The Diary Review (PC)

Within this encyclopedia of bewildering notes, concise descriptions, and vague references to countless stories from a woeful past, there is a truth that yearns for a spotlight, and I’m yet to find it. A missing person; six characters of major significance; two journals of pulpy literature; and one keystone diary that’s instrumental to connecting the dots between fact and fiction. There is a concerning relationship hidden inside this binder, and if I think if I am I to understand any of it, I will first need to comb over the contents one more time. Pages — all sprawled out in a cluttered manner; and decoder wheels, all pointing to what could be the answer to the one riddle, but the red herring of another on the back portion of the index. But my gut is telling me that The Diary has more secrets to spill, and that I should look closer.

There’s a staggering amount of material to shovel through here, which is partly the reason why I’m so eager to begin analyzing the fine print. The story? That’s certainly here somewhere, but I won’t be able to stitch it together to create a plausible timeline until I connect the pins of the checkerboard and sense of the tapestry in all its natural colors. But perhaps I’m getting a little ahead of myself here, and perhaps I ought to fill up another thermos and take a step back for a moment, if only to allow a second pair of eyes to conceive an explanation for this cascading mystery of oh-so-many moving jigsaw pieces. There’s more to this book — I just know it. The question is, what on earth am I neglecting to do? Why can’t I split the past from the present? How will I solve this conundrum?

Diaries Reveal All

The Diary is a 2D investigation-deduction hybrid game—a visual novel, of sorts, that spins a rather complicated yarn for a premise. As the curator of vast quantities of journals, diaries, and stacks upon stacks of valuable information, your job here, in short, is to wheedle through the pages of several different books, complete various puzzles on each of their respective pages, and unravel a mystery pertaining to a missing person case. And if you think that sounds like a walk in the park, then I can honestly assure you that it isn’t. Eat your heart out, Hercule Poirot.

The game itself is spread across several chapters, with each chapter containing handfuls of written notes, messages, photographs, and an entire banquet of supporting documents, “mini-games” and all sorts of whodunnit bits and pieces that are highly reminiscent of a DIY home-based escape room kit. Equipped with several journals and that all-important diary, the job is to check certain boxes and conduct various phishing expeditions in order to expose the truth about the aforementioned case, and gradually reveal the smoke and mirrors behind a thought-provoking climax. The question that you’re looking to find the answer to is who, exactly, is the keeper of the diary, and how are they involved with the case? A lot of moving parts here, but stick with us.

Constructing an Image

The Diary is all rather linear, with the game operating on something of a conveyor belt system. For example, once you’ve successfully managed to analyze a puzzle on one page, another will open itself up to you. And after said puzzle has been completed, a small portion of the overarching narrative will essentially reveal itself to you, leaving you to comb over the next page and learn more about the case in question. And that’s really all you’re doing here: solving puzzles, bit by bit, to remove the veil of confusion that shrouds a case with numerous characters, evidence, and points of interest. If can seem a little daunting at first I’ll admit, but when compared against a detective game that bears the brunt of authenticity, it’s actually quite a doddle, all things considered.

While the puzzles do indeed play a crucial part in the game’s overall design, The Diary does also take the time to flaunt a few additional tricks up its sleeve — its vibrant and engaging artwork, for example. That, paired with some whimsical paper cut-out effects and a unique array of challenges to overcome, result in an impressive and truly engaging experience that refuses to let up on the brakes from the moment you unlock the book to the second you turn the final page. For that, it’s a fantastic read, and one that you wouldn’t want to miss out on.

Verdict

The Diary actively seeks to cram as much information into its journal as remotely possible, with its puzzles and juicy stories contributing to a relatively sizable campaign with plenty of twists, turns, and scenarios to keep you second guessing as you navigate the pages. Thanks to it also being a beginner-friendly book—one that doesn’t require any strenuous effort to unlock or decipher bar the occasional puzzle—it’s also quite easy to weave together, too. Granted, it does have its moments, and it certainly aims to make you think twice about who the key players are, as well as who the instrumental pawn in the grand scheme of things could be. But at no point does it ever feel like a chore, building the tapestry and filling in the blanks. On the contrary, it makes most of its stepping stones feel both satisfying to cross and oddly rewarding.

At this point, it seems as if the artistic embellishments are collectively more of a bonus, if anything. As I said, there is a lot of information to soak up, and there are numerous pieces of the puzzle that, at least on several occasions, can feel all rather overwhelming to thread. Yet, looking at it from a fresh perspective, it’s evident that the attention to detail here bleeds through most, if not all of the pages in each journal, with palpable texts, crisp 2D images, and a surprisingly diverse array of intriguing puzzles bulking out a genuinely fascinating entry-level detective story.

At the end of the day, if all of the above is enough to whet your ears and give you a sudden urge to grab the magnifying glass and pocket journal, then you’re in luck, as this ought to kill two birds with one stone.