Info about The Rise of the Golden Idol:

Official game description:
The Idol was lost — but not forgotten. In this followup to the award winning detective game The Case of the Golden Idol, you are an observer that must investigate 20 strange cases of crime, death and depravity - all somehow connected. Use your detective skills to make sense of a grand mystery that unfolds across an age of hallucinogens, disco, fax machines and parapsychology.
**200 YEARS LATER… THE IDOL RISES**
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Two hundred years after the unspeakable fate of the Cloudsley family, the Idol's legend lives on only in whispers and myth… but some are determined for this to change.  Discover the mysterious forces connecting a tenacious treasure hunter, a team of scientists, the members of an enlightenment-seeking cult and corporate profiteers drawn to the all-powerful artifact. 
FEATURES
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**LEAD YOUR OWN INVESTIGATION**
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The Rise of the Golden Idol is a new type of detective game where you freely explore each crime scene at your own pace, using logic to build your own theories. Click to collect clues and analyze each discovery to determine what happened, why, and who was responsible.
**A CURIOUS CAST OF CHARACTERS**
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Convicted prisoners, new age cult leaders, corporate middle management and many more figures have a role to play in the wider mystery that unfolds — each driven by their own agenda. Scour each scene for key details to put names to faces and deduce their motives.
**A NEW APPROACH TO SOLVING CRIMES**
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A reworked interface lets you quickly gather key terms from observations and witness testimonies, greatly expanding the depth and variety of each scenario. Upon the conclusion of each chapter, a new type of puzzle lets you revisit past deductions, recap the events of these interconnected cases, and investigate the threads that unify them.

Release date: Nov 12, 2024

Categories: Deductive Reasoning Puzzle, Investigative Gameplay, Point-and-click Adventure, Word-based Text Puzzle, Chapter-based Progression, Non-linear Narrative, Story-driven Gameplay, Multiple Endings

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 5; verdict: Fair; summary: The game has no microtransactions; all additional content is sold as traditional DLC expansions, which are highly praised for their quality and fair pricing. No evidence of predatory monetization.
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Heavy Walkthrough Dependency; summary: The primary user complaint is the heavy dependency on walkthroughs, driven by high puzzle complexity and poor localization quality, which aligns with the 'Student' category requiring instructional data to progress.
- Proton/Linux: score 30; verdict: Works with Minor Tweaks; summary: Based on the sole review, the game runs on Steam Deck/Proton but has reported interface quirks (word rendering glitches) and mouse/keyboard input limitations, indicating minor Linux-specific friction that may be resolved with tweaks.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game faces significant controller issues (multiple users call them abysmal/dreadful), UI scaling problems requiring constant resizing, and occasional freeze/crash during transitions. One user reports improved controller controls, but the overall experience demands tinkering to be playable on Steam Deck.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00
  - Reasoning: Multiple reviews affirm that the base game is fairly priced at its list price and not overpriced. The 2300 yen reference (about $15 USD) is described as cheap for the experience, indicating a fair full price around $15-20. Some reviews suggest waiting for sales on DLCs but consider the base game worth its current price. The community does not express strong dissatisfaction with the base game's cost, so a range of $10-$20 captures both sale expectations and the perceived fair value.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 30.0h
  - Story completion: 12.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The Chinese review reports a total playtime of 30 hours for all content including DLC. An English review states the main scenario took approximately 12 hours. A third review mentions 33 hours overall, consistent with the 30-hour figure for complete playthrough. No explicit session length or endgame hours are reported. Thus, gameCompletion is estimated at 30 hours, storyCompletion at 12 hours, while sessionLength and endgame remain unsupported.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is a slow burn: many players find the early scenarios tedious or confusing, but those who persist often experience a satisfying payoff when the story clicks together and the overarching mysteries become clear.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: When the overarching story connections become clear
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: tedious multi-step puzzles; slow pacing and long loading screens; boring or confusing early scenarios; excessive menu switching; frustrating reverse-order storytelling
  - Unlock drivers: story clicks into place; overarching mystery payoff; QoL and UI improvements; player's persistence and patience
  - Conditions: tolerance for slow burn pacing; interest in overarching narrative; willingness to endure initial tedium; appreciation for complex puzzle chains
- Player Archetypes:
  - Translation-Sensitive Player (no buy)
    - Motivation: Seeking full narrative immersion through accurate text, but blocked by poor localization.
    - Playstyle: Relies on text for deduction; frequently compares translation with English original; often plays with community patches or English mode.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: The Case of the Golden Idol
  - Series Veteran (sale)
    - Motivation: To continue the experience of the first game and explore deeper lore, but often disappointed by sequel's flaws.
    - Playstyle: Analytical, comparing cases and meta-narrative; prefers the tighter structure of the first game; often replays old cases to connect dots.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: The Case of the Golden Idol; The Return of the Obra Dinn
  - Deduction Puzzle Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: To experience the joy of logical deduction and pattern recognition in a structured puzzle environment.
    - Playstyle: Methodical, experimenting with word combinations; enjoys the 'aha' moment; often solves without hints; may replay to understand all layers.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: puzzle and mystery enthusiast; deduction fan
    - Reference games: The Case of the Golden Idol; The Return of the Obra Dinn; Obra Dinn


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Puzzles are varied and clever (weight 0.36): The puzzles in the game are described as diverse, creative, and well-designed, offering a mix of difficulties. They provide a satisfying challenge with logical and innovative brain-teasers.
- Significantly improved over predecessor (weight 0.35): The game is widely seen as a major improvement over its predecessor in content, gameplay, graphics, and overall quality. Players consistently note it surpasses the first game in nearly every aspect.
- Engaging and interesting story (weight 0.32): The story is consistently praised as compelling, well-told, and interesting, with a satisfying narrative arc. Players find the plot and its twists to be a highlight of the experience.
- DLCs are fantastic and worthwhile (weight 0.32): Players find the DLCs to be excellent additions that expand the experience, with significant content and quality. The DLCs are considered worth the price and some even surpass the base game.
- Fun and enjoyable gameplay (weight 0.23): Reviewers describe the game as very fun to play, with engaging mechanics and a satisfying loop. The enjoyment factor is frequently highlighted as a key strength.
- One of the best detective games (weight 0.2): Many reviewers consider this one of the best detective or mystery games they have played, praising its immersive and clever design. It stands out in the genre for its storytelling and puzzle integration.
- Excellent sequel and continuation (weight 0.19): The game is praised as a worthy sequel that continues the story and mechanics of the first game, maintaining or exceeding its quality. Many recommend it highly to fans of the original.
- Great continuation of Golden Idol (weight 0.12): As a sequel to 'The Case of the Golden Idol', this game is seen as a worthy successor with larger scale and improved complexity. It maintains the spirit of the original while expanding on it.
- Great graphics and visuals (weight 0.1): The visual presentation of the game is positively noted, with lovely artwork, nice graphics, and an appealing aesthetic. Players find the visuals contribute positively to the overall experience.
- Best with friends or solo (weight 0.08): The game works well both solo and in co-op, making it a great choice for playing with a partner or a friend. Players appreciate its flexibility and the shared deduction experience.

Common complaints:
- Inferior to predecessor (weight 0.67): Many players feel this sequel is not as enjoyable, smooth, or well-crafted as the first game. Complaints span story, puzzles, art, music, and overall pacing, with multiple players stating the original was better in every way.
- Chinese translation is poor (weight 0.51): A large number of reviews report that the official Chinese translation (both Simplified and Traditional) is of very low quality, with awkward phrasing, incorrect word order, and numerous errors. Many players find it unplayable without switching to English or using community patches.
- Characters less interesting (weight 0.44): Players find the characters in this sequel less engaging and memorable compared to the original game. Fewer characters stand out, making the story harder to connect with.
- Translation hinders puzzle solving (weight 0.22): Poor translation in certain puzzles makes clues misleading or unsolvable, especially in the final puzzle and some DLC chapters. Players note that translation errors lead to confusion and force reliance on guides.
- Puzzles overly cryptic or forced (weight 0.19): Some puzzles are described as tedious, requiring unreasonable logic jumps or guesswork, even with hints. Others feel like filler or are too easy, creating an inconsistent difficulty curve.
- DLC quality issues (weight 0.17): Certain DLCs are criticized for being too abstract, confusing, or requiring excessive guesswork. Some players recommend against buying the DLC due to poor translation and unclear design.
- Language switch bug (weight 0.17): Players report a critical bug where switching from Simplified Chinese to English or Traditional Chinese prevents switching back to Simplified Chinese. This forces some players to restart in English or lose their preferred localization.
- Scattered narrative timeline (weight 0.12): The story is presented non-linearly across years, which many find confusing and hard to follow. Players feel the narrative lacks the tight, connected flow of the first game, with some timelines feeling inconsequential.
- Art style disliked (weight 0.12): Several players express dissatisfaction with the changed art style, calling it uncomfortable, harsh on the eyes, or inferior to the first game. Some note it feels like placeholder art in certain areas.
- Long loading times (weight 0.1): When switching between scenarios, players experience long loading times (up to 7 seconds). This is considered annoying and disruptive to gameplay flow.
- Bugs in Simplified Chinese (weight 0.1): Simplified Chinese localization contains bugs that cause text mismatches, progression blocks, and broken puzzle summaries. These issues force players to restart or switch languages.
- Worse user interface (weight 0.06): The new UI is described as more clunky, harder to navigate, and less intuitive than the first game. Multiple players found it frustrating to use.
- Too difficult compared to first (weight 0.05): Some players find the difficulty significantly higher than the first game, leading to frustration. This includes puzzles and overall game progression.
- Traditional Chinese has errors (weight 0.05): Traditional Chinese localization suffers from grammatical mistakes, font issues, and occasional Japanese text. These errors reduce immersion and clarity.
- English version has bugs (weight 0.05): Even the English version is reported to have bugs, though specific details are not provided by the clusters.

Gameplay feedback:
- Detective deduction puzzle game (weight 0.49): Players consistently describe this as a detective-style deduction game where you investigate crime scenes, collect clues, and solve puzzles. The gameplay focuses on logical reasoning and clue-based elimination.
- Fill-in-the-blank puzzle mechanic (weight 0.25): A core mechanic involves filling in blanks with collected words or keywords to complete statements about events. This text-based system is central to the puzzle-solving experience.
- Sequel to puzzle game (weight 0.23): This game is a sequel to a previous puzzle game, likely 'The Case of the Golden Idol'. Players note it retains the same core mechanics while introducing new content.
- Story-driven puzzle solving (weight 0.2): The game integrates puzzles into a narrative, where solving freeze-frame scenes and piecing together words reveals a story. The puzzles are tied directly to advancing the plot.
- Challenging brain-teaser puzzles (weight 0.18): Described as a challenging intellectual puzzle game with varied puzzle types and brain teasers. Players find it demanding and rewarding.
- Chapter-based mystery puzzles (weight 0.14): The game is structured into chapters, each containing a large puzzle that connects smaller scenes and contributes to an overarching mystery.
- Investigation with note-taking (weight 0.1): The game encourages players to take notes and reason backward from clues. It requires careful observation and logical deduction across multiple scenes.
- Variety of puzzle types (weight 0.1): Compared to the first game, this sequel offers a greater variety of puzzles beyond static scenes, including scenario switching and expanded riddles.
- Harder than predecessor (weight 0.1): Players find this sequel more difficult and complex than the first game, requiring more patience and deeper deduction. It is also longer and more layered.
- Nonlinear storytelling (weight 0.09): The story is presented out of chronological order, with a scrambled timeline and flash-forwards. This nonlinear approach adds depth to the mystery.
- Coherent interconnected story (weight 0.07): The story is described as coherent and cohesive, with interconnected episodes that initially seem separate but form a unified narrative.
- Logical clue-based puzzles (weight 0.07): Players describe the puzzles as logic-based with many clues to analyze. The emphasis is on step-by-step reasoning and information management.
- Similar to Obra Dinn (weight 0.06): Players compare the investigative deduction mechanics to 'Return of the Obra Dinn', noting a similar style of piecing together events from clues.
- Contains multiple DLCs (weight 0.06): The game includes multiple DLCs with different styles and scenarios, expanding the puzzle content beyond the main story.
- Word-based text puzzle (weight 0.05): The game relies heavily on word and language-based puzzles, with players filling in event summaries using given words. It is essentially a text-based puzzle game.
- Layered multi-scenario mysteries (weight 0.04): The game features layered mysteries across multiple scenarios, requiring players to switch between them to gather information and solve cases.
- Same core mechanics expanded (weight 0.04): While the core mystery-solving mechanics remain the same as the first game, they are expanded by layering mysteries in new ways each chapter.
- Creative hint system (weight 0.04): The game includes a creative hint system that assists players without giving away solutions, making it accessible yet challenging.
- Backward deduction reasoning (weight 0.04): A key mechanic involves backward deduction, where players reason backwards from clues to reconstruct events.
- Co-op puzzle solving (weight 0.04): Cooperative play is supported, allowing players to solve puzzles together.

Performance notes:
- Long swapping loading times (weight 0.13): Multiple players report excessive load times when switching between scenarios or cases. Descriptions mention delays of up to 7 seconds, which makes the experience feel sluggish.
- Slightly longer loads than original (weight 0.05): A couple of players note that loading times are slightly longer compared to the first game. While not severe, the difference is noticeable enough to be mentioned.
- Loading times depend on hardware (weight 0.04): One player suggests that long loading screens may be due to their PC's performance, indicating the issue might not affect all users equally. Another mentions worse loads than the original game.
- Steam Deck input not working (weight 0.03): One player reports that mouse and keyboard inputs are not functional on Steam Deck, causing a significant usability problem on that platform.
- Linux compatibility works fine (weight 0.02): A single player reports that the game runs perfectly on Linux without any issues. This is a positive but isolated data point.
- Static noise on episode select (weight 0.02): A player complains about irritating static noise on the episode selection screen. This audio bug detracts from the overall experience.
- No controller support reported (weight 0.02): One mention indicates that the game is not set up for controller use, which may disappoint players expecting gamepad compatibility.

Recommendations:
- Liked first, will like sequel (weight 0.34): Many reviewers agree that if you enjoyed the first game, you will enjoy this sequel. It offers more of the same enjoyable gameplay and is highly recommended for fans of the original.
- Play first game before this (weight 0.24): A strong consensus recommends playing The Case of the Golden Idol before this sequel to fully understand the story and gameplay. This advice is repeated across multiple clusters.
- Great for mystery puzzle fans (weight 0.2): The game is highly recommended for fans of mystery, deduction, and puzzle games. Reviewers praise it as a must-play for mystery lovers.
- Strong overall recommendation (weight 0.16): Several reviewers give the game a high general recommendation, calling it a must-buy or giving it a perfect score. They recommend it to a wide audience.
- DLC is worth purchasing (weight 0.13): Multiple reviewers recommend buying the DLC, stating it is worth the extra money and enhances the game experience. Specific DLC packs are mentioned as especially good.
- Great value for the price (weight 0.1): Reviewers feel the game is well worth its asking price, offering good value and a worthwhile investment for the amount of content provided.
- Play in English for best experience (weight 0.06): Reviewers recommend playing the game in English due to translation issues in other languages. This ensures the best understanding and enjoyment.
- Bad translation for non-English speakers (weight 0.06): Some reviewers do not recommend the game for native Chinese speakers or non-English speakers due to poor translation quality, which negatively impacts the experience.
- DLC3 is not recommended (weight 0.06): A minority of reviewers advise against buying DLC3, stating it is not recommended or worth playing. This contrasts with the general positive sentiment for other DLC.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.19): Players are overwhelmingly frustrated by poor translation and localization bugs that make puzzles unsolvable, especially in Chinese and other languages. Repetitive UI issues, long loading times, and unclear puzzle logic further contribute to a tedious and unenjoyable experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.14): Players feel satisfied by the rewarding 'aha' moments when complex clues connect into a coherent narrative. The improved mechanics, quality-of-life upgrades, and well-crafted puzzles provide a strong sense of accomplishment and intellectual challenge.
- Disappointment (weight 0.11): Many players are disappointed because the sequel fails to match the elegance, atmosphere, and narrative depth of the first game. Issues like clunkier UI, less engaging stories, and persistent translation problems lead to a feeling of regression.
- Excitement (weight 0.08): Players express high excitement over the game's intricate story, clever puzzle design, and frequent revelatory twists. The expanded content, improved mechanics, and satisfying deductions create a thrilling and engaging experience that surpasses the original for many.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.08): Players find the game thoroughly enjoyable due to its clever puzzles, engaging storylines, and satisfying deduction gameplay. The unique art style, music, and co-op possibilities add to a fun and rewarding experience that keeps them engaged.
- Admiration (weight 0.03): Reviewers admire the game's masterful storytelling, intricate world-building, and clever use of visual tableaus. The seamless integration of cases and high level of detail make it stand out as one of the best detective puzzle games ever made.
- Anticipation (weight 0.02): Players express strong anticipation for future content, including DLCs and a potential third game. The positive experience with the sequel has left them eager for more adventures in the Golden Idol universe.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game's unique art style, atmospheric soundtrack, and thoughtful narrative. The improvements in quality of life and the obvious effort put into the game's design are also frequently praised.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players express love for the game's unique puzzle mechanics, bizarre and creative story, and the overall franchise. The constant surprises and engaging gameplay make it a standout title that players hold in high regard.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): Players experience confusion due to the non-chronological case order, unclear character motivations, and some abstract puzzle elements. The larger scale and art style change also make the story harder to follow compared to the original.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance stems from technical issues like longer loading times, UI problems, and persistent translation bugs. Strict grammar requirements for puzzle answers and the inability to switch language settings also cause irritation.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Some players find the game boring due to filler story beats, overly simple puzzles, and a lack of tension toward the finale. The gameplay can feel like a chore, especially in the mid-to-late chapters where the story becomes loose.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret is expressed by players who resorted to guides or checking answers instead of solving puzzles themselves. Others regret pre-ordering due to persistent poor translation quality, or lament the loss of the original's art style and format.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Players feel joy from piecing together seemingly unrelated events and experiencing the 'aha' moment when the story clicks into place. The fun of reasoning with friends and the satisfying puzzle difficulty contribute to an overall joyful experience.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger is directed at the intentionally poor translation, especially in the final puzzle and DLCs, which breaks logical connections and blocks progress. The need to switch languages due to game-breaking bugs also infuriates players.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Players find amusement in the idiotic character plans, humorous mistranslations (like '1 year later' instead of 'a few months later'), and calendar errors. Some also joke by copying reviews from the first game.
- Delight (weight 0.01): Players are delighted by the game's successful creation of eureka moments, fun gimmicks, and clever puzzle design. The incredibly framed rooms and engaging brainteasers in the DLCs contribute to a sense of joyful discovery.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Gratitude is expressed toward fan translation groups whose patches made the game playable in languages with poor official localization. Players also appreciate the developers for creating such a unique detective game in a niche genre.
- Exhaustion (weight 0): Players feel exhausted by the overly complicated later plot and the visually tiring new art style. The complexity of solving later puzzles wears them out, making the game feel like a draining experience.
- Nostalgia (weight 0): Nostalgia is felt by players who miss the antique aesthetics and more engaging story of the original game. The change in setting and art style leads to a longing for the previous game's atmosphere and narrative depth.}