i didn't find the overall narrative in this one as interesting as the other dlc, and with that slight lack of interest some of the mysteries were particularly challenging (i really struggled with the second case lol, this was the first time i actually used the hint system and even then i was drawing blanks for a bit of it), but when pieces really fell into place i ended up liking it anyway! i enjoy its direct connection to the start of the golden idol game, that was neat. overcomplicates that aspect of the original story, maybe, but i don't know, i like it
acho que essa dlc foi muito abstrata e precisou de muito chute pra resolver os casos mas o último foi perfeito por ser muito mais razoável na dificuldade
I was a big fan of the Case of the Golden Idol and really enjoyed the first DLC. This one I was unaware of until recently and had to pick it up.
I breezed through it over the course of two days. Filling in the blanks is still a lot of fun. In the moment some stories here were not as compelling to me and weren't quite hanging together, but once I got through the final one and saw the whole picture, I thought it was quite clever. I really like the final reveal and it clears up a lot of what was puzzling me about the first two chapters of this installment.
I breezed through it over the course of two days. Filling in the blanks is still a lot of fun. In the moment some stories here were not as compelling to me and weren't quite hanging together, but once I got through the final one and saw the whole picture, I thought it was quite clever. I really like the final reveal and it clears up a lot of what was puzzling me about the first two chapters of this installment.
More Golden Idol. What's not to love?
Much like the Spider of Lanka, The Case of the Golden Idol: The Lemurian Vampire has some frustrating naming problems. Although I like this DLC more than the first, the availability of synonyms for filling in the scrolls made it quite annoying to fill them in. Some clues seemed to only accept one type of input, even though others basically described the same scenario. Nevertheless, I had a great time with the entirety of the series.
This second and final entry into the Golden Idol Mysteries saga consistently delighted me in all three new scenarios. Still, the bite-size experience ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth.
The newly introduced daypart mechanic is a standout of this DLC. It's a creative, compelling addition that allows the devs to wring even more intrigue out of each untimely death, with more runway pre and post-mortem to play with. The new setting is visually engaging in the signature Golden Idol art style. Its layout offers clues as to what's really going on in the narrative before you even realize what you're seeing. The new cast of characters is memorable, and each plays nicely off of the returning crew we came to know in the Spider of Lanka.
Overall, this set of mysteries felt easier to solve than the scenarios presented within the base game and Spider of Lanka. This, on its face, is fine—I have no problem with being made to feel smart. The balance of this group of puzzles is what really felt off, though, and that's where The Lemurian Vampire's issues begin.
In my experience, mystery two was significantly trickier to solve than either one or three. The steady increase in difficulty in the base game and consistent challenge of the Spider of Lanka were gone here. Granted, this is a relatively minor criticism, but it's indicative of the carelessness that soured the game in a major way for me.
The most glaring issue that took the shine off the Golden Idol apple for me is that this DLC was released while a catastrophic save function glitch still plagues the Switch version of the game. All progress is wiped whenever a player exits the game on Switch. This led to me (and a cursory Google search indicates many others) spending tedious hours re-clicking hundreds of word bank clues and filling in the puzzles we had already solved just to reclaim our lost progress. I went through this ordeal once already, up to the penultimate puzzle of the base game. Doing it for all base game puzzles plus the Spider of Lanka content would have been a non-starter. Thankfully, at the very least, Color Gray enabled a skip scenario function (activated by pressing minus and Y simultaneously) that allows players to mark mysteries done and move on to a starting spot of their choosing. But I had to dig online to find this. At this point, with two DLCs out on the platform, it's inexcusable that this bug still exists on Switch and that the solve for it isn't made known to the player in-game.
A noticeable number of typos, strange syntax choices, lines that seem unintentionally duplicated, and other textual quirks are also present in The Lemurian Vampire. While distracting, if these were the game's only demerits, I could look past them. But they're not.
I have every confidence that the lessons learned from all the Golden Idol projects so far will empower Color Gray to make The Rise of the Golden Idol a triumphant return to form. Until then, Lemurian Vampire is well worth playing. Just keep your Switch in rest mode.
The newly introduced daypart mechanic is a standout of this DLC. It's a creative, compelling addition that allows the devs to wring even more intrigue out of each untimely death, with more runway pre and post-mortem to play with. The new setting is visually engaging in the signature Golden Idol art style. Its layout offers clues as to what's really going on in the narrative before you even realize what you're seeing. The new cast of characters is memorable, and each plays nicely off of the returning crew we came to know in the Spider of Lanka.
Overall, this set of mysteries felt easier to solve than the scenarios presented within the base game and Spider of Lanka. This, on its face, is fine—I have no problem with being made to feel smart. The balance of this group of puzzles is what really felt off, though, and that's where The Lemurian Vampire's issues begin.
In my experience, mystery two was significantly trickier to solve than either one or three. The steady increase in difficulty in the base game and consistent challenge of the Spider of Lanka were gone here. Granted, this is a relatively minor criticism, but it's indicative of the carelessness that soured the game in a major way for me.
The most glaring issue that took the shine off the Golden Idol apple for me is that this DLC was released while a catastrophic save function glitch still plagues the Switch version of the game. All progress is wiped whenever a player exits the game on Switch. This led to me (and a cursory Google search indicates many others) spending tedious hours re-clicking hundreds of word bank clues and filling in the puzzles we had already solved just to reclaim our lost progress. I went through this ordeal once already, up to the penultimate puzzle of the base game. Doing it for all base game puzzles plus the Spider of Lanka content would have been a non-starter. Thankfully, at the very least, Color Gray enabled a skip scenario function (activated by pressing minus and Y simultaneously) that allows players to mark mysteries done and move on to a starting spot of their choosing. But I had to dig online to find this. At this point, with two DLCs out on the platform, it's inexcusable that this bug still exists on Switch and that the solve for it isn't made known to the player in-game.
A noticeable number of typos, strange syntax choices, lines that seem unintentionally duplicated, and other textual quirks are also present in The Lemurian Vampire. While distracting, if these were the game's only demerits, I could look past them. But they're not.
I have every confidence that the lessons learned from all the Golden Idol projects so far will empower Color Gray to make The Rise of the Golden Idol a triumphant return to form. Until then, Lemurian Vampire is well worth playing. Just keep your Switch in rest mode.
I can't explain how good the Golden Idol games are. The closest something could get to the feeling of Return of the Obra Dinn.
had more fun with this DLC than with the "Spider of Lanka", even if I felt it was far easier.
It's incredible how they still keep building such well-intertwined plots. You can go back to the first chapter and find clues about later reveals (something that the main game did even better since it had more chapters).
I can't wait for the release of "The Rise of the Golden Idol"
It's incredible how they still keep building such well-intertwined plots. You can go back to the first chapter and find clues about later reveals (something that the main game did even better since it had more chapters).
I can't wait for the release of "The Rise of the Golden Idol"
I liked the first dlc a bit more, but this is still a great addition to the game. I really hope that the devs keep making more of this kind of game, just in another setting.
This DLC is clearly the worst of the bunch. I don't feel there was anything new or interesting brought forward in this DLC. Other scenarios had some really neat overall puzzle to solve, this felt disjointed, like i was missing certain screens. The final act is awful, it basically gives you an entire story to piece together from a few scenes, no real puzzle to solve, its just like trying to figure out a story with ripped out pages.
I tried to make this one last, just like with the previous entry, but I wasn't able to... I just wanted to keep going, and then before I knew it, it was all over. But what an all over!
There are new mechanics that are introduced here with no explanation, but discovering what they do is a fun little meta puzzle, one that adds a fun layer to the puzzles.
The story slips in and completes the circle, finally telling the missing piece of the story and I'm sad it's over. I am so excited to see what these people do next, and I hope they do it ASAFP.
There are new mechanics that are introduced here with no explanation, but discovering what they do is a fun little meta puzzle, one that adds a fun layer to the puzzles.
The story slips in and completes the circle, finally telling the missing piece of the story and I'm sad it's over. I am so excited to see what these people do next, and I hope they do it ASAFP.
Probably the worst of all the levels in the game, yet they are still a lot of fun.
For the first time, there's a level where I felt played by the game when the ending was revealed (which I had to go look up online). This is especially disheartening, since having the solutions be hinging on reasonable logic jumps is what makes the Golden Idol levels so fantastic.
The last level of all ties up things nicely, but isn't even close to being as good as the main game's last level.
An alright set of 3 new levels, but you can feel it was getting time to pull the plug on this amazing project.
For the first time, there's a level where I felt played by the game when the ending was revealed (which I had to go look up online). This is especially disheartening, since having the solutions be hinging on reasonable logic jumps is what makes the Golden Idol levels so fantastic.
The last level of all ties up things nicely, but isn't even close to being as good as the main game's last level.
An alright set of 3 new levels, but you can feel it was getting time to pull the plug on this amazing project.
Still good and I enjoyed it, but IMO this is the weakest section of the game. It's interesting, but some mysteries are not resolved or even talked about. Last chapter is hard to resolve even if you already pieced everything together.
C'est toujours un plaisir de reconstituer une histoire et un déroulé dans sa tête et de les confronter aux outils fournis par le jeu. Il y a toujours des éléments de lore présents ici et là qui enrichissent cet univers.
Il y a une énigme en particulier qui m'a donné beaucoup de fil à retordre et qui paraît assez contre-intuitive, mais globalement, les mécaniques de résolution marchent toujours bien.
J'attends avec impatience de découvrir le prochain jeu que nous proposeront les développeurs.
Il y a une énigme en particulier qui m'a donné beaucoup de fil à retordre et qui paraît assez contre-intuitive, mais globalement, les mécaniques de résolution marchent toujours bien.
J'attends avec impatience de découvrir le prochain jeu que nous proposeront les développeurs.
Excellent addition to the Golden Idol loved it even more than the last dlc
A neat little side story for The Case of the Golden Idol. The change in setting is refreshing, but the story's primary focus is clarifying mysteries of the first game rather than creating an engaging challenge on its own. Playing it feels a bit like reading a reference section at the end of a great book.
My big complaint-- the visuals are noticeably and sometimes distractingly lower quality. I wonder if they switched design processes to speed up development or something, sadly it is a big downgrade.
My big complaint-- the visuals are noticeably and sometimes distractingly lower quality. I wonder if they switched design processes to speed up development or something, sadly it is a big downgrade.
Y con esto se cierra este increíble juego de misterio. Quizás me da un poco de pena la falta de variedad en la tabla de pensamiento pero lo compensa con unos misterios excelentes y una cohesión total con todo el juego que quita el hipo.
Zubiri Kerraed all over
Introduce un sistema creativo y el puzle argumentalmente es interesante pero no dejo de pensar que dos de los tres niveles tienen puzles mecánicamente aburridos. Me gustó más Lanka.
I love the continued exposition of the base game’s story and the expanded worldbuilding in these three cases, and a handful of charming (and chilling) new characters show up along with a few previously met faces. The deductive mystery doesn’t feel quite as satisfying this time, maybe due to a slightly more convoluted presentation and a couple of notably tenuous bits of evidence, but the previous cases set a very high bar and these are still plenty of fun.
Naaaaaa increible. Full circle todo. Voy a extranar mucho jugar esto.
A nice little brainteaser set of cases. The devs played with interesting ideas here that I enjoyed a lot and get me excited for their next game.
A bit of a let down after the first DLC - the story revealed nothing we didn't already know. There are neat new puzzle mechanics like changing the time of day, but I don't think the added confusion of trying to keep a timeline straight made for necessarily more satisfying puzzles.
This review contains spoilers
Sad its over, excited to see what they make next.
i think i enjoyed the 1st DLC a bit more than this one, but piecing together these mysteries was still super fun, and i'm excited to see what these devs do next
Just as good as the base game this time!
Was fun but sadly pretty short and lacking a bit of complexity and buildup that made the cases in the main game so fun. The last puzzle was a bit too syntax heavy as well. But overall still very much worth the asking price.
Mais uma boa DLC. Gosto mais da anterior mas essa ainda é ótima.
Eu vejo muita gente reclamando de uns saltos lógicos absurdos que o jogo pede mas eu sinto demais que isso vai de pessoa pra pessoa mesmo. Eu tive dificuldade para deduzir partes que não vi tanta gente reclamando enquanto outras, como o final, eu deduzi quase instantaneamente e tinha muita certeza de tudo. O jogo te afoga de informação e contexto e é muito fácil se confundir ou se sentir sobrecarregado com tanta coisa. Mas a graça é justamente navegar por todo esse mar de evidência e achar a verdade.
Eu vejo muita gente reclamando de uns saltos lógicos absurdos que o jogo pede mas eu sinto demais que isso vai de pessoa pra pessoa mesmo. Eu tive dificuldade para deduzir partes que não vi tanta gente reclamando enquanto outras, como o final, eu deduzi quase instantaneamente e tinha muita certeza de tudo. O jogo te afoga de informação e contexto e é muito fácil se confundir ou se sentir sobrecarregado com tanta coisa. Mas a graça é justamente navegar por todo esse mar de evidência e achar a verdade.
In line with the other DLC. Sadly I agree with the other users here, there's at least one conclusion that I didn't find that reasonable. Still, I did like the rest and, frankly, it's not the first time I don't fully understand the logic behind some deductions/think they are not reasonable enough.
Man, that last case is some bullshit. I pieced together the story events and understood what was going on easily enough, but putting the right words in the right spaces proved troublesome. I don't think the game is succeeding in the intended way if the real challenge is found in using trial and error to get the exact wording down when formulating a sentence. There were just too many potential variations with the noun selections. It didn't feel fair to me. And the hint system was useless because it was telling me things I already knew, so in the end I had to resort to an online guide. Yes, my pride took a major beating as a result.
Otherwise, business as usual. A really intriguing story told via only brief cutscene snippets and dialogue exchanges. Golden Idol does so much with so little. Analysing a scene, taking note of character interactions/visual cues and paying attention to all the minute details makes one feel like a true detective. I think the main game comfortably surpasses the DLC though, because it has plenty of those "Eureka!" moments, and when they come, piecing together the sentences in the Thinking screen usually goes smoothly. Also, I prefer the smaller-scale cases of the main campaign compared to the fewer-in-quantity-but-much-broader-in-scope cases of the DLC.
Otherwise, business as usual. A really intriguing story told via only brief cutscene snippets and dialogue exchanges. Golden Idol does so much with so little. Analysing a scene, taking note of character interactions/visual cues and paying attention to all the minute details makes one feel like a true detective. I think the main game comfortably surpasses the DLC though, because it has plenty of those "Eureka!" moments, and when they come, piecing together the sentences in the Thinking screen usually goes smoothly. Also, I prefer the smaller-scale cases of the main campaign compared to the fewer-in-quantity-but-much-broader-in-scope cases of the DLC.