Journey with Nancy Maple as she ventures from the large, thriving city of Toronto, Ontario, to the quaint town of Crimson. In this adventure, she seeks a rare blue diamond found within the belly of a fish, aiming to secure it for the mineralogy exhibit at the Royal Canadian Museum where she works. During her stay at the Crimson Lodge, she encounters various intriguing characters. Uncover secrets and invest yourself in an incredible mystery. 

“The Crimson Diamond” is a vintage-style, detective-themed adventure game that encourages players to creatively solve mysteries with minimal difficulty. It features a helpful tutorial from the menu screen, which I highly recommend checking out before diving in. This game holds many secrets, and you don’t want to miss anything. 

Player interaction is primarily through keyboard inputs, with commands like “Look” offering detailed descriptions of the surrounding environment, effectively painting the visuals through text. Similarly, “Talk to X” prompts conversations with non-player characters (NPCs). Additionally, this text-driven game has charming 2D-pixel graphics complemented by catchy music that adds to its appeal crafted by Dan Policar. 

Verdict

Playing detective and investigating rooms to uncover various input prompts was my favorite aspect of the game! Eavesdropping into conversations is one of the primary investigation sources. Snooping around provides valuable lore and insights into the new Lodge companions. The game features a “Notebook,” a helpful tool for tracking progress. Typing keywords such as “Review” and “Notebook” is a quick and efficient way to navigate. For those who find themselves stuck, the options menu offers a “Hintbook.” It is evident that the developer, Julia Minamata, devoted considerable effort to expanding the dialogue branches and parser mechanics, ensuring the game is highly interactive. This game is designed for thinkers eager to uncover mysteries and piece together puzzles. “The Crimson Diamond” caters to various possibilities and player interactions. 

As the mystery concludes, a final confrontation will take place. With Nancy’s notes at the ready, players will feel compelled to go back and explore the game to uncover all three alternate endings!

Available on Steam, Itch.io, and Fireflower.

Reviewed on Steam. Review code provided by the publisher.