Blackwell's Diamonds

Well, that was actually quite enjoyable! The story is pretty simple, but the puzzles are well thought out and there's an abundance of items and codes to figure out. My main advice to anyone playing this would be to read the description- the inventory will definitely get cluttered and since the back button won't wonk on my school's computer it would have been much wiser of me to write down what I was doing. Ah well, onto the review!

Concept: This story had a decent setup for its escape-the-room style puzzle. We don't get much in the way of background on our character, but we know there's a huge prize waiting for us if we solve it (besides our free CYS point) so I feel that's enough to hook someone in. The core of this one is game really, not story, but there is enough story behind it to make the game worthwhile. As for the concept itself- "eccentric wealthy relative leaves clues to his fortune"- well, it's certainly been done before. Still I feel the "tried and true" setup is alright so long as the puzzles are new and interesting.

Plot: Again, there's not a whole lot of plot to this aside from "It's an escape room... escape god dammit!". Once you set on your way there's no backing out. I think it would have been nice to see some story development as far as the Uncle and his nephew are concerned, but overall this isn't a huge negative for a puzzle game. However, I do feel that the setting could have used quite a bit more description. It is this massive, eccentric mansion that we are supposed to be trapped in, but it feels like simply a means to present puzzles a lot of the time instead of a unique place. I would have liked to see more descriptions when wandering about the place.

Characters: We've got 2- the protagonist and his uncle. The protagonist doesn't have much character or development to him, but in a game like this that isn't necessarily a point of contention. With the uncle, however, it would have been nice to see some more development. We know he is "eccentric" from the first page of description, and that he likes puzzles, but that's about it. Most of the artifacts and puzzles in the house seem to revolve around mythology, but we never know why the Uncle is so obsessed with such things.

Themes: Uh.. it's a puzzle. "Never give up" I guess?

Structure: This is definitely the most important aspect of a puzzle game, and ViolinAndDeerstalker did very well with it. The items are useful and cryptic enough that I wasn't sure what they were for until i came across the parts where I needed them, but not so random that I was just left guessing at what to use. The books, amulets, and various notes are all vital in some way. Even though the inventory does grow rather large, I never got the feeling that I was just picking up useless stuff. I also enjoyed the multiple escape rooms and how you needed objects from previous rooms to get through. Overall, I think it was very well put together.

There were a few negatives though. Most of the codes were pretty obvious, and there were a few section where it was far easier to just use process of elimination than to track down the answers in the room. While I don't think a person randomly clicking would do very well here, there are a couple of sections which do seem to encourage it. That being said, I think this was a really good structure for a puzzle game.

Grammar/Spelling: There's not a whole lot to say on the grammar of this one. The writing is decent and straightforward, as it is more focused on the solvable aspects. There were no glaring mistakes that I saw, though there were a few places where sentences started with "You" over and over again.

Overall Rating:6/8- You did a really good job with this one! While I would have liked to see some more descriptive language, it was a very enjoyable experience. I can't wait to see what other games you come up with ^_^

so fun

I absolutely loved this! Very reminiscent of an actual escape room where you are moving back and forth to collect and examine items, and how some locks needed multiple items. Anyone complaining that you didn't need the charms obviously just guessed their way out; the charms are a brilliant and tricky element that required some googling on my part. I didn't mind at all that there was less writing (it was a plus, actually) because I was here for a puzzle game more than a novel.

Thank you so much to the author for your time and care of this game. Incredibly creative!

I didn’t use half the items, and didn’t open all the chests at the end, or even get all the parts of the riddle. It wasn’t all that great, but it was a fun pass of time.

Fun escape room game. But I never did anything with the charms... I'm pretty sure you are supposed to but I ended up just being able to leave. Oh well.

It was a delightful experience! It wasn't too difficult, but required enough thinking to keep you engaged. Overall, it was fun!

Wonderful! Loved all the different puzzles in it and absolutely wonderful word choice and storytelling. I think I missed a few things in the second room (so close to unlocking those chests), yet you did not punish the player extremely for forgetting things. There was still a workaround for everything. I loved the puzzle combinations and passwords that had to be put in... and especially the word puzzles that really had to make you think. Thanks so much for this! Incredible work!

Amazing! Really made my mind work. On some of the chests, there weren't options to go back to the chests, just to go back to the items in the room. That would've saved me a lot of clicking. Otherwise, great job, and this is probably one of my faves.

Finally got the diamonds!!!!!!

AMAZING