The Crimson Diamond is a real old-school puzzle journey. It is 2D pixel artwork, with a restricted shade palette like an EGA sport, and managed by a textual content parser. It is like King’s Quest and different Sierra adventures that outdated folks like Graham bear in mind. Regardless of The Crimson Diamond’s story of betrayal, homicide, and mineral rights in Canada in 1914, the textual content parser component may be very more likely to change into a Rubicon that can’t be crossed any time quickly, so it is value mentioning this up entrance. It is very important maintain It is not an unreasonable stance, however I feel The Crimson Diamond’s textual content parser is nice. What I appreciated about this journey sport was the specificity required to resolve among the puzzles.
There is a tutorial in case you’re not aware of it, however mainly what a textual content parser means is that you simply sort characters as a substitute of urgent buttons. Kind LOOK – you do not have to make use of capital letters, however I am simply doing it to maintain this evaluate from changing into a nightmare of textual content parsing itself – and press Enter, and the sport will enable you describe the room. Show a textual content field. This may very well be, for instance, “an outdated examine with a big carved fire.” To the fitting of the fireside is a tapestry, to the left is a cupboard, and within the middle of the room is a desk. ”
Then, in case you go as much as your desk and sort “LOOK AT DESK,” the sport will let you know that your desk has two drawers, a pen and ink set, a inexperienced lamp, and blotting paper. Inspecting the blotter reveals inexperienced leather-based that has worn easily over years of use. As I stated, this may get boring rapidly, however The Crimson Diamond has a fairly good checklist of shortcuts. For instance, you possibly can ask a query in “ABOUT” whereas speaking to somebody, or use search to look via a complete chest. You possibly can improve the variety of drawers without delay as a substitute of opening every drawer and looking out on the drawers individually. You are able to do that if you want. The parser additionally takes enter load into consideration (accepts BIN for TRASH CAN, for instance), and it is spectacular to play with it.
I am very impressed, however there are occasions when a parser requires very particular output, and the verb USE doesn’t work right here, even when it appears pure to make use of it. It does not work. You possibly can pour a kettle right into a pot, however you possibly can’t use a hammer on a cliff. Typically the reply is surprisingly easy. I used to be making an attempt to interrupt up a small chunk of ice within the icebox, and I may have simply taken the ice, however I bought just a little caught. However nonetheless! I feel this parser is nice. I particularly appreciated the distinction between LOOK and EXAMINE. There may be additionally a shortcut to exit the room via the closest exit, every character assigned a two-letter code for the parser.
There are a complete of eight characters, not together with the participant character Nancy Maple. Nancy Maple is an beginner geologist from Canada who desires to review geology in observe. Nancy’s objective of doing area work took her to Crimson, Ontario, the place an enormous diamond was found within the stomach of a fish. Nancy finds herself stranded on the Crimson Lodge. There, landowner Ethan (EE) and his new girlfriend Margot (MM) are joined by Jack (JJ), a prepare dinner and normal helper, and an aboriginal handyman who has ancestral possession of the land. I dwell with Nathan (NN). The lodge is on. Nonetheless, Nathan’s sister Nessa (SS) exhibits up along with her lawyer Corvus (CC) and disputes Ethan’s claims in opposition to the lodge (and hints that Margot is a weirdo). In the meantime, Kimi (KK) is there to research a uncommon cormorant colony, and Albert (AA) is an official geologist despatched by the federal government to research whether or not there are diamonds within the Crimson River. .
Some characters are curious about discovering the diamond, whereas others don’t need to be discovered. And when somebody seemingly unrelated to Diamond is murdered, Nancy turns into a reluctant detective. To be trustworthy, I am not that eager on it. She appears to get used to it rapidly and begins eavesdropping from the primary evening, however the one hazard she will consider is that she and Kimi miss the practice residence and are invited to remain the evening at an expensive lodge. That is it. Nancy is a Canadian superhero whose capacity is “listening via glass doorways.”
Early chapters of the sport discover Nancy exploring extra spectacular geological spots and should discover the instruments she wants for her makeshift area package – an ice choose from a frozen icebox. How do I get it out? How do I get you away from the cliff so I can take a rock pattern? – and puzzles of that nature. Then they change into extra complicated, like puzzles the place you must get fingerprint samples from everybody, utilizing totally different strategies like combining scorching wax and cookie dough, or simply asking questions.
After a homicide, there are just a few little developments the place you possibly can snoop on folks, however provided that you method from the fitting path or in case you select to tail another person and miss the dialog completely. Even afterward, you’ll encounter puzzles for which you will not have the ability to discover the reply, for instance, as a result of within the earlier chapter you didn’t discover the important thing and what was unlocked by it. The puzzles are largely enjoyable and properly thought out, and Crimson Diamond has some intricate paths to comply with and considerate callbacks, typically actually, because the occasions on the lodge overlap.
The lodge itself may be very properly put collectively, with each room on two flooring inviting to the reminiscence, whether or not it is via the garish wallpaper patterned like a William Morris/Liberace crossover, or via the heart-wrenching mysteries. It is designed to final. It have to be within the lab! ). In distinction, the outside grounds are a bit maze-like, with numerous outside sheds which can be simple to journey over, which makes them really feel extra harmful. Nonetheless, EGA fashion artwork works fantastically each indoors and outdoor. And actually, Nancy can fall into the river and die immediately, within the nice custom of hydrophobic sport characters in every single place, so be actually cautious outdoor.
I imply, I am a fan generally. Nonetheless, there are just a few factors the place the easy answer to the puzzle stumbles, and it nonetheless feels just a little unfair. One instance that would hang-out me to my deathbed is the necessity for clear glue. I completely glued all of the characters, racked my mind, went fully improper, and ended up grid-searching every bit of furnishings in each room. At that time, I discovered a roll of bandaids in my bedside drawer. Nobody instructed me I used to be sporting a Band-Support! The bandaid was not obvious within the pixelated rendering of the room. How do you know the place to search for bandaids? I swear to you, bandaids took up not less than an hour of each sport I performed once I was about 6 years outdated.
I do not normally take into consideration puzzles that particularly, however that second was extra like Moby Dick than Crimson Diamond, which I do not need to see anybody else chase. In any other case, I feel “Crimson Diamond” is a lovely work that mixes a love letter to the previous with fashionable implementation. Every thing is shrouded in thriller, and whereas there is probably not any main surprising developments, it stays a page-turner all through. Plus, listed below are some bonus information about geology. Contemplate taking part in the sport.
This evaluate relies on a evaluate construct of the sport supplied by the developer.
(Translate tag)Crimson Diamond
