Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, Sacred Grove – Review

Dire Grove is perhaps in its direst state yet. Rumor has itthat the Mistwalkers are responsible for the severely cold weather and animalattacks Dire Grove is experiencing. Join the hunters of Dire Grove as you learnthe dark secrets of the Mistwalkers and find out who is the actual man behind it all! It is a common fact that Mystery Case Files games have some of the most entertaining storylines available in the casual games market. The story in Dire Grove, Sacred Grove is indeed not a disappointment; but while it is captivating and suspenseful all the same, it lacks the complexity and creepy factor that make this long-standing franchise famous to this day.

Let us take a note that Dire Grove, Sacred Grove is not thefirst Mystery Case Files game that is developed by Elephant Games. In fact, last year’s Fate’s Carnival was also developed by this talented developer. Nonetheless, as close as Elephant has gotten to the MCF: Dire Grove level, this sequel is no match for its predecessor.

If we look at Dire Grove, Sacred Grove as a standalone game,not as a follow-up to what was the pinnacle of HOPA, then we will be extremely impressed by the quality of the game. The production of Dire Grove, Sacred Grove is definitely huge – from mind-blowing visuals and stunning special effects, to top notch soundtracks and epic cutscenes. On the other hand, that sense of creepiness and mysteries that the first Dire Grove game had are basically nowhere to be seen in this sequel.

Regardless of that, we did enjoy every slightest bit of this amazing game. The gameplay flows very well and the tasks integrate well with the storyline. Despite the lack of diary, the game made for that with a well-thoughout investigaton board where you can collect clues and deduce conclusions about the situation. All the other basic features are also present,a beautiful jump-map, nice array of achievements, two sets of collectibles and 5 difficulty settings for instance.

There is a perfect balance between hidden object scenes andpuzzles in this eleventh Mystery Case Files game. We thought that while thehidden object scenes are exquisitely made and very entertaining, they are alittle bit too simple for experienced players like us. In contrast, the puzzles did give us some head-scratching moments. Our favorite Super Puzzles are also included in the game, these are the real challenges.

Thanks to these difficult puzzles, Dire Grove, Sacred Groveis a satisfyingly long game. The main game alone took us around 4 and a halfhours to complete; plus around 50 minutes from each of the two bonus gameplays (Bonus Chapter and Alternate Ending). Other extras are nothing hype about, all listed in the checklist above.

In this series:

• Mystery Case Files: Huntsville
• Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects
• Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst
• Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate
• Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst
• Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove
• Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull
• Mystery Case Files: Escape from Ravenhearst
• Mystery Case Files: Shadow Lake
• Mystery Case Files: Fate's Carnival
• Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, Sacred Grove
• Mystery Case Files: Key to Ravenhearst
• Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst Unlocked
• Mystery Case Files: Broken Hour
• Mystery Case Files: The Black Veil
• Mystery Case Files: The Revenant's Hunt
• Mystery Case Files: Rewind
• Mystery Case Files: The Countess
• Mystery Case Files: Moths to a Flame
• Mystery Case Files: Black Crown
• Mystery Case Files: The Harbinger