“Rediscover Nostalgia: ‘The Crimson Diamond’ Revives Retro Adventure Gaming Magic!”

In this new era of open-source, do-it-yourself everything, indie games have thrived, resulting in more titles than ever before, crafted by small teams using older game engines to create experiences reminiscent of classic games. This indicates to gaming enthusiasts that an increasing variety of retro-style games are available now more than ever.

In essence, it takes something remarkably unique to grab attention, and I believe that the new adventure title The Crimson Diamond, created by novice game designer Julia Minamata, has truly distinguished itself from the crowd. It boasts a classic typing interface that has been rarely seen commercially since the early ’90s, paired with EGA graphics that appear unchanged since 1989, and its Agatha Christie-esque “locate the missing diamond” mystery storyline is likely to leave you grinning from ear to ear.

Just check out the trailer that was unveiled a full three years before the game’s release, along with regular updates via Twitch livestreams – talk about generating excitement! Listen to the soundtrack, observe the eerie mansion in the woods, the extensive cast of characters, and see if you can sense the nostalgic influence of the old Sierra Online games. Indeed, Julia openly acknowledges the inspiration drawn from titles like Kings Quest 3 and The Colonel’s Bequest, both of which were adventure games featuring a female lead, designed by the legendary adventure game creator of that time, Roberta Williams. You would be astonished to learn that she even received a recent endorsement from the iconic figure herself, meeting her at a gaming conference earlier this summer and obtaining this quote for her Steam Page: “If you love the classic murder mystery games like the Laura Bow Mystery Series, you will enjoy this game by Julia Minamata – The Crimson Diamond. – Roberta Williams.”

Moreover, Julia successfully captured not just the visual aesthetics, but also the atmosphere of those earlier games, striking an ideal balance between ominous and uncomfortable while perfectly incorporating a cheeky sense of humor – try entering any off-color typing commands in the game and you’ll understand what I mean. For clarification to any possibly puzzled readers, there was a short-lived period in adventure gaming where items were interacted with by typing rather than using the mouse for “grab” or “use” commands.

Nevertheless, one can find inspiration, yet the actual work is necessary, and in this regard, the phrase “labor of love” only begins to describe Julia’s endeavor, as it took her nearly a decade to single-handedly design this fully-featured game with minimal assistance in the playtesting and sound design departments.

It is for all these reasons that adventure game enthusiasts have been eagerly anticipating The Crimson Diamond, especially since the complete first-level demo has existed for over five years!

In The Crimson Diamond, you assume the role of Nancy Maple, a young female detective and mineralogist dispatched to Ontario to uncover whether the legend of the Crimson Diamond found within a fish holds any truth. Throughout your journey, you’ll engage with a distinctive array of characters, each potentially on the hunt for the diamond themselves. The gameplay closely resembles that of an ’80s adventure game, as you can maneuver Nancy by pressing the keyboard’s arrow keys in your desired direction, in addition to clicking around the screen to place the shoes icon where you wish to navigate. However, there are some subtle and beneficial differences compared to a Sierra-type game from that era, or as Julia mentioned, “she aimed for it to play like the old games, but perhaps with a bit more fluidity.” In this regard, the game is designed to be a bit more intuitive in specific areas, for instance, when you stand in front of a cupboard in a room with two cupboards, and you typed “open cupboard,” an ’80s game from that time would respond with something like, “which cupboard do you wish to open? The red cupboard or the one infested with termites?”, whereas Crimson Diamond intuitively recognizes you want to open the cupboard right in front of you. Additionally, many of those older games were often extraordinarily challenging, and numerous gamers at that time had to pay for recorded gaming help over the phone, while Julia has supplied a helpful in-game hint guide broken down chapter by chapter, because ultimately, games are meant to be enjoyable.

Discover the clues, locate the diamond, and …survive!