Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove

Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove
Developer(s)	Big Fish Studios
Publisher(s)	Big Fish Games
Series	Mystery Case Files
Platform(s)	Windows, Mac OS X
Release date(s)	NA December 11, 2009 (Standard Edition) NA November 25, 2009 (Collector's Edition)
Genre(s)	Adventure, puzzle
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T)
Media/distribution	Download
System requirements Standard Edition: Windows OS: Windows XP/Vista CPU: 2.0 GHz RAM: 1280 MB DirectX: 9.0 Hard Drive: 526 MB Mac OS X OS: 10.4 CPU: 800 Mhz RAM: 256 MB Hard Drive: 537 MB Collector's Edition: Windows OS: Windows XP/Vista/7 CPU: 2.0 GHz RAM: 1280 MB DirectX: 9.0 Hard Drive: 600 MB Mac OS X OS: 10.4 CPU: 800 Mhz RAM: 256 MB Hard Drive: 603 MB

Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove is an adventure-puzzle casual game developed by Big Fish Studios, and distributed by Big Fish Games. It is the sixth installment in the Mystery Case Files series. The game is available exclusively at Big Fish Games website. The Mystery Case Files franchise is the number one brand in casual games and has sold more than 2.5 million units to date.

Story

This story takes place directly after the events in Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst. You are driving through a decrepit town called Dire Grove, which appears to be deserted. The weather forecast has predicted a heavy snowstorm and you have no other option but to explore the deserted town for shelter. You see an abandoned car and find a camcorder in it. The footage shows a teenaged girl crying and pleading you to save them. You also find a cryptic note: She is real. The legend is real..

As you explore the surrounding, you realize that all the villagers have evacuated due to the snowstorm, so you have to do everything by yourself. You learn that the girl in the footage is Alison Sterling, a collegiate who has chosen the Celtic legend of the Banshee as a subject for research. She arrived here with 3 friends and all four of them are missing. You also learn that Dr. Patricia Anderson, an archaeologist had unearthed some relics only some days ago.

You eventually learn about the legend of the Banshee. Apparently a farmer, a fisherman, a hunter and a blacksmith performed a ritual 1000 years ago to open a portal to talk to their kin in the spirit world. When the dead started attacking the living, they offered a young woman to appease the ghosts and close the portal. This woman became the Banshee and is trying to come back. You also find that all the students have been subdued and hypnotized by the Banshee. Dr. Anderson's recording proves that the relics unearthed by her are maybe the keys to the portal.

You are left with only one option: open the portal and send the Banshee back to the spirit world. Only after opening the portal you realized that the Banshee has tricked you into freeing her spirit. You race against time, trap the Banshee's spirit again and save the students. In the end, Alison gives a lecture about the events at Dire Grove, where she is given by a big applause by a huge number of audience, including her friends. An audience member asks her about your identity, but she says: "That person has asked to remain nameless, but I can give you their business card."

She flashes a card, and a Mystery Case Files logo is seen and the credits start rolling.

Cast

• Davie-Blue as Alison Sterling
• Banks Boutté as Jack
• Lauren Dobbins Webb as Susan O'Reilly
• Justin Kay as Matthew Ryan

Promotion

Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove was announced October 30, 2009 by Big Fish Games on their blog with slim details and an additional screenshot from the game. Mystery Case Files had posted a sizzle reel of Dire Grove on the main page of their website on November 10, 2009.^[1] This led to a lot of speculation a few days later and many users posted comments on a Big Fish Games Dire Grove forum.^[2] On November 17, 2009, Mystery Case Files revamped their website to promote the upcoming release. Release dates, deeper plot details and more screenshots were released the same day. Also an official trailer was posted to help promote the standard edition as well as the Collector's Edition.^[3]

Collector's Edition

Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove was released on December 11, 2009, however a "Collector's Edition" was launched on November 25, 2009 exclusively for Big Fish Game Club members.^[4] The Collector's Edition includes additional gameplay, levels and achievements; an integrated strategy guide; and behind the scenes artwork and videos, with the latter being a series of videos chronicling the live-action cast's visit to rural Argentina where their footage was shot. Whilst Collector's Editions are common amongst "core" PC games, Dire Grove is the first such example amongst casual games.^[5]

Bonus Gameplay

In the Collector's Edition of Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, there is bonus gameplay and at the end of the game. The player has to use a certain phone number, one that you calculate from the credits, and dial it on the telephone and a message is spoken:

"Well, hello again detective, nice of you to drop by. I would have stuck around for a chat but the weather seems to have taken a turn for the worse. Feel free to make yourself at home, but I wouldn't dally if I were you. The man with the icky bird has been very busy in the dark. There is something he would like to show you. Clicky, clicky detective. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."

External links

• Official site
• Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove on Big Fish Games

References

1. ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/mystery-case-files-dire-grove-sizzle-reel-released/
2. ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/mcf-dire-grove-speculation-gone-wild/
3. ^ http://www.mysterycasefiles.com/games/diregrove
4. ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/mystery-case-files-dire-grove-special-early-release/
5. ^ "First casual game with a 'Collector's Edition'". Game Hunters. USA Today. November 27, 2009. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2009/11/first-casual-game-with-a-collectors-edition/1. Retrieved 2009-11-30.