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The Rise of the Golden Idol similar games & best alternatives

The Rise of the Golden Idol

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 • 2024

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Quick resume

The Award-winning detective saga returns in this standalone sequel to The Case of the Golden Idol. Uncover the truth behind 20 strange cases of crime, death and depravity in the 1970s. The world has changed dramatically - the sins of humanity have not.

Global score

93/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Puzzle, Point-and-click

Similar games

    Pros

    • Engaging and challenging puzzles
    • Deep and immersive narrative
    • Unique and stylized art
    • Quality-of-life ui improvements
    • Strong replay value and dlc support

    Cons

    • Story less cohesive than predecessor
    • Some puzzles require tedious backtracking
    • Ui can be clunky with overlapping windows
    • Final chapters and plot resolution weaker
    • Some players find difficulty spikes frustrating

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players have freedom to explore scenes, gather clues, and make their own deductions without hand-holding."

      Capsule for The Case of the Golden Idol The Case of the Golden Idol

      "Players have freedom to explore scenes, inspect clues, and piece together the narrative at their own pace with minimal handholding."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      4

      "The game offers a wide variety of challenging puzzles that require skillful pattern recognition, logic, and deduction, providing satisfying feedback upon solving."

      Capsule for Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Lorelei and the Laser Eyes

      "The game offers challenging puzzles requiring skillful deduction and reasoning, with feedback on correct or incorrect solutions."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -4

      "Focus is on personal puzzle solving and story discovery without competitive or ranked elements."

      Capsule for Amanda the Adventurer Amanda the Adventurer

      "Focus is on personal puzzle solving and narrative discovery without comparison or ranking against others."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      4

      "Many players report long playtimes, immersion, and desire to keep playing to uncover mysteries and complete puzzles."

      Capsule for Enigma of Fear Enigma of Fear

      "Players report long sessions, binge playing, and strong attachment to the unfolding mysteries."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -4

      "Gameplay is primarily single-player and individual, with no evidence of cooperative multiplayer."

      Capsule for Democracy 3 Africa Democracy 3 Africa

      "Gameplay is primarily single-player and individual, with no evidence of cooperative multiplayer."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      3

      "Players creatively piece together clues and form unique solutions, though within the fixed narrative and puzzle structure."

      Capsule for Return of the Obra Dinn Return of the Obra Dinn

      "Players creatively piece together clues and construct narratives, though within the structured puzzle framework."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are solitary and introspective."

      Capsule for Knock-knock Knock-knock

      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are solitary and introspective."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game to immerse in a mysterious fictional world, escaping real life."

      Capsule for Silver Creek Falls: Chapter 1 Silver Creek Falls: Chapter 1

      "Players use the game to immerse themselves in a complex fictional mystery world, escaping real life."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of curiosity and intrinsic interest rather than obligation or pressure."

      Capsule for moon: Remix RPG Adventure moon: Remix RPG Adventure

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and curiosity rather than obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      3

      "Players try different puzzle solutions and explore environments, experimenting with mechanics and clues."

      Capsule for Escape Memoirs: Mini Stories Escape Memoirs: Mini Stories

      "Players explore different puzzle solutions and narrative possibilities, experimenting with clues and reasoning."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      3

      "Players discover new story details and piece together mysteries, exploring narrative layers."

      Capsule for Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.8 Matsuribayashi Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.8 Matsuribayashi

      "Players discover new scenes, clues, and story elements, piecing together a larger narrative."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      -4

      "Minimal customization or self-expression; players interact with fixed environments and predefined puzzles."

      Capsule for The Tiny Bang Story The Tiny Bang Story

      "Customization or self-expression is minimal; players work within predefined puzzles and narrative structures."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      3

      "Game features imaginative fiction with surreal story elements and unusual characters."

      Capsule for BOKURA: planet BOKURA: planet

      "The game features imaginative fiction with mysterious artifacts and unusual characters, though grounded in a plausible setting."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -4

      "The experience is solitary with minimal social interaction or community involvement."

      Capsule for Riven Riven

      "The experience is solitary with minimal social interaction or community involvement."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Players develop deductive reasoning skills and deepen understanding of complex narrative layers."

      Capsule for TR-49 TR-49

      "Players develop deductive reasoning skills and learn to interpret complex clues and narratives."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "The game involves sedentary play with no physical activity components."

      Capsule for Arms Trade Tycoon: Tanks Arms Trade Tycoon: Tanks

      "The game involves sedentary play with no physical activity elements."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -4

      "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement to solve puzzles and follow the story."

      Capsule for Resonance Resonance

      "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement to solve puzzles and follow the story."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -5

      "No evidence of forming close relationships or emotional sharing; experience is individual."

      Capsule for The Last Clockwinder The Last Clockwinder

      "No evidence of forming close relationships or emotional sharing; experience is individual."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -5

      "No leadership or group management roles; gameplay is solo and self-directed."

      Capsule for Balatro Balatro

      "No leadership or group management roles; gameplay is solo and self-directed."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      3

      "Players accumulate knowledge, unlock entries, and achieve multiple endings, reflecting narrative and puzzle progression."

      Capsule for TR-49 TR-49

      "Players accumulate knowledge and unlock story elements progressively through puzzle completion."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      3

      "Game balances challenge and flow, providing satisfying and tension-relieving gameplay."

      Capsule for Nuclear Option Nuclear Option

      "The game balances challenge and flow, providing satisfying moments of insight and tension release."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      2

      "Visual and auditory elements are pleasant and engaging but not intensely stimulating or thrilling."

      Capsule for Title_Pending Title_Pending

      "Visual and auditory elements are stylized and engaging but not intensely stimulating."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social recognition or ranking systems; achievements are personal and not socially evaluated."

      Capsule for You Will Die Here Tonight You Will Die Here Tonight

      "Achievements and progress are personal and not socially evaluated or ranked."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Narrative immersion is central, with complex plots, character interactions, and layered mysteries."

      Capsule for Mask of the Rose Mask of the Rose

      "Narrative immersion is central, with complex plots, character interactions, and overarching mysteries."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      4

      "Players engage in logical reasoning, puzzle solving, and planning to progress."

      Capsule for Submachine: Legacy Submachine: Legacy

      "Players engage in mental challenge, logical reasoning, and planning to solve puzzles and connect clues."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      3

      "Players experience suspense and excitement from uncovering secrets and real-world interactions."

      Capsule for The Black Watchmen The Black Watchmen

      "Players experience suspense and satisfaction from solving mysteries and uncovering twists."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      4

      "Players perceive strong value due to content length, replayability, and unique gameplay."

      Capsule for The Wonderful 101: Remastered The Wonderful 101: Remastered

      "Players perceive strong value in the game's content, length, and intellectual challenge."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -4

      "While the story involves murder, gameplay focuses on investigation and puzzle solving rather than combat or destruction."

      Capsule for Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer

      "While murder is a theme, gameplay focuses on investigation and puzzle solving rather than combat or destruction."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      -5

      "No survival or threat avoidance mechanics; stable and safe gameplay environment."

      Capsule for Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+ Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+

      "No survival or threat avoidance mechanics; stable and safe gameplay environment."

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Fellowship, Expression. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Thrill, Continuation, Strategy.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 30/04/2026