Sleuthing sequel The Rise of the Golden Idol shares post-launch DLC roadmap ahead of this week's release
And Switch version is slightly delayed.
The Rise of the Golden Idol - the standalone sequel to 2022's widely acclaimed deductive adventure The Case of the Golden Idol - launches tomorrow, 12th November (14th November on Switch, due to an "unexpected delay"), and ahead of its arrival, developer Color Gray Games has shared a post-launch roadmap promising four bits of paid DLC.
The Rise of the Golden Idol, if you're unfamiliar, takes the murder-mystery sleuthing formula of its predecessor and shifts it from the 18th Century to the 1970s. Here, players must solve 20 cases of "crime, death and depravity", all somehow connected by the now-lost Idol of the title, in an "age of hallucinogens, disco, fax machines and parapsychology".
Eurogamer's Katharine Castle called The Rise of the Golden Idol a "compelling modern mystery thriller that's bigger, better and more ambitious than its already brilliant predecessor" in her four star review, praising some "wonderfully devised puzzles that really give your brain a good runaround before you're able to prise open its hard-won secrets". And Color Gray Games has now revealed there's even more to look forward to following its release.
As detailed by the studio on Steam, The Rise of the Golden Idol will receive four self-contained DLC Investigations throughout 2025, each telling a standalone story featuring "at least" four cases. "These are optional side content and are not required to conclude the story in The Rise of the Golden Idol," it explains in its announcement. "Rather, these are for fans who want more puzzles, more characters, and more mysteries to solve."
The first of these Investigations, titled The Sins of New Wells, launches in "Q1" next year, and sees players following Detective Roy Samson through four new cases as he deals with an organised crime syndicate plaguing the city. "Drugs, death, and ancient Lemurian magic will make the headlines," teases Color Grey Games. Two more DLC releases are scheduled for "Q2" 2025, with a fourth and final on due in "Q3".
The Rise of the Golden Idol is set to cost $19.99 USD (with a 10 percent launch discount) when it arrives for Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam this week, but mobile users can play as part of a Netflix subscription. Each DLC release will be priced at $5.99, and all four post-launch chapters are included in a $17.99 Detective Pass, which also throws in the complete Golden Idol soundtrack. Color Gray Games notes there's also a permanent stacking discount for The Case of the Golden Idol owners, meaning they'll be able to get the follow-up and all future content "even cheaper". And if you're the try before you buy sort, a Steam demo's available now.