Diamonds in the Rough

About the Game

Diamonds in the Rough is a third-person point-and-click adventure developed and published by the Greek studio Atropos Studios. It was the second game created by Greek developer Alkis Polyrakis, following the freeware title Other Worlds, and became Atropos Studios' first commercial release. Development took approximately two and a half years and the game was created using the Adventure Game Studio (AGS) engine.

The protagonist is Jason Hart, a twenty-year-old American working as an office boy. His life changes when a mysterious man approaches him with a job offer from an unusual organization called Diamonds in the Rough. The organization is interested in people who possess unusual or paranormal abilities, such as telepathy and telekinesis.

Jason himself has a unique ability, one that he has tried to ignore for most of his life. His particular talent is quite different from conventional superpowers: when presented with multiple choices, he apparently has the ability to always choose the correct one. The organization is particularly interested in this ability and offers him a five-year contract.

Jason is relocated to a small town in the American Midwest, which is effectively controlled by the organization. There he encounters other people with unusual abilities and learns that he is going to participate in what appears to be a harmless study. At first, everything seems relatively normal, but Jason gradually realizes that there is something much larger behind the organization's official activities.

From this point, the story develops into a mystery surrounding the true identity and intentions of the Diamonds in the Rough organization. Jason begins questioning the people who recruited him, investigating the events taking place around him, and searching for answers about what is really happening in the town and within the organization itself.

Gameplay follows the traditions of classic point-and-click adventure games. Players control Jason from a third-person perspective and interact with the environment, characters, and objects around him. The interface is based on an action-selection system reminiscent of classic Sierra adventures, allowing players to choose an action and then apply it to different elements of the environment.

The puzzles primarily revolve around items, dialogue, and exploration. Jason collects objects, uses them in different locations, combines them, and speaks with the inhabitants and other characters he encounters. Progress often requires players to understand the relationship between different clues and objects discovered throughout the game.

One of the game's most distinctive mechanics involves Jason's thoughts. Players can access the protagonist's thoughts and, in certain situations, use them as actual inventory items. This mechanic connects the narrative directly to the gameplay and represents one of the title's most unusual ideas.

The story combines traditional adventure mystery with elements of the supernatural and conspiracy fiction. Rather than focusing on combat or action, the game emphasizes exploration, observation, dialogue, and the gradual process of discovering what is really happening. The gradual revelation of information about the organization forms an important part of the game's narrative structure.