Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, Sacred Grove HD Review

Somewhat awkwardly named, Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, Sacred Grove HD, is a dependable and well-made hidden object adventure game. It's exactly the kind of title you'd expect from Big Fish Games, being that it won't sway naysayers but it will entice fans of the genre.

As usual, various supernatural events occur that plunge the town of Dire Grove into peril, with low temperatures and dangerous wild animals afoot. While it'll make you wonder just when there will be a casual adventure game that doesn't delve into the supernatural, it's still a fairly well-told story.

Dipping into the adventure genre, you'll be spending some time exploring various locations and combining items. Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, Sacred Grove HD helps players out by highlighting when an object can be combined, via a plus sign that shows it needs more pieces attached to it in some way. Indeed, the selection of difficulty levels means that this is a game that scales for a variety of different abilities.

Besides exploring the landscapes, there are various puzzles to solve as well. Some of these are actually quite tricky and require a bit more thought than the average casual adventure game. Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, Sacred Grove HD doesn't swing too far in that direction though, as there are also some hidden object scenes to figure out. These throw in some objects that require simple puzzle solving abilities to ensure you don't get bored.

There are plenty of collectibles along the way too, if you're into that kind of thing. But admittedly, you're more likely to be focused on how the story unfolds than picking up random bits and pieces.

Still, Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, Sacred Grove HD is a pretty commendable effort. It knows what its audience is and ensures it offers exactly what they want from such an experience.