The Crimson Diamond

I'll start off by saying I love the artstyle, the story is pretty great, and I love the characters. I mostly had a good time playing this game, and in general, if you like the sort of retro point-and-click investigation games you'll probably like it too.

But I do have some qualms with the text system. While it was a novelty at first, and it's probably one of the main draws of the game, I honestly thought it got old pretty fast. You can only type "open door" or "open drawer" or "open cabinet" so many times before it gets tiring. I think there is value in emulating a pure text-based adventure game, but at the same time, I wouldn't have minded some QoL options to open doors or drawers, pick up items, or do simple tasks by clicking with your mouse rather than typing everything out every time. I understand there are shorter versions of commands such as 'od' for opening doors, but it still felt redundant and repetitive at times.

Because the game is a middle of the road between a text-based adventure game and a point-and-click game, it's in this weird space where there are visuals for every room, but many times the visuals aren't very clear or explicit because you're supposed to type "look room" every time you enter a room. In short, it can get very obtuse and frustrating to find new clues visually when they're only like 3 pixels tall - it's basically the same problem as pixel hunting from old point-and-click games, and there's a good reason a lot of newer point-and-click games have more clear indicators of what is interactible and what isn't. And while the problem is 'solved' by typing "look room", it's annoying to do that every single time you enter a room you've already been in to check if a pixel changed since last time or not.

Also, and this applies mainly to the last few acts of the game, at certain points the game gets really particular about *how* you're supposed to type certain things, and it got pretty frustrating to try and figure out the exact wording to do certain things.

So I guess my main critique is that the middle-of-the-road approach didn't really click for me, and I would probably have enjoyed the game a lot more if it had commited more to one direction. The visuals are gorgeous and I love the art style, so it would be a waste if it was purely text-based. Which makes me think it would have been better as a more traditional point-and-click game with less or no text-based stuff.

That all being said, I still enjoyed it, and I'd recommend it if you're a fan of the genre and visual style.

It is a lovely mystery set in the tradition of old PC Adventure games and takes inspiration from the Laura Bow mysteries. It also contains a lot of knowledge and canadian culture, but is never overbearing. This is a truly lovely game. Good job, Julia.

Summary: If you have any interest in adventure or puzzle games you need to play this game.
Beautiful modern classic. Logical adventure puzzle design, lovely theme, atmosphere and story. Lifting EGA graphics to new heights.

The care, dedication and passion put into this game are apparent from the start.
The excellent, gorgeous, real (no faux retro here), stunning EGA graphics stand out in a time where "pixelart" is just a superficial style. Not here: the original limitations of EGA are respected by the developer. Just like the game developers in the 80ies and 90ies, she uses the limitations of the technology to create things of beauty. The result are the best EGA graphics since The Secret of Monkey Island!

As you play on more of the developer's craftsmanship comes to the forefront. The plot and various sub-plots are engaging, all characters have their own, believable motivations and personalities. Very good writing throughout. The atmosphere of the setting is spot on, the whole feeling of the game is great - it feels like an episode one of those nice, slow-paced, oldtime BBC whodunnit TV series.

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. This game is a true masterclass in adventure game design. The puzzles are fully integrated in the story, their solutions are always logical, and yet, they remain challenging enough (seasoned players might find the game a bit on the easy side, however, to me, at the end, it was not too easy to get the maximum score).

The trappings of some of the older games often were "moon logic" and "pixel hunting"; illogical sequences and tedious chores which frustrated players. It is impressive how these pitfalls are avoided here, but without dumbing the game down. This game seems like a natural step forward for this genre; keeping the feeling, the graphics, but improving on the core puzzle design. I could progress in the game without having to guess what the developer intended. Almost never I found that a word that was logical to me, was not accepted by the parser. This is rare in text adventures!

The numerous quality of life features are very welcome, and done in such a way that they do not dumb the game down. For example, the keyboard controls and fast walking speed make for a very smooth and pleasant interaction with the game. The way the parser works (just start typing...) is great. When looking at screenshots, don't be fooled: this may be a parser game, but you will find that typing in commands actually can be much smoother, faster, and nicer, than clicking with the mouse...!

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.

One point of improvement would be to have more music; it is quite sparse in this game. Just a nitpick for a beautiful game!

The Crimson Diamond is a modern rarity - a text-parsing adventure game, in which commands to examine, converse, use, etc have to be typed. It has brightly-coloured pixel graphics, a detailed story-line with sub-plots, and a complex mix of characters, locations, time-lines, and dialogue options. There is a short but useful tutorial section at the beginning of the game to explain how the text-parsing works (though I made an assumption in my first playthrough which turned out to be very wrong... more on that below).

The first time that I finished The Crimson Diamond, I felt that I had done pretty well in uncovering most of the truth and the evidence to support my conclusions - but the end-game summary showed how much I had missed and how little I could prove. I finished with the worst of the "good" endings and was dismayed by how poorly I had really done and by how much I had missed.

I wanted to try again, but in a more skilful and satisfying way - and that's when (thanks to the reference & link in Dandy's guide), I came across the wonderfully helpful on-line hints book by the game's developer, Julia Minamata. This provides multiple clues for each scenario, going from the vaguest suggestion to full instructions, so players (like me) can access as little or as much help as they need. But it also showed me my crucial error from the first playthrough: I had assumed that if a character replied to a query with something like "there's nothing I can say about that", it meant that they truly knew nothing about that topic; but, in fact, it meant that my typed query was ambiguous, imprecise or made no sense according to the parsing rules, so that I needed to change and improve the wording.

In short, my second playthrough was not only more comprehensive and informed, but also much more satisfying, and gave me a much greater appreciation of the technical complexity of the game: (nearly) synchronous events, and more plots & sub-plots and deeper character motivations than I had thought. I owed so much of my enhanced enjoyment of her game to Julia's hint book that I happily made a PayPal donation to her in appreciation.

If you enjoy parser adventure games, especially Sierra games, especially Laura Bow, then this is probably the best game you could buy. If you have never played any of those games, but like mystery games then you should absolutely play this AND Laura Bow. This game was a really great homage, the puzzles all made sense, the parser usually recognizes what you are trying to do and has lots of great responses and descriptions. The graphics and sound are great and really brought me back to that era while also showcasing the setting. I grew up playing these games, but my wife is the same age did not. We played this together and she was totally enthralled for the weekend it took us to play through it. I wish there were more games like this out there.

Gave it a good crack. I realize i'd rather just sit and watch a tv series like this as opposed to playing a text-base adventure game. Nail in the coffin for me was the classic nonsensical ways in which to obtain some key items/clues which just didnt jive with me too well. The text parser is really cool though, probably the best one ever made

An amazing amount of effort and skill went into the production of this game. It turned out so great, and the praise it's received is well deserved. Congrats Julia!

walked into guy's bathroom and pooped seven times in a row. good game!

very fun game

As a Canadian gamer of a certain age, wow this really hit the spot. This is a text parser gamer with absolutely beautiful old-school 2d pixel art. You solve a very fun mystery and meet lots of great characters. Don't be intimidated by the old-school design - If you've never played one of these before there is a great tutorial. I'm a fan!

One of the best-written and best-programmed ... not-point&click, but puzzle/adventure games I've played in a very long time.

It does ~everything write. It gets retro right, including the art style and its use of colours on a per-screen basis. The text parser is ridiculously flexible, but also demands specifics from you enough to make you consider and not just blindly try (e.g. 'use' is not a valid word, be specific whether you mean rub, unlock, tie, etc). Tons and tons of missable elements, that all get referenced later. Including the ability to reflect in the ending and get comments about what you missed. A very sweet post-ending scene. A few nice variations of the actual ending. Lots of parts where you can feel clever as hell.

And what's more, the game also prevents dead ends by always offering you an out, but also actively prodding you at what (roughly) you could have done to find the "main" solution for this puzzle. And yet just for lulz, there's 7 (right now) ways to die that each give an achievement, and they're hilarious. :D

Love this game, highly recommended. Not had this much brain fodder in a long time. Yes it's EGA graphics. Yes it is text-parser based (ideally play with text inventory and click-to-move off!). But if you like retro, you'll love this!

Well done!

Highly recommended if you want a mystery that does not hold your hand and requires you to do the detective work yourself. Or if you're nostalgic for text parser games.

A game that shows off what text parsers can achieve with panache. Familiarizing yourself with the parser functionality parallels the process of meeting the cast and acclimating to your surroundings, and those learning curves built on each other in satisfying ways. I enjoyed learning about my character by interacting through the parser in addition to cutscenes and dialogue.

Hope to see more from Minamata in the future!

Crimson Diamond is a love letter to classic adventure games, featuring stunning Roland MT-32 music that sounds absolutely amazing. The retro pixel-art graphics transport players straight back to the golden age of Sierra titles like King’s Quest and Leisure Suit Larry, capturing the nostalgic charm of the era.

The keyboard-based command system is intuitive and easy to pick up, making exploration and interaction smooth and engaging. What truly sets Crimson Diamond apart, though, is its incredible replay value—something rare in point-and-click adventures. The investigation-driven story is filled with intriguing details, and it’s easy to miss key elements in a single playthrough. This constant sense of discovery, combined with suspenseful storytelling, makes for an unforgettable experience that keeps you coming back for more. A must-play for retro adventure fans!

This has some really impressive story-telling, charm and re-playability. It would help to have a nice keyboard because you have to type all actions, but I've played games like this before and I enjoyed it. I did a pretty good job at collecting evidence on my first play through and had a good ending, but plenty of details weren't found. Great fun for people who like to play detective. Great fun.

The game evoked beautiful nostalgia of parser-based adventure games like Hugo's House of Horrors or better known Sierra series' like King's Quest or Leisure Suit Larry. Admittedly I got a little stuck on some of the puzzles and had to look for a guide a couple of times, when the solution was just not evident. There were no moon-logic problems, rather the kinds of problems where the wording of my solution or understanding of what was presented was faulty.
But it was a beautiful experience and the main character is a spunky Nancy-Drew-esque geologist that I was genuinely rooting for.

N

It is my first time playing a text parser and I can say that it was an exciting experience. I've read reviews from other players and I can't help but agree that sometimes it was difficult to figure out which verb and word combination to use in order to complete a task. However, I do not consider this to be a disadvantage of the game itself, but rather a feature of the text parser genre. As for me, if we are talking about the cons, I can only single out a small one - the discrepancy between the concepts of "obvious" between the author of the game and the player. For example, in the Investigations chapter, where Nancy has to get fingerprints from everyone living in the Lodge, it was difficult for me to figure out how to get them from Jack and Kimi. In fact, I found it so troublesome that I had no choice, but to look at the walkthrough guide. I ran into the same problem when I had to get the satchel key from Corvus.
Otherwise, the game can only be praised! It is incredibly cozy - the choice and execution of pixel graphics is very interesting and appealing. I was pleased with the musical accompaniment, they did a really great job on using it to emphasize the importance or peculiarity of a particular situation. 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. All the characters are unique and it is very easy to get into them throughout the game. All in all, I had a great time playing this wonderful game.

This was an excellent throwback to the Pixel art text parsing games I used to love. It avoids the impossible moon logic that the early games were famous for, but it doesn't go too far the other way and make the game too easy, like many modern ones do.

If you are used to this kind of throwback game, this one is not too hard (although a few subtle points I missed on the first playthrough). If you aren't familiar with text parsing game, though, you might struggle in places, not gonna lie! These kinds of games are difficult to write, and there are always the "you needed to type "Tell" instead of "Talk" moments where you can get frustrated. But mostly, this one avoids those.

I thought this one was a lot more fun than some other recent entries into this genre.

Finally, as a big fan of 8-bit game music, I wish this game had a bit more music in it, but the sounds they did have were well done.

The Crimson Diamond is a fantastic adventure game and worthy of any would be detectives time.

The game is in part a nostalgia fest, recreating the old Sierra style adventure games where you type in commands. Games like Space Quest, Kings Quest and of course the Colonel's Bequest (Laura Bow) amongst many others. However The Crimson Diamond has a more modern sensibility, with autosaving at crucial moments (including before the occasional sierra style death) so that you can continue your adventure. It also saves at every chapter, allowing you to go back and try again for the best possible ending.

The game has a wonderful 1910s aesthetic, set around the outbreak of world war 1, in a sprawling lodge in the canadian wilderness. It has a a classic whodunit setting with everyone stuck in a remote place. But it takes that formula and runs with it - there are multiple mysteries at play at the same time, and lots of clues and deduction to do. Those include crimes and a minerology mystery to solve, all linked together into one story. It's a credit to the game that you can make it to the end and barely know whats going on - the more you investigate and be a detective, the more of the full story is relvealed to you.

The game is superbly designed, and while certainly bringing back nostalgia of old games it does not bring the old frustrations of dead ends, or poinltess deaths. And if you're stuck there is a hint site available, or if you just want to enjoy the story you can follow some comprehensive walkthroughs.

Also on another note - as a Brit, it was very enjoyable and refreshing playing a canadian game! And one which dealth with canadian history in a sensitive way.

This game is clearly a labour of love, and it's a superbly crafted and enjoyable adventure game. The developer is also very active, patching bugs and gameplay issues. I had no issues at all with my playthrough. I'm really glad I played this; it's a gem (no pun intended) and I hope the developer is able to make more games as they're very talented!

I did a terrible job of this game, but really enjoyed it. Refreshing in an era of game design that is so interested in blasting you with as much stimulation as possible that this game takes its time and is sometimes very quiet.

Really enjoyed this one!

A cute throwback to an age of video games I adored. The art of The Crimson Diamond and the text parser interface brought me zooming back to being 12 years old all over again.

Nice. Puzzles are not brutal. Do remember to save before trying something risky, though.

Like others, if I could have given a sideways thumb, I would. I really wanted to like this game, and I imagine it could be improved to be an easy thumbs up.

The good: As an elder millennial, I adore the game art - it's gorgeous and nostalgic. I want more games like this - I find nothing more relaxing than slowly exploring a world and figuring out puzzles. The spine of this game has the potential to provide that.

But - lots of downsides result in a game that is, well, not that fun. Interesting as a step down memory lane, but kinda a slog. There is a reason most players haven't made it to the end (and it's a short game!)

Like others have noted, sometimes it's frustrating to figure out the right verbs to "use" in the text parser. It goes beyond not being able to use "use" - there were a number of times where I knew what I had to do, but had to turn to a walkthrough to find the right verb. Likewise, there are often multiple steps required and it's easy to miss one. You can't just dust and collect a fingerprint, you need to first dust, then examine, then collect, then examine again. Even knowing this, I sometimes found I had somehow skipped a step somehow, so there was a lot of returning to various spots to go through the whole series of steps again.

The UI on the notebook is not great - it's hard to keep track of the various threads, such that when I got to the final interrogation scene, even though I knew I technically had uncovered some of the answers I found myself unmotivated to figure them out.

There are a couple of puzzles that are quite hard - an optional hint or two baked into the game would be nice.

The game is also fairly short. While I haven't technically completed it (from getting annoyed at the final interrogation scene), I've played 7 hrs and it's basically done. I don't feel that motivated to replay it, even though I know I missed some clues/puzzles.

If it's on a steep sale, I'd still recommend for those nostalgic for games like this. I hope the designer continues to make games like this and/or improve on this game.

I grew up on Sierra style adventure games and played a lot of old 'Quest' games. Heck it's where my handle came from. Really enjoyed this. Felt it was maybe a little TOO hand-holdy in the first few chapters but really opened up more near the end. I can't say how it feels for a new adventure game fan, but as a vet it really hit the spot.

I really enjoyed playing this game! It brought back all those fond memories of playing Sierra games, but with a new mystery to get immersed into.

Love it. Great game with flexible interface. It may take about an hour to warm up to the UI but once you are, the story takes on. Really miss the type of games that makes you think. And yes, you can miss items or events, but it is not too bad (or to reach a dead end scenario).

Masterpiece

It°s difficult to find the right words. AI could be put to good use here, or at least a dictionary.

Really great game. I'm not usually a fan of text parsers, but this one really drew me in. The writing and story were great, and grounded in real Canadian history and science. There was a lot of optional content, and opportunity to explore and do as much or as little as you like. The game often gave nudges on what was important or what to do next, and the notepad system was great. Beautiful pixel art.

A pleasant adventure game with charming EGA graphics and an un-obtuse text parser.

Though I've never played an adventure game that used a text parser before, I never found it unwieldy or obstructive. I was always able to get Nancy to do what I wanted her to do.

I found the mystery-solving rewarding, and I enjoyed how even my (fairly basic) detective instincts helped to solve puzzles.

The atmosphere was rustic and lighthearted and I felt that I had been transported to a simpler time.

Worth the price!

Great game. Beautiful setting, gameplay and story. Already looking forward to play it once again.

this game is wonderful! There are so many details all around that can affect the outcome of the game, Highly recommend

A text parser murder mystery heavily inspired by The Colonel's Bequest, made almost entirely by a single developer. I wasn't around to play these sorts of graphical parser games when they were still in fashion, but I've got immense nostalgia for the point and click adventure that followed after, and deep love for the pure-text interactive fiction which came before. So finally playing something from this awkward evolutionary midpoint was a real treat.

I had a blast ransacking every inch of this fancy hotel, taking handwritten notes and slowly putting the pieces of the case together. Lovely EGA graphics, too, and a bunch of smart parser and UI features that make the whole thing play smoother than you'd expect!

It's just awesome to see an EGA-palette, text-parser adventure game being released in 2024. The art is so incredibly gorgeous and lovingly crafted. The story and characters are top notch. And while the gameplay is certainly late-80s-inspired, it is not nearly as punishing as those old games could often be. The puzzles strike a nice balance of being easy enough to solve while still making the player feel clever for solving them. I did get stuck a few times, but the included hint guide helped me avoid any frustration. In an era of a lot of cookie-cutter game releases, this one stands out as something truly unique and special. Highly recommended!

A true gem of an adventure game. It's rare for these type of games to feel so reactive, and accidentally getting murdered by thinking a bit too LucasArts with my actions was a pleasant surprise. The EGA colour palette art in both the closeups and the world are wonderfully evocative, and being able to just ask the game to "look" using the parser overcomes any pixel hunt concerns.
Also, why is this the best presentation of geology and mineralogy I can think of in gaming?
A wonderful few hours of murder mystery/field survey, and I feel richer for the time I've spent in it.

I grew up with typing adventure games like Sierra used to make. This is an amazing mystery game that stands with those greats. It draws inspiration from the Colonel's Bequest. Despite typing out commands, it's very user friendly and helps you do what you want to do. Also, I can tell they did their research with the fascinating information on geology and mineralogy sprinkled into the game. 5/5 highly recommend

A well-realized adventure game throwback, even if it share a few pitfalls of the genre.

Emulates the old games perfectly, and in doing so is complicit in their crimes. I respect it! But I'm not any good at it.

So far has been such a fun game. Puzzles are interesting and make sense, feels like there's a lot you can do. And of course feels like a classic adventure game.

"Love letter" has been a common phrase used to describe this game as a non-subtle tribute to the style of computer games from the late 80s in all of their glory. Perhaps that is much of what it is, displayed in vibrant 16 EGA colors and punctuated with a soundtrack developed with a Roland MT-32 for music, a mix of both old and new tools to bring forth an adventure game which could have been born in the 1980s, but with modern day conveniences and improvements.

This game is divided into several chapters, where each chapter has its own set story and goals to achieve, which leads to good pacing and some interesting puzzles. Nancy Maple turns from aspiring student into an impromptu detective as she tries to solve some mysteries which unfold during her time at the Crimson Lodge. I particularly liked these puzzles and investigations which occurred in the middle chapters, and these puzzles felt natural and well integrated into the story, not some mere puzzle for the sake of having something to take up time and space.

Portions of this game were developed live on stream, showing the passion and dedication that Julia and Dan had in creating this game. All of those efforts come out beautifully into a well-crafted adventure game with an amazing depth. One can complete the game with satisfactory results, but it is worth multiple playthroughs to catch everything and even try out the multiple endings. And speaking of the ending, there is the obvious nod to our predecessors in the gaming industry, as we stand on the shoulders of giants. A love letter indeed, full of love and a tip o' the cap to the gaming pioneers of the 80s.

Best game I have played in many years, easily up there with the best adventure games Sierra ever produced. Frankly it is a better game than the Colonel's Bequest, which clearly inspired it. Clear, logical, nontrivial puzzles (I did not find that I ever needed to look at the hint book), great mystery & detective stuff, very good atmosphere, very well-paced, exciting to play. Engages with real facts about the world, historical facts and geological and mineralogical facts, instead of having a contrived "gameplay loop" like many games have. Feels like a retreat TO the world, rather than a retreat FROM it. This is the rare kind of game that seems like it leaves you a bit richer after playing it.

Awesome game. Charm-tastic music, adorable DOS-throwback art. A true tincture of sweet sweet Laura Bow nostalgia. Loved every suspenseful minute of it. Cant wait for the more gruesome sequel ; J

its a great adventure game

I'm giving this a yes but it is a very, very tepid yes. I would say for people who were not immediately attracted by the color palette (EGA), this is going to be a no.

This is a classic adventure game - in the positive and negative way. The graphics are primitive but that means real creativity needed to be put into them to make the visuals tell a story. It's exceptionally well done. The music, what little there is, is serviceable. The characters are straight out of a classic whodunnit movie ... or Scooby-Doo episode. Stylistically there is nothing wrong with this game, I love that part of the game being an 80's child and having grown up with all of the games.

It's Sierra-inspired, so there are deaths. Only a few of them. Some obvious, some kind of dumb. That might be strike one for a lot of people, adventure games with deaths are not everyone's cup of tea. But they're more of an in-joke than a game mechanic really. The game even challenges you to collect all of them.

What grinds my gears is the fact that you can actually miss large chunks of this game. You are invited to explore off the beaten path (as in if the game tells you to go somewhere or do something, you are free to ignore that and go everywhere else first) - but the game doesn't actually have all that many screens in it, "off the beaten path" can often mean going back to a screen you just left. Other characters in the game kind of teleport around to where the script tells them they need to be. A shame that this design choice was made. I do not like to drink tea with a large chance to miss the biscuit, I need them both for full enjoyment.

The game itself isn't all too long - and that can mean only one thing, it has artificial padding like many old games that needed to fit on a single floppy disk (an excuse the Crimson Diamond does not have). Lucasarts games tended to include maze sections for example where you would get royally stuck because every room looked the same. It's not fun... it's just runtime padding, wasting your time in the hopes that you do not realize the game actually effectively only has an hour or two worth of content.

Similarly, puzzles in the Crimson Diamond can be quite obtuse to make it so you're going to be stuck not knowing what to do - and no way to really find out besides a hint book and just randomly trying things. As an example in chapter 3 you need to obtain fingerprints and you need to get one from a cookie (that's no spoiler, the game telegraphs at you that it is a thumbprint cookie)... good luck. It's not moon logic but it is equally insane what you have to do. Perhaps if I was more in touch with my inner child, I might have figured it out myself. But on that particular puzzle... I really needed a walkthrough. What a downer.

I love that this was made, I hope to see more. It hits my nostalgia bone quite hard. But this isn't quite it just yet. I hope to see a second game with the same protagonist, this time with more than 2 hours of content so the puzzles can be slightly more refined.

Recommended, but only for enthusiasts of text based adventure games. This game was very well made, with a great story and fun logic puzzles. The presentation is great too from the pixel art to the sound effects and music too. This is retro gaming done right.

I recently finished this game having started it closer to release. As it often does, life got in the way of completing the final two chapters and had to put it away until after the holidays. I came back to wonderful surprise and challenge with the conclusion. If you've played the ending, you know what I mean. Overall, this was a fantastic game and hard to put down. The EGA graphics were so charming. It was also fun to play a game in this genre with my wife and have her enjoy the game as much as me. On the constructive side, it required some patience and experience with playing a text parser game. I recall struggling with the thumb print cookies and another few moments from the format of my commands. However, I believe there was a also a major patch in between my plays and I'm looking forward to giving the game another play through. Highly recommended whether you are new to adventure games or looking for some nostalgia!

A throwback to the era of EGA mysteries in the key of Laura Bow, filled to the brim with intrigue, scientifically-accurate Easter Eggs, lovable friends and foils, and *just* enough peril to keep things interesting. Rewards curiosity at every turn, while staying true to the Roomba-style investigation technique that text-parser adventure games lend themselves to. Does what it says on the tin. IMO, handedly outclasses the first four Kings Quests, and first Laura Bow. Nancy Maple's adventure The Crimson Diamond is the sweetest thing to come out of Canada since the Nanaimo bar. ★★★★★

(Played on my alt account via Family Sharing, so reviewing the title was unavailable. Briefly played on this account in order to leave a review, but publicly viewable playtime will not be accurate.)

The EVGA style graphics and the text parser were novel, but it wasn't a very fun game. Many actions in the game are frustratingly multi-part, and the ending makes you feel punished for not taking every step. For example, if you search a container and find something you haven't collected what you found. You'll need to do that separately. In the conclusion of the game there are several items that I'd discovered but never picked up and didn't have. It wasn't a great experience, and the resulting unsatisfying ending did not make me want to replay it to get a better one.