The Crimson Diamond

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The Crimson Diamond is a single player action game with a mystery theme. It was developed by JuliaMinamata and was released on August 15, 2024. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

----------------------------------------------------------------- The Crimson Diamond is an EGA text parser mystery adventure game where you play as amateur geologist and reluctant detective Nancy Maple. Follow Nancy as she travels north to the fictional ghost town of Crimson, Ontario to investigate the discovery of a massive diamond in the area. Eavesdrop on conversations to learn more…

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Single-Player

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98%

Audience ScoreBased on 497 reviews

story97 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

The game beautifully captures the nostalgic feel of classic Sierra text parser games, particularly The Colonel's Bequest, while introducing modern quality-of-life improvements.
The intricate story and well-developed characters create an engaging mystery that rewards thorough exploration and attention to detail.
The stunning EGA graphics and charming pixel art enhance the immersive experience, making it a joy to explore the lodge and interact with its inhabitants.

The text parser can be frustrating at times, requiring very specific phrasing that may lead to confusion or trial-and-error gameplay.
Some puzzles may feel overly simplistic or straightforward, lacking the depth and challenge found in older adventure games.
The game could benefit from more ambient music and sound effects, as there are long stretches of silence that detract from the overall atmosphere.

story
240 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
59%
1%
The story of "The Crimson Diamond" is a nostalgic homage to classic adventure games, featuring an engaging mystery that unfolds through well-developed characters and intricate plotlines. Players appreciate the blend of logical puzzles and a richly detailed narrative, which encourages exploration and replayability to uncover all its layers. While some find the plot predictable, the overall writing and character interactions are praised for their depth and charm, making it a compelling experience for fans of the genre.
- “The story is engaging and the visuals evoke the EGA era.”
- “The story is well written, with engaging dialogue and fascinating mysteries.”
- “The story is rich and the characters are interesting, especially the main one.”
- “It's not a poorly written story and the dialogues are great, but I guess I was expecting some kind of plot twist or something; it was painfully predictable and even a bit boring.”
- “The whole plot is where it all falls a bit flat for me.”
- “While the storyline is a fairly standard whodunit, the writing is solid, and the fact that there are several sub-plots that you can succeed or fail to solve really adds to the immersion of the experience.”
graphics
152 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
54%
2%
The graphics of "The Crimson Diamond" are widely praised for their stunning, nostalgic EGA style, which effectively captures the charm of classic Sierra adventure games. Reviewers highlight the beautiful pixel art, vibrant colors, and detailed environments that evoke a strong sense of nostalgia while also showcasing modern design sensibilities. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, enhancing the game's immersive storytelling and gameplay experience.
- “The graphics are a massive highlight, with absolutely beautiful pixel art complementing the EGA style late 80s graphical look.”
- “The artwork is stunning and so detailed, full of dramatic close-ups.”
- “The visuals are a beautifully hand-crafted homage to the EGA era; you can feel every pixel is placed with love.”
- “The graphics are primitive, but that means real creativity needed to be put into them to make the visuals tell a story.”
- “The ega graphics could prove sore on the eyes for those used to more modern adventure titles.”
- “Although the ega-style graphics and text parser UI could be considered throwbacks, after just a few minutes of playing, I completely forgot about the UI and the graphics and was 100% drawn into the intricate and beautifully woven story and characters.”
music
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
53%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its quality and nostalgic feel, particularly the use of the Roland MT-32 for an authentic retro experience. However, several players noted that the music is sparse, often only appearing during key moments or cutscenes, leading to a quieter overall atmosphere that some found lacking. While the compositions themselves are well-received, there is a common desire for more ambient music and sound effects to enhance the gameplay experience.
- “Crimson Diamond is a love letter to classic adventure games, featuring stunning Roland MT-32 music that sounds absolutely amazing.”
- “The amount of care and detail that went into crafting the game's exquisite art, meticulous writing, complicated story mechanics, and mood-setting music is obvious throughout the entire experience.”
- “The music is wonderful; despite the game being mostly silent, there are many incredible musical interludes that appear at just the right times in the narrative to create more drama, suspense, and atmosphere when it's needed.”
- “Sadly, music only played in cut scenes; the game was rather quiet.”
- “One thing you might notice immediately is that the music in this game is bad, and you'll probably want to turn it off.”
- “The game could do with some more music or ambiance; it's a bit too quiet.”
gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
55%
5%
The gameplay of *The Crimson Diamond* is a modern take on classic text parser adventure games, blending nostalgic mechanics with intuitive design that enhances accessibility for new players. It features engaging puzzles that are logical and thematically integrated, offering multiple paths and detective-like reasoning that enhance replayability. Overall, players appreciate the balance of challenging gameplay, a compelling story, and the developer's attention to detail, making it a satisfying experience for both retro enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
- “The gameplay consists mainly of eavesdropping, collecting evidence, and analyzing the environment and items.”
- “Most impressive, however, is how the puzzles are logical, interesting, on-theme (excellent adaptation of the geological theme into gameplay), and integrated into the story.”
- “It's a great balance of challenging puzzles and fun gameplay with an interesting storyline and characters.”
- “In a sea of AAA games made by a team of paid professionals whose collective creativity only allows them to repeat the same mechanic over and over again.”
- “I hope Julia Minamata makes her future games but does something original and unique to her interests instead of copying the same flawed game I played 30 years ago yet somehow making it worse in the story and in some mechanics.”
- “Regardless of how one may perceive the story and graphics of The Crimson Diamond, ultimately for some it is the gameplay that truly makes or breaks whether it is worth buying in their eyes.”
atmosphere
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
20%
13%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and nostalgic qualities, evoking the charm of classic adventure titles and old-time detective series. Reviewers highlight the rich, detailed graphics and engaging music that enhance the sense of mystery and exploration, creating a warm yet suspenseful environment. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as a perfect blend of engaging storytelling, character depth, and a captivating aesthetic that resonates with players.
- “The atmosphere was rustic and lighthearted, and I felt that I had been transported to a simpler time.”
- “The atmosphere is on point, the graphics take me back, and entering commands through the prompt gives you that feeling of freedom of exploration and wonder that all good adventure games instill in you.”
- “The atmosphere of crimson envelops you; you seem to move into a world of secrets and mysteries - you can almost sense the tension you feel searching the rooms or eavesdropping on conversations.”
- “Seeing as I've always enjoyed the prospect of a good and exciting adventure that has a certain kind of 'atmosphere' that many later adventure games simply lack in today's modern era of gaming, I can respect Julia Minamata for dedicating the time necessary to craft such a memorable adventure and, short as it may be, it is one that I will be remembering quite fondly for years to come!”
- “The music is also worthy of mention; despite the game being mostly silent, there are many incredible musical interludes that appear at just the right times in the narrative to create more drama, suspense, and atmosphere when it's needed.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
45%
15%
The game boasts high replayability due to its multiple paths, detective-like reasoning, and the potential to uncover missed details on subsequent playthroughs. Players appreciate the variety of endings, achievements, and the encouragement to explore different choices, making it a rewarding experience for those who enjoy thorough investigation. Overall, the game stands out in the point-and-click genre for its significant replay value, inviting players to revisit and fully engage with its mysteries.
- “The multiple paths you can take in the game, the detective-like reasoning needed at several points in the game, are excellent and give another dimension of gameplay and replayability.”
- “What truly sets Crimson Diamond apart, though, is its incredible replay value—something rare in point-and-click adventures.”
- “There are many different paths to take and ways to do things, so there is replayability!”
- “There is no visible score tracker as in older Sierra titles, but you will be given a score at the end of the game based on how well you did in solving the various mysteries, making it a replayable title if you want to go for the full 100%.”
- “There are a lot of things to uncover, and you will likely miss something on your first run, so the game has replayable value too.”
- “On top of all that, the game has a replayability factor that a lot of other mystery games tend to not have because you can progress without seeing everything, and I'm planning to revisit the lodge to round out the mystery!”
humor
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as both funny and heartfelt, with a blend of clever writing and interactive elements that evoke nostalgia for classic Sierra games. Players appreciate the amusing ways to die, humorous interactions with the text parser, and the overall lighthearted tone, though some express a desire for more comedic deaths reminiscent of older titles. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with meaningful choices, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
- “Funny and heartfelt with meaningful choices.”
- “And yet just for lulz, there's 7 (right now) ways to die that each give an achievement, and they're hilarious.”
- “It’s a joy to think of some funny thing and then when you type it and try it the character actually does it, or you get a funny refusal from the parser.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its emotional depth, combining humor with heartfelt moments and meaningful choices that resonate with players. Despite some character development shortcomings, players find themselves deeply invested in the story, experiencing strong emotional reactions, particularly during pivotal moments. The satisfying twists and a touching ending contribute to a nostalgic and immersive experience, leaving players eager for more adventures.
- “Unraveling all the twists and secrets was extremely satisfying, with a beautiful, deeply touching ending that I really hope means the developer is up for making more adventures for Nancy Maple.”
- “It made me care for its characters, and it hit me hard emotionally when bad things happened to some of them.”
- “And though the game is not a long affair, it's well paced, and it pretty handily earned a solidly cathartic and emotional ending for its memorable cast.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is often seen as tedious, with players noting that while the intricate environments and story can be engaging, the repetitive tasks and complex actions can lead to frustration. Some players appreciate the depth and connections within the game, but many find the initial phases, particularly the exploration and chores, to be a slog before the narrative picks up. Overall, the experience is a mixed bag, balancing moments of tedium with intriguing elements.
- “Intricate but tedious.”
- “The trappings of some of the older games often were 'moon logic' and 'pixel hunting'; illogical sequences and tedious chores which frustrated players.”
- “The beginning of the game is a bit tedious needing to visit each and every room in the lodge, but once the dinner begins the game gets much more interesting.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users have noted that some achievements in the game can be buggy or lack clarity regarding their requirements, but the developer, Julia, is actively addressing these glitches and is expected to resolve them in future updates.
- “Some of the achievements might be a little buggy or unclear as to what is actually required (even with outside help).”
- “I know Julia is very receptive to the glitches people are finding, so they will be ironed out over time.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development in the game is praised for its intriguing narrative, effectively balancing moments of humor with thought-provoking elements, which keeps players engaged and invested in the characters' journeys.
- “The story and character development are really intriguing; sometimes it will leave you laughing, and other times it will leave you wondering.”
- “The depth of the characters and their growth throughout the game is truly impressive, making every decision feel meaningful.”
- “I love how the character arcs evolve based on player choices, creating a unique and personal experience with each playthrough.”

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