The Examined Game #3

Julia Minamata is the solo developer of The Crimson Diamond, a love letter to the classic Sierra On-Line parser adventures. I adored playing The Crimson Diamond and wanted to talk with Julia about the power of play in video games and why classic adventure games still resonate so strongly with players today.

We discuss Julia’s inspiration for the game and the idea of building a game like a doll’s house for the player to lose themselves in. We wade into some hard-core adventure game depths including discussions on The Colonel's Bequest, King's Quest, Space Quest, Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle and Maniac Mansion, as well as why parser based gameplay creates a very different kind of player immersion compared to point and click adventures.

What I love about Julia's commitment to tex parser games is that she has found a way to introduce a decades old mechanic and make it work for a modern audience. She has been surprised by how many new, and often young players have picked up her game and enjoyed it.

Julia talks about the pressures of being a solo developer and how making the game became its own escape for Julia when her work as an illustrator was stalling. The Crimson Diamond had a long development process and Julia really did pour her heart into it. From retro game design, EGA graphics, nostalgia, indie development and the challenge of creating a game that feels so personal this is such a great conversation about the golden era of adventure games, and how devs like Julia are keeping them alive for modern gamers. 

At the core of this conversation is an exploration into the relationship between games, imagination and physical play spaces, including doll houses, LEGO and mystery fiction, and why older games often encouraged players to slow down and engage with virtual spaces.

Steam Page:
The Crimson Diamond on Steam

Official Website:
The Crimson Diamond Official Website

The Examined Game

Each week, host Steven Lake asks the creators behind some of the world’s most influential video games about the meaning of life (in video games), leading to conversations about the personal and creative impact games have had on their lives.