The Crimson Diamond looks and plays like something from 1988, an adventure game with gorgeous, vibrant EGA graphics and a text parser interface. Yes, that means you must actually type things like “look” and “open door,” a thought which may have some potential players rolling their eyes, but it’s actually great! The game deftly pulls you into its early-20th-century murder mystery with its plucky heroine and colorful cast of suspects. The text parser, meanwhile, lets you engage with those suspects and the environment in delightful and engaging ways that, despite being nods to games from nearly 40 years ago, feel fresh and invigorating, and make me more optimistic about the state of the adventure game genre today. I’ll allow myself a pun here and just end by saying that this game is a real gem. — Carolyn Petit
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