a more focused,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really don't like the art style, but the game mechanics and story is solid :) worth it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I started playing The Case of the Golden Idol and the first scene was one person pushing another person off of a cliff. They just get right to it. Mystery solved. 👀
unlabelledView post →The main game especially clicks along well and provides satisfying twists, appropriate for the mystery genre. I found the second DLC (Lemurian Vampire) to contain some pretty egregious typos, that made solving the mystery a matter of brute force rather than clever deduction.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game follows the story of a mysterious artifact as it passes from hand to hand. It does this through 11 moments in time where someone dies, and you, as an omniscient observer, get to piece together the events that led up to this tragedy in order to figure out how the victim snuffed it. You do this by dancing between 2-4 rooms, investigating the various literature and characters (by seeing what's in their pockets/what they're saying/thinking in that moment) within them. After collecting the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Been playing The Case of the Golden Idol, which is an interactive "fill in the blanks" mystery game where you basically solve multiple murders that are all centered around a mysterious golden idol that everyone wants to possess. It's a nice relaxing change of pace from other games.
unlabelledView post →I don't remember where I accidentally stumbled upon The Case of the Golden Idol, but it sounded so intriguing that I simply had to get my hands on it shortly after. Now, after completing it in short of 20 hours, I can safely say that it's a fantastic and unique experience – or at least I've yet to encounter anything similar. The only major caveat I have to say is that the price felt a bit steep considering the fact that even with all the DLC you will probably beat it in 12–20 hours, and there's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think Return of the Obra Dinn might scratch the itch. Not *quite* what you're thinking of, I think, but it's still a fantastic game worth playing. Maybe also The Case of the Golden Idol, but that's much more of a detective/logic puzzle game. Interesting (but probably not good for streaming)
unlabelledView post →If you like logic and puzzle games, this is definitely a game for you. Highly recommended, including the DLCs. Story The Case of the Golden Idol and the two DLCs revolve around the whereabouts of the Golden Idol through time, and the fate of the people who got into contact with it. The two DLCs are prequels to the main story. Gameplay The Case of the Golden Idol is a series of events that are connected to each other. Each event is shown in a number of scenes that are frozen in time. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Choose 20 games that greatly influence you. One game per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, no particular order. Day 15: The Case of the Golden Idol - Color Gray Games (2022) #GameChallenge #Games #GameDev #PromoSky
unlabelledView post →🔴 Going LIVE on Twitch!!! I'm so excited for today's stream... I had so much fun playing The Case of the Golden Idol last year, and now it's time for THE RISE OF THE GOLDEN IDOL!!! I'm ready to DEDUCE... MWAHAHA www.twitch.tv/LirieLirie #LirieLive #VTuber #Twitch
unlabelledView post →I've been a massive fan of puzzle games for over 20 years. This game scratched an itch that I didn't even know I had.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →literally wish I could become concussed so I could forget this game and play it all over again
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's #screenshotsaturday! My investigation game is available to wishlist! It's inspired by stuff like Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol, it's got queer characters and funny writing. #gamedev #indiedev #gaming #gamedesign
unlabelledView post →My investigation game Sticker Detective is available to wishlist!! it's an investigation game inspired by Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol, with queer characters and funny writing. store.steampowered.com/app/4387730/... #gamedev #indiedev #indiegame
unlabelledView post →absolutely perfect game. the story is equally funny, dark, grim, and thought-provoking all at the same time. the mystery is actually really well done, some of the levels require you to really think, backtrack, and do a lot of double checks of all the evidence to make sure you have the right solution. the fact that you can brute force through a bunch of the solutions is a *tiny* bit of a bummer but honestly, not too bad of a deal, just try not to do it every time lmao. the graphics/sprites are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Final anniversary activity - we played The Case of the Golden Idol, a mystery game recommended by @backpagepod.bsky.social It's BRILLIANT! You're shown a still image of murder, and must examine the scene to work out exactly who killed whom, how, and why.
unlabelledView post →it kinda felt like a more to the point obra dinn with less sauce and less satisfaction. obra dinn certainly had higher highs, but this game is almost equally as compelling because it has more consistency - the segmentation of mysteries makes it way less annoying because you very rarely get stuck for long. worth a play if you liked obra dinn for sure
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is one of those games that i wish i could replay again for the first time. i really loved Return of the Obra Dinn and The Roottrees are Dead, and this scratched that same itch. also kind of has a Papers Please vibe? i wish the game was longer just because i enjoyed playing it so much, but the length is very appropriate for the story - and the story was way more interesting than i expected it to be (for these kind of games, i just show up because playing detective is fun lol). the game is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am not generally interested in this genre, however, this game had me engaged throughout the base game and both DLC's. The mystery is depicted through a series of masterfully crafted clues, where going over the facts again is sure to get you closer to uncovering the truth behind the golden idol and its pursuers. I never thought a puzzle was too obscure or felt like I had to make a stab in the dark. The humour was chucklesome and the art style was quirky, which coalesces to make the whole…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My game highlights this year were: ● Jusant ● Chants of Sennaar ● The Case of the Golden Idol ● Cocoon ● Flintlock: Siege of Dawn ● Slay the Princess
unlabelledView post →I am absolutely loving everything the Case of the Golden Idol has to offer and I am going to dive right into the sequel after I finish this playthrough. youtu.be/kSxZ1bX5BG4
unlabelledView post →New Let's Play! We're playing the Case of the Golden Idol, a detective game where by exploring the scene you uncover words that help you identify the people involved and what happened. It's just excellent. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDJH...
unlabelledView post →Bluesky, share you favorite indie game(s) Outer Wilds The Pale Beyond The Case of the Golden Idol The Wreck Stray Gods Killer Frequency Genesis Noir Before Your Eyes I‘m an interactive fiction lover and proudly so!
unlabelledView post →Inspired by Obra Dinn, but firmly in the deduction genre's S tier on its own merits. You solve the game scene by scene, but there's also an overarching plot to piece together and all of it just works magnificently. Strong recommendation, as well as its DLC. Play the sequel too!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty decent game, I enjoyed many of the puzzles but toward the end there is so much clicking back and forth required that I just lost interest a bit and resorted to walkthroughs. I feel the game could be improved if there was a better hints system (ie it recognises you're stuck and points you in a certain direction).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really nice game, the cases in each chapter have some of the best detective puzzles in any game I have played, some of them really stumped me but it was because of me overlooking something or not paying enough attention to the stage. It always felt satisfying to solve the puzzles but the story is what kept me engaged, it just effortlessly tells such an engaging and compelling narrative with so little, and it makes the player use the puzzle solving skills to fully build this narrative. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →here's my experience with The Case of the Golden Idol so far: 1. like-minded mystery-solvers seem to love this game. let's play the demo 2. wow, this is great! i'll get the base game and DLC in the sale, to play when i'm next in the mood 3. when did it become 2AM and why am i seeing credits
unlabelledView post →I have The Case of the Golden Idol and The Rise of the Golden Idol on my Steam wishlist already. Might as well add this upcoming game as well from one of the folks who contributed to that series! #gaming #videogames
unlabelledView post →I was finally in the mood to sit down and complete a game today, so I finished The Case of the Golden Idol! I wrote some quick thoughts about it on Backloggd - good game!
unlabelledView post →We put it all together and finish the main story of The Case of the Golden Idol!🎉 This game was amazing. Genuinely loved it from start to finish. And guess who's already recorded the DLC?👀
unlabelledView post →I spent some time blowing through The Case of the Golden Idol yesterday. It's every bit as good as I've heard and fuses hidden object games, murder mysteries and adventure gaming into one interesting puzzle-solving experience. If you haven't tried this one yet, I definitely recommend it!
unlabelledView post →Loved The Case of the Golden Idol? Check out LOGBOOK: Beneath the Storm, my first solo dev game! You are a detective in a 17th-century maritime world, solving murders cases to unravel the truth beneath the sea. 🔗 Wishlist now: store.steampowered.com/search/?deve... #indiegame #indiedev #gamedev
unlabelledView post →If you like gathering clues and using your brain to deduce information, this game's for you! The "puzzles" are fantastic. Highly recommend. That said, I will note that, twice now, I've had to brute force an answer. In the larger scheme of things, this is a minor issue compared to the fun of the rest of the game. And, in fact, it's BECAUSE the rest of the game is so wonderfully constructed that the two brute-force "issues" left such an impact on me. No spoilers, but, the first time was in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An intriguing series of mysteries, all tied together through a mysterious and powerful golden idol. In this game, you don't play as a character, rather you are thrown into a scenario frozen in time and your job is to deduce who the characters are, what transpired, and other various details. You collect clues by clicking on various words and objects, and then solving the mystery via a mad libs style menu. There is a lot to fill in, and opening the Thinking Menu in later parts of the game can…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →18. The Case of the Golden Idol A point-and-click mystery game where you’re presented with a series of scenes and have to gather clues before using your deductive reasoning to try and piece together exactly what is happening.
unlabelledView post →Knives Out: The Game S-tier puzzle game. It's actually super challenging and hints don't help too much, which I love. Really forces you to figure it out on your own. There were a handful of times where I was so close to just giving up on a level but I just kept going over the clues and eventually something always clicked. It's felt very fulfilling to finally make a discovery and solve the puzzle. Almost like the feeling after you beat *that one* souls boss, except with a lower heart rate.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game #34 The Case of the Golden Idol Pros - Unique approach to a point and click mystery game - Has a hint system should you get stuck - Challenging puzzles that require you to sit and think on them or recall previous chapters Cons - Rough on those with memory and focus issues (ME, lol)
unlabelledView post →My ★★★★½ review of The Case of the Golden Idol (2022) on @backloggd.com : Very fun deduction/puzzle game that became much more digestable thanks to the small chapter structure. While it reminded me of Obra Dinn it felt a lot more manageable since each scen... bckl.gg/m1N8
unlabelledView post →The Case of the Golden Idol will be leaving Xbox Game Pass on July 15th. You still have time to unravel the mystery - and the game and DLC will be 20% off for Game Pass users until it leaves the service. www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/...
unlabelledView post →Playing The Case of The Golden Idol and holyyyyy mother of mercy this is my perfect video game
unlabelledView post →Going Live! With all the rooms defeated, we're moving on to The Case of the Golden Idol, a mystery/puzzle game I've heard many good things about from another cat. Time to see if I make a good detective! www.twitch.tv/tychoswift
unlabelledView post →5. The Case of the Golden Idol is the perfect deduction game. I don't even know what else to say, it's just... so. good. Play it! store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/...
unlabelledView post →I think this game benefits too much from Steam's simple review scores. It's not bad and you'll probably have a fine time with it which means you'll probably give it a thumbs up! But it's not that good either. This is probably my fault but I saw too many comparisons between this game and Return of the Obra Dinn. If Obra Dinn is how you're setting your expectations as well, you will be disappointed! I get it, the moment to moment gameplay is basically the same. You're filling in blanks on…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is such a well put together game! I played the demo years ago, and enjoyed it, but had just let it languish on my wishlist for years. Finally decided to get it during this year's Summer Sale, and have no regrets. It's basically like a much cooler version of grid logic puzzles. The story is extremely convoluted, but the clues and connections are breadcrumbed out in just the right tempo to provide a number of very satisfying "aha!" moments throughout. The complex and ever shifting…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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