The Ghost Archives: Haunting of Shady Valley Review

Keeping it distinctly spooky, the latest Hidden Object game to hit the iPad is a fairly enjoyable one. While The Ghost Archives keeps things pretty steady and safe, it tells an intriguing story while keeping things casual yet challenging for players.

This time around, the player finds themselves investigating an abandoned mining town called Shady Valley which, with a name like that, is bound to involve dodgy deeds. Plenty of ghosts and lost souls help the player along the way as they find themselves picking out items, solving simple puzzles, and figuring out mini games.

With a choice of difficulty modes, The Ghost Archives is actually pretty easy on Casual mode thanks to a deluge of hints that regularly recharge. Experienced players will prefer to go with Expert mode to enjoy more of a challenge. Those hints do come in handy for the impatient though.

As is always the way, the hidden object scenes within The Ghost Archives are a mixture of obvious and tricky to spot amongst the background. Similarly, while some mini-games are pretty easy or even a matter of trial and error, others can tax the braincells. It's a fairly enjoyable mix either way, and I found some mini-games particularly satisfying to decipher with more than just the usual jigsaw selection here. They tie into the game too, moving things forward and ensuring that The Ghost Archives flows naturally rather than feeling stilted.

The Ghost Archives might not sway the non casual gaming market over, but as usual, it's a pretty enjoyable ride. While not the longest of titles, there's a fun time ahead for those who love their Hidden Object games.