Love Spooky Tales and Hidden Object Games? Try Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove
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Big Fish Games’ latest offering, Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, brings you more of the same great interactive and immersive gameplay that the company is known for. Like all Mystery Case Files games, Dire Grove focuses on a mysterious, spooky storyline with great hidden object gameplay that will have you glued to your iPad for hours.
The Dire Grove is the subject of a Celtic legend, that’s been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. It was widely considered to be a fairytale meant to scare children, until a recently unearthed artifact proved it to be true, and a group of students went missing. If you’re up to the challenge, it’s your job to discover the secret behind Dire Grove and track down the lost students.
Like many of Big Fish Games’ casual offerings, Dire Grove is a tap-to-explore game where you examine hidden object scenes and solve puzzles to gather items which help you to unlock clues and advance through the game.
You’ll be presented with a scene, and you must tap objects within it to pick them up and to learn about your surroundings. Sometimes objects will be added to your inventory, and these objects can be used in the surrounding scene. You must carefully observe each scene and try different object interactions to solve puzzles. For example, in the first scene, there’s a glovebox with a combination to unlock and a locked trunk which needs a key. You have to figure out how to find the combination to get the key, and then drag the key from your inventory to the trunk to unlock it. Your journal aggregates everything you find in one place, and your computer plays videos that are scattered throughout the game. The videos tell the story of the missing students.
Often scene puzzles lead to hidden object hunts, where the goal is to find a list of objects, which will lead to the discovery of a key scene item to move on through the game. Hidden object scenes can be tough to solve, and frantic tapping will penalize you. It takes a sharp eye to find all of the appropriate objects, but luckily, seeking them out tends to be a lot of fun. As a side note, every time that you replay the game, it will ask you to find a different list objects which keeps the game interesting during a second or third play through.
To break up the constant puzzles and hidden object hunts, there are mini games that you must solve every so often. Mini games come in all different forms, and some are super easy while others can have you tearing your hair out.
If you’re having a hard time figuring out what to do next, or can’t locate that last hidden object, or solve that mini game, the game does offer a hint after a short period of time or the option to skip a game.
I had a great time playing this game. I’m a sucker for a good mystery and I love hidden object games, so this was right up my alley. The story is creepy, the graphics are fantastic, and the puzzle oriented gameplay is a lot of fun. This is a must have game if you’ve ever enjoyed a previous Big Fish title, or if you’re a puzzle lover and don’t mind being a little spooked.
What I liked: This is one of the better games that I’ve played from Big Fish. I loved the spooky storyline and the scary Blair Witch style video scenes that were included, as well as the hidden object searches and wide variety of puzzles.
What I didn’t like: I experienced several crashes and many of them caused me to have to replay puzzles more than once, which was a frustrating experience. I expect a future update to fix these issues, but for now, be warned that you may have a crash or two while playing.
To buy or not to buy: This is yet another fun, immersive offering from Big Fish Games. If you’re a fan of the puzzle and hidden object genres, then you won’t be disappointed with Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove.
- App Name: Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove
- Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
- Category: Games
- Developer: Big Fish Games
- Price: $4.99 (Introductory Price)
- Score:
