The Crimson Diamond (2024)

The Crimson Diamond (2024), developed and published by Julia Minamata

In the early 20th century, a lucky fisherman gutted his catch only to find a huge diamond lodged within his meal. A small town named Crimson rises to the headlines, so Nancy Maple, a clerk from the Royal Canadian Museum in Toronto, is sent to the location to find out if there are more diamonds in the area. Enthusiastically, the young woman leaves for Crimson for her first field study trip. 

A long train trip later, Nancy learns that the lodgings she was meant to stay in are not lodgings anymore and don't really house guests. The caretaker, Jack, does promise that she can stay for the night, but that's as far as it goes. Disappointed, Nancy agrees to leave the next day, but she can at least make acquaintances with the people living in the lodge. During that night, though, the train bridge to Crimson explodes, so Nancy is, to the displeasure of the owner, Evan, forced to stay for the time being. 

The next day, Nancy begins her geological investigations. Poking her nose everywhere, she soon finds there's something else going on in the lodge. People act shady, and the old family feud is poking its nasty head as well. So there are mysteries abound, enough for one amateur detective to get head over heels in the matter.

If you've ever played Sierra's old classic, Colonel's Bequest, or any of the old Sierra adventure games from the late 1980's, the Crimson Diamond should look and feel very familiar. It is an unashamed throwback to the classic parser-driven adventure games that made Sierra the name it was back in the day. While The Crimson Diamond uses an AGS engine, it looks the part and plays the part as well, with the exception of using a mouse-driven inventory. And you can also walk around by using a mouse, if you so desire, if you don't want to use cursor keys. 

Nancy also has a notebook in which she writes her objectives and findings,  So it's not necessary to write your own notes if you don't want to. But, like in any good detective game, it's also possible to miss some of the clues, so Nancy's deductions might not always be perfect, which can lead to an unsatisfactory end. It's possible to play the game by finding only the bare minimum of the clues, but that won't be the best ending. 

If you are more of a purist, some of these modernization's can be turned off. It's possible to turn the inventory into a fully text based as can the notebook note chime turned off as well.  So while you can't make it exactly like the games of old, you do have some choice in the matter.

It needs to be stated that, as is often the case the case with parser-driven games, the parser can be the biggest obstacle in your way. The Crimson Diamond does have a relatively smart parser that accepts a lot of synonyms. This doesn't completely remove situations where you know what you need to do. You just just can't make the game understand you. At times, you need to go through several iterations of similar phrases before the game allows you to solve the puzzle you've already solved, which can make you second-guess your solution and give up on it. Some things never change. 

The Crimson Diamond is a detective game, so the progression is often tied to you rummaging through every nook and cranny, exploring everything you can in order to get to the best possible ending. At first, it can feel like a linear game, but at some point, it's evident that missing things is an actual possibility, which in turn affects the inquest at the end, where you need to answer questions according to your best ability.

Interestingly enough, this inquest uses a parser as well, so you do need to peruse Nancy's notes with some of the questions in order to get all the answers. And if you don't have solid evidence, you need to skip some answers. After all the answers, you even get to see scores on how well you did. There's quite a bit of replay value, especially since you don't get to the best possible ending.

The Crimson Diamond is a lovingly made retro throwback in every sense. It plays like and looks like a classic game, so if you are familiar with the type it represents, you should feel at home with it. It's easy to jump into, but challenging to complete. And if you haven't played this style of game before, there might be something of a threshold on your way, but stepping over it is well worth it. Even if the style is old, It's still a modern game with some concessions, like auto-saving and the automatic notebook. There is a challenge, but Julia Minamata has made her best for it to be a fair challenge. It might feel frustrating at times, but after you solve something, there's genuine joy about it.

There also is a pretty solid tutorial as well. This is especially welcome if you aren't familiar with this style of gaming. It gives a quick overview of how the parser works and how the game plays. And going through the tutorial might be a good idea even for those familiar with the genre, especially if it has been long time since playing something like this before.

And if you do get completely stuck, the game does come with a hint book. It doesn't give you the answers right away, so it can be used sparingly to nudge you to the right direction. Which is nice. 

If you are interested in doing some sleuthing in the woods, you can get The Crimson Diamond from Steam and Itch.io. It's not even terribly expensive, costing around 13 euros. It is well worth the admission.