The Crimson Diamond

Instant nostalgia. If you like adventure games, you'll like this. If you have never played a parser driven game, this is the game to get into it.

I tried THE CRIMSON DIAMOND because I'd never played a text parser adventure game; I thought a modern one without the troubles of the "classics" would be fun. Besides, there are so few games set in early 20th century Canada! The EGA style was also a change of pace. What you get is a game which mixes LucasArts style no-dead end puzzle chains with Sierra-style missable puzzles, with that evdeince affecting how much of the crime you solve and your decisions affecting the ending. It's a good time. It helped me get the appeal of text parsers, rewarding out-of-the-box thinking; in one instance, I solved something by writing "smell" as a last ditch effort. The downside is the very same thing. The story is entertaining; playing detective and mineralogist, you'll need a book to keep track of evidence and lines of inquiry. I have a handful of small criticisms, but the complexity of the plot keeps things entertaining. I also love—love—when a main menu's significance becomes apparent. I don't think I'm necessarily up for a lot of text parsers, but I'm happy I got to play this one. Very talented dev and a fun game. You should play it.

Thoroughly enjoyed playing through The Crimson Diamond, would definitely recommend!

Fun throwback to 80's Sierra adventures. If you like the Laura Bow games you'll like this!

The Crimson Diamond took me right back to those old Sierra adventure games from the 80s and 90s. The game perfectly captures the Colonel's Bequest feeling, and the story and puzzles are very well put together. I thoroughly enjoyed playing the game! As a fan of the old Sierra games, this is a must-have.

This feels like a homage to those early EGA Sierra games with the text parsers. Clearly inspired by that genre and holds very true.

Socially conscious and an entertaining mystery in one!

If you liked the AGI / SCI era Sierra games or Colonel’s Bequest specifically, you will like this. Looking forward to the sequel, which you can see painstakingly drawn on twitch every week, scene by scene.

An amazing EGA-styled text parser adventure game styled after the classics of the genre, particularly The Colonel's Bequest, this was a great time. Never too frustrating, no living dead situations where a puzzle becomes unsolvable, it's a great example of what the genre can be. Nancy, our protagonist, and her narration are charming and fun in the way of old LucasArts and Sierra, the mystery is compelling and there's always a sense of what you need to do. Sometimes the parser is a bit awkward, especially since you can never "use" an object (requiring words like "insert" for combining items, "turn" for faucets, etc.), but it only occasionally detracts from the experience. Would highly recommend!

It is what I hoped it would be. I only found out about this game by listening to the Adventurers Guile Podcast. Love the vibes of the game!