One of our favorite detective games drops its final DLC and a free browser-based demo

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There are three new cases to solve in its last DLC pack.

The Case of the Golden Idol, aka the best detective game in the last few years, is back again with three new cases to solve and a free demo that you can play in your browser.

Like the original story, the Lemurian Vampire will test your deduction skills when given intricate 2D scenes filled with characters and clues. As you click around, you gather keywords to fill in the blanks of a Mad Libs-style solution. When you move onto the next scene, those same characters and revelations will remain essential to understanding what's going on.

If you haven't played the base game yet and are interested, I'd recommend playing it before the DLC cases, even if they are prequels.. They're surely solvable without knowing what happens in The Case of the Golden Idol, but the years-long trajectory of the titular, magical idol might not hit you the same way.

If you're not quite convinced, you can play the first three missions of the base game in your browser for free via the official site. The demo mirrors the regular version of the game and can even be played in full screen. Any progress you make won't carry over to Steam, but it's easy to quickly re-solve a case if you know where to find the necessary clues.

In our The Case of the Golden Idol review, Chris said it's "one of the most novel and challenging mystery games" he's played in years. Every scene is a web of characters and motivations that reappear over the course of the story. There are cases as simple as a murder mystery in a tiny pub to a manhunt in an underground complex filled with masked cult members. Few games are as weird and intricate and dense as The Case of the Golden Idol.

Tyler Colp

Tyler has covered videogames and PC hardware for 15 years. He regularly spends time playing and reporting on games like Diablo 4, Elden Ring, Overwatch 2, and Final Fantasy 14. While his specialty is in action RPGs and MMOs, he's driven to cover all sorts of games whether they're broken, beautiful, or bizarre.