This inventive and gruesome adventure game just got even better thanks to a massive update

I could never hack it as a detective but I like to think my sleuthing skills have been somewhat honed through years of playing puzzle and adventure games. The true test for these faculties, other than titles like Discworld Noir or Return of the Obra Dinn, is The Case of the Golden Idol. Two years after launch and ahead of its sequel’s release this detective sim has been spruced up with a brand new free upgrade that makes it much smoother to play.

If you haven’t played The Case of the Golden Idol then you’re definitely missing out, as this ranks as one of the most inventive adventure games out there. Instead of piloting some fleshy human around a world, you instead are plonked into a series of scenes, each of which relate to a crime that’s happening. By gathering clues around the scene and putting them together, you uncover the truth behind events, such as learning who’s pushed who off a cliff and why a man is on fire.

Bit by bit you piece together a larger narrative that spans years, filled with magic, danger, murder, and even more murder. It can be quite gruesome stuff, with its pixel art style depicting humans with near distaste at times, even when they’re not in the middle of some violent act. The world of The Case of the Golden Idol is a joy to immerse yourself in, and it does some surprisingly heavy lifting given the majority of your time is spent looking at near-static images.

Now, along with news of its sequel getting a launch date, the game has received a lick of paint with a new redux version. This overhauls parts of the game to make it much easier to pick up and play, with an enhanced UI and tips section that should ensure you’re never lost, even if you get completely stuck. Steam Deck support is now available though it’s still in beta so you should expect a few issues for now, and 12 languages have been added so you can play in your native tongue, should you wish to.

The Redux update for The Case of the Golden Idol is out now, and its sequel, The Rise of the Golden Idol, will release on Tuesday November 12. If you’d like to get the full lowdown on what’s new in this update, head over to the Steam announcement to read more.

If you’re all detective’d out, head over to our guides to the best story games and the best puzzle games to get those little gray cells working again.

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