The Crimson Diamond

The Crimson Diamond is an absolutely fantastic game. It breaks the barrier of the adventure game genre in so many ways and is quietly revealing itself to be so ambitious, it is doing itself a bit of a disservice by stating on the store front that it is a “retro-inspired, EGA text parser mystery adventure”. It may look retro with the beautiful and intricately animated graphics, but what you got in here is something that LA Noire and many other games merely dreamed to achieve. And not only is it a joy to play: the writing is so funny, so precious! I said earlier the game was ambitious: it is ambitious in its design, not in its plot, which is thankfully quite easy to follow. I contemplated buying this game for over a year. I regret not having jumped earlier: this is definitely one of my favourite gaming experiences ever, that I will place cherishly next to Dark Souls and the original Sid Meier's Pirates on my virtual shelf of gaming design brilliance. And if you're a bit daunted by the parser like I was, trust me and do not be! this parser is not a cold enemy like in most games using one; it is your friend, willing to help you in times of need. Bravo! BRAVO! BRAV--okay I'll stop here.

ATP wouldn't recommend. I love the graphics, the story, and characters but the text parser is horrible. I've relied far too often on the hint guidelines just to get more information on exact wording to use. It doesn't register a majority of words, many that you would expect you actually HAVE to use. It really kills the enjoyment of the game.

Absolutely amazing experience. Felt like a blast from the past but with modern enhancements! I literally can't wait for the next installment.

bom jogo... mas bem cansativo... acho que um sistema para validar a sintaxe dos comandos, identificando erros de digitação ou comandos inválidos antes da execução, deixaria o jogo menos frustrante...

Delightful little point-and-click game , from the artist behind the funny aliens in SWOTS ! + Some of the most beautiful spritework I've seen. The dithering/detail , vintage quality , painterly feel... Julia is a one-of-a-kind pixel artist. Exploring the lounge (+ the outdoors) never gets old, even revisiting the same areas I can just get lost in the details... The highlight of my experience for sure ! + Engaging story + characters. Nancy is a fun protagonist; her cheerful innocent outlook is infectious and fun contrast to the rest of the cast). Makes for some rather humorous interactions (ex: Nancy misinterpreting Corvus's comment about Margot). The mystery surrounding the lounge is interesting, elevated by its colorful cast. And a interesting dilemma near the end... I won't spoil it ; do see it for yourself! + The game is quiet for most of it, but there's occasional music and SFX. If you go outside during night , there's crickets outside! fun little details. (just a headsup: some hints/solutions are vague, which *to be fair* par for the course for point-and-clicks, just wanted to mention to those uninitiated to the genre; mitigated somewhat by the hintbook (in the pause menu)) overall; a hidden gem (heh) of a game. it deserves so much more praise and attention; if you enjoy this kind of game please check it out !!!

Wonderfully nostalgic, just the right amount of difficulty, thrilling story with just the right amount of twists, turns, side plots and characters. Beautifully crafted adventure, will play again to try and ace it! Get this game! Game devs, take notes!

Not for me.

My first impression is that this was a fine throwback to the Laura Bow series of Sierra adventure games with an annoying text parser requiring specific input. The Crimson Diamond actually evolves into a pretty complex investigative detective game where there are dozens upon dozens of details available and it uses the parser to test your knowledge of the world. Even though I ended up completing about 90% of the investigation there were still conversations I missed, clues I overlooked, and details I never found which like a good detective story paints a lopsided picture of the truth but it's enough for closure.

A beautiful and charming text-parser adventure game with a cosy setting. Quite difficult puzzles in places, but it features a hint-book function that lets you reveal solutions in small steps, starting with vague hints, so you don't have to spoil more than absolutely necessary if you get stuck on one thing. As was quite common back in the 80's, it is possible to complete the game without a "completing it 100%", and any shortcomings are relayed to you by the end in the game's own particular way. I was happy with my playthrough at that point, but a part of me wanted to go back and see if I could have figured out more of the story. Pretty good incentive for multiple playthroughs. There were also mysteries I encountered throughout that were never solved, so I might go back at some point to try and figure those out. Anyway, I can warmly recommend this game to anyone who wants a cosy mystery to mull over while relaxing at home with some good, hot tea (or other warm beverage of choice).

Just not a game for me. The pace felt too slow and constricting, and being given a notebook with chores? For me a game is about a fluid adventure, and it didn't just feel that way for me. Plus the interface, I didn't like it. Making a pixel game for pcs with so many pixels and the screen still feels bloated? Didn't work for me.