The Crimson Diamond

Love this game. Absolutely great game that really picks up pace as you go. It features a hint book and is exceptionally well thought out. I love the old school graphics and sound track. This was one of my favorite mystery games I've played. Highly recommend. When is the sequel for Nancy?

[h3]“Não existe pressa em agradar, o jogo sabe exatamente o que quer ser, apostando em uma proposta mais nichada que valoriza quem está disposto a mergulhar no seu estilo mais clássico.”[/h3] [b]The Crimson Diamond[/b] é praticamente uma viagem no tempo para a era dos [b]jogos de aventura dos anos 80[/b], mas com um [b]cuidado moderno[/b] que faz toda a diferença. A gameplay do jogo é todo por escrito em inglês, então se você não entende muito não irá gostar do jogo, pois não tem tradução. ( até o momento. ) Tirando isso, é um jogo feito claramente por [b]paixão[/b], ele não tenta agradar todo mundo mas para quem gosta de [b]mistério[/b], [b]investigação[/b] e [b]experiências mais clássicas[/b], é fácil se envolver.

A lovely homage to old adventure games that manages to be its own thing at the same time. The puzzles were fun to solve and mostly followed a pretty clear logic. I did have to use the guide a couple times to progress, but mostly because I didn't want to be stuck for too long. The text parsing will be annoying if you are not putting your full attention into what the game is telling and showing you. What I really enjoyed was that there some things you have to do to get through the main plot, so you are kinda guaranteed to get a general gist of the story, but at the same time a lot of optional secrets are hidden away throughout the game. Even better, the hintbook included in the game will let you choose whether you want help just with the main progression or with misssable things as well. I think the part I enjoyed the least was the dialogue and characterisation. It felt a bit too simple, although the general vibe of the story still felt surprisingly uplifting despite it being a murder mystery. A solid 8/10 experience for what it is.

extremely good! genuinely would have thought the dev had been making games for 20 years. it was my first parser game and made that aspect of the game feel approachable while still being satisfyingly challenging! the art is gorgeous, the characters are so fun, and there's a very helpful dev-written guide if you need (spoiler free) help!

I've been playing point and click games since the 80s and the more modern ones had something missing. Not all of them of course, but there was a certain charm. I thought that perhaps it was nostalgia or rose tinted glasses, but games like Old Skies, Hob's Burrow and this, tells me that adventure games are still there. Don't let the parser style of this game push you away, its great.

Set in 1914, The Crimson Diamond is a mystery adventure following Nancy Maple, who is assigned to validate claims that diamonds were found near Crimson, Ontario. Nancy's expedition is quickly derailed when her geologist's kit goes missing on the train, forcing her to accept the hospitality of a local wealthy man. In a convergence of fates, Nancy's stay at the Crimson Lodge overlaps with several shady characters, each concealing a hidden agenda. Having come to discover diamonds in Crimson, Nancy is about to unravel a far greater mystery. The Crimson Diamond is a charming detective story that captures the spirit of classic young adult mystery novels. Eager to prove herself as more than a junior geologist, Nancy is a plucky young woman with a positive outlook on life. After being effectively stranded at the Crimson Lodge, Nancy learns that several parties are scheming to take control of the land and fortune left behind during the town's garnet mining peak. Inevitably, as Nancy inquires about the validity of the diamond discovery, she uncovers clues pointing toward a more sinister plot targeting the lodge and its residents. Nancy is a bit of a snoop, surprisingly willing to listen in on conversations while lurking just outside of doorways or behind trees. The writing for Nancy's internal narration is consistently excellent, with the dialogue between characters following closely behind. The story evokes an almost cliché mystery setup by introducing potential motives for the cast of characters and sprinkling in red herrings along the way. The Crimson Diamond is a mystery with many smaller enigmas. The main mystery is nearly spelled out for Nancy, as progressing the story naturally reveals the culprits and motives. However, the game truly shines in how comprehensively it assesses how Nancy deduces clues and gathers evidence in preparation for the final scene. The Crimson Diamond features several endings; however, most require Nancy to have established a strong enough case to convict the criminals, alongside ascertaining the presence of diamonds in Crimson. I also thought the developer did a great job with the music and art design. The gameplay is classic text parser, layout out several quality-of-life features for a modern audience. Not only can Nancy execute commands like "Look at cabinet," but the developer was thoughtful enough to code shorthand for several common phrases; for instance, "a ab poison" is parsed as "Ask about poison." This was by far one of my favorite gameplay features, as it let me execute a variety of different commands very quickly. One of the hardest things to do well in a text parser is providing the player with enough visual information, paired with an understanding of how to engage with the environment. The Crimson Diamond handles this almost perfectly, where combining looking and examining yields the key words needed to interact with the surroundings with little guesswork. Puzzle logic is generally rational; however, there were admittedly a couple of occasions where I had to shake my head at their "moon logic" solutions. The addictive part of The Crimson Diamond is the authentic sleuthing Nancy carries out, pulling classic tricks like listening through doors with glass cups, dusting for prints, and closely examining crime scenes. As alluded to in previous paragraphs, the "goal" of the game is not only to understand what happened, but also why, how, who, and every other relevant detail. Rather than just looking at a broken glass and accepting that as proof of a crime, Nancy can dust it for prints, smell it to ascertain its composition, or even carry out a rudimentary field test with makeshift equipment. Even though I felt like I was being pretty thorough with my investigation, I realized at the end of the game that I had still only deduced around 75% of all the threads the game introduced. The Crimson Diamond is an easy recommendation for fans of mystery. It frequently felt like I was the protagonist of a Nancy Drew novel, and the aesthetic of the game really elevates that fantasy. Obviously, some will find friction with this game as a text parser; however, I felt it made its puzzles very accessible. The Crimson Diamond is a reminder that when one searches for diamonds, it's the hidden gems which often shine the brightest.

A fantastic ode to EGA Sierra-style games, with some modern improvements. Playable without a walkthrough, yet still challenging, with novel puzzles, interesting characters, and beautiful 16-color artwork.

i was charmed by this game from beginning to end. i really appreciate the love and care that went into the making of it.

This is awesome. Seriously impressive and gorgeous pixel art, and the story makes you want to see more of it. Really fun, really smart, I can't wait for the next one.

well, old fashioned pixel art (or whatever thay call this particular type) is fine by me, but i just couldn't get over the text parser crap here. it's a really poor design choice for an adventure game made in 2024. not everything that evokes pleasant emotions of nostalgia has to be implemented to modern times. not that i've ever been a big fan of sierra games either, save a few. certainly couldn't stand the feeling of missing something all the time at "colonel's bequest". really can't be bothered to type my fingers off to progress in a game. i'm like an hour into it and am already fed up with typing wardrobe, drawer, cupboard, door etc plus the verbs. seriously, *bleep* this!