Nancy Drew: Midnight in Salem

54%
Game Brain Score Based on 949 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Nancy Drew: Midnight in Salem Game Cover
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In Nancy Drew: Midnight in Salem, players uncover a ghostly mystery in a 17th century Massachusetts setting. As Nancy, you'll explore intriguing locations, decipher puzzles, and interrogate suspects to solve the Salem witch trials' centuries-old secret. This supernatural-themed entry boasts enhanced graphics, improved navigation, and an immersive storyline for a captivating gaming experience.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Mobile Platform
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

54%
Audience ScoreBased on 949 reviews
story272 positive mentions
graphics124 negative mentions
  • The story is engaging and ties in well with the historical context of the Salem witch trials.
  • The graphics have improved, providing a more modern look to the game.
  • The inclusion of the Hardy Boys adds an interesting dynamic to the gameplay.
  • The new movement controls are clunky and take time to get used to.
  • There are significantly fewer puzzles compared to previous Nancy Drew games.
  • The dialogue is excessive, often feeling tedious and detracting from the gameplay experience.
  • story638 mentions

    The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it engaging and well-developed, particularly appreciating its historical context and character depth. However, several critiques highlight that the narrative is overly dialogue-heavy, often feeling linear and lacking the interactive exploration that fans expect from the series. While some players enjoyed the plot twists and character interactions, others felt the story was predictable and marred by technical issues, leading to a less satisfying overall experience.

    • “The story is immersive; I have been playing for years.”
    • “The story was engaging as well, and the addition of the Hardy Boys, while unnecessary, enhanced the game instead of hindering it.”
    • “The story was great and so fun to uncover and play through!”
    • “Worst of all, the storyline is weak and doesn’t make the Salem setting exciting or suspenseful.”
    • “The story was so guided, I missed looking into every corner for a clue.”
    • “The plot was boring and the dialogue felt like it droned on forever without really adding anything to the story.”
  • graphics560 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over their quality, often describing them as outdated, glitchy, and reminiscent of early 2000s titles. While some appreciated the attempt at modernization and found the environments visually appealing, the character animations and overall polish were frequently criticized as lacking. Overall, the consensus suggests that despite some improvements, the graphics do not meet the expectations set by contemporary gaming standards, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “The graphics are great, the movement is awkward at first but sleek.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful.”
    • “The graphics and the level of detail with a lot of the puzzles were super impressive, and overall I really enjoyed this game.”
    • “The graphics are outdated, with stiff animations and lifeless environments.”
    • “The graphics are terrible, and moving around is just awkward and limited.”
    • “The graphics were so poorly done it reminded me of a game from the early 2000s, and don't forget; they had 4 years to make this game.”
  • gameplay237 mentions

    The gameplay of "Midnight in Salem" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the mechanics clunky and frustrating, particularly in navigation and puzzle-solving. While some appreciated the modernized graphics and new movement options, others felt that the gameplay was overly linear, lacking in engaging puzzles, and burdened by excessive dialogue. Overall, the game seems to struggle with balancing its ambitious new features against the core elements that fans of the series have come to expect.

    • “They've modernized the graphics, the gameplay, and the character design.”
    • “I really enjoyed the new mechanics they added in for inspecting clues and areas of interest, and I look forward to seeing future games evolve as the developers get used to this new format.”
    • “The navigation was a bit clunky at times, but other aspects of the gameplay more than made up for that in my opinion.”
    • “The gameplay was clunky, the storyline was really predictable, there was way too much dialogue (and I love good dialogue), and there were barely any puzzles.”
    • “The mechanics are awful, Nancy's voice and characterization are completely off, the graphics are terrible, and none of the excitement of the other games comes through.”
    • “Overall, the story of the game was well thought out, but I honestly can't say the same about the gameplay; I was expecting some improvements and modernized gameplay, and I am sorry to say this because I love this franchise, but this game was a total disappointment on that part.”
  • music77 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its ability to create a cozy atmosphere and enhance the emotional experience, while others criticize it for being repetitive, bland, and poorly mixed, often drowning out dialogue. Many users expressed disappointment that the soundtrack lacks the memorable quality of previous entries in the series, and the inability to adjust sound levels for music and dialogue has been a significant complaint. Overall, while some found the music enjoyable, it generally failed to leave a lasting impression.

    • “The beautiful autumn scenery, calming soundtrack, and therapeutic mini-optional tasks all make for a cozy game.”
    • “The music, the dialogue, the acting, the feeling of the game being made with care: everything we once loved about the Nancy Drew games is gone.”
    • “Everything you may love about Nancy Drew is still here, the atmosphere, the beautiful music creating the vibe which brings back the good memories.”
    • “The music soundtrack is, in my opinion, weak compared to some of the best Nancy Drew music.”
    • “The music also feels kind of lifeless compared to the previous scores.”
    • “The voice acting sounds cheap and poorly done, and often is impossible to hear over the background music which is incredibly loud.”
  • stability53 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting significant bugs, glitches, and performance issues that hinder gameplay. Many found the movement clunky and frustrating, with frequent stuttering and unresponsive controls making it nearly unplayable at times. While some players noted that the game could be enjoyable if one could overlook these technical problems, the overall consensus is that the stability issues detract heavily from the experience.

    • “The game is buggy, the dialogue does not sync to the captions, the interface makes the game almost unplayable, and don't even get me started on the lack of movement in the characters or missing body parts.”
    • “I did not enjoy the time I played before I wound up having to return it due to the glitches making the game incomprehensible.”
    • “There are almost no puzzles, the graphics have taken a massive downgrade since the last several games, and the game is buggy and glitchy, with puzzles basically requiring pixel-perfect inputs.”
  • atmosphere31 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its spooky and immersive qualities, particularly through sound design and setting, which effectively evoke a creepy vibe. However, some players feel that certain areas lack detail and that the reliance on repetitive jump scares detracts from the overall experience. While many appreciate the atmospheric elements, there are mixed feelings about the balance of story, puzzles, and exploration compared to previous titles in the series.

    • “First game I've played, love the atmosphere, especially the sound design.”
    • “The game builds a spooky atmosphere and a compelling cast of characters, pulling me in for hours at a time.”
    • “Great game, interesting storyline, and immersive atmosphere.”
    • “The music didn't aid in the atmosphere.”
    • “Despite her interactive's best attempts to modernize Nancy Drew, the end product is more outdated than ever, filled with excessive dialogue, lacking both puzzles and atmosphere seen in each of the other 32 games.”
    • “I love the old Nancy Drew games but I cannot recommend this one; it lacks the puzzles, exploration, and atmosphere that made the old games special.”
  • humor23 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mix of clever writing, quirky character interactions, and amusing voice acting, with standout moments that elicit genuine laughter. While some audio quality issues detract from immersion, the comedic elements, such as unexpected dialogue and humorous animations, contribute to an overall light-hearted experience. Players appreciate the blend of humor with engaging storylines, although some miss the charm of previous installments.

    • “It keeps the ability to do chores, has fun secret objectives for you to find, the story was great, they hilariously hid an egg, and the vibes and music were immaculate.”
    • “The animations and voice acting are pretty hilarious.”
    • “The funny part is: if you call someone in front of them, they would answer the call (or the call might go into voicemail) but they would speak to Nancy (and repeat what they said in the voicemail) as if they are receiving the call, which is honestly very hilarious.”
  • optimization19 mentions

    The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players reporting significant performance issues, including slow start-up times, frequent crashes, and poor graphics quality. Many users struggled to find suitable graphics settings to achieve smooth gameplay, even on high-end systems, leading to frustration with the overall experience. While some players managed to enjoy the game after adjusting settings, the consensus is that substantial improvements are needed for future releases.

    • “It would be a good gesture if the devs at least offer a patch with optimization fixes and other aforementioned corrections to errors. I hope this isn't a new sub-par trend for the future, because if it is, then count me out.”
    • “Everything was set to low quality to maximize performance.”
    • “The game runs smoothly.”
    • “The optimization on this game is unacceptably bad.”
    • “Even going in with an open mind, I found myself frustrated with the poor optimization, long cut scenes, poor writing, and nauseating movement.”
    • “The game keeps crashing and feels very unoptimized, which makes for a very unappealing experience.”
  • character development18 mentions

    Character development in the game received mixed reviews, with some players praising the depth and quality of certain characters, while others felt that development was lacking until the final moments. While the character designs were generally appreciated, issues with dialogue pacing and animation detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the game successfully modernized character design and provided engaging moments, but inconsistencies in execution left some players wanting more.

    • “I will say that I liked the game's plot, scenery, graphics design, and character development.”
    • “Lots of great character development and some fun spooky moments!”
    • “A significant portion of the game is dialogue, but it didn't feel too lengthy because character development was a major focus for this installment.”
    • “The conversations in the game were laggy, the mouth movement was off, but worse, the dialogue was exhaustingly slow and mostly didn't add to the story or character development.”
    • “There was no character development for anyone until their final monologues, at which point, we just got bored.”
    • “The character designs and animations were atrocious, especially when they were flailing their arms in the air when talking, but the environments and actual game mechanics were a nice improvement to the older games.”
  • grinding17 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, primarily due to long and repetitive conversations, simplistic mini-games, and poorly designed puzzles that lack challenge. Many reviewers expressed frustration with the clunky movement system and the overwhelming amount of dialogue, which detracted from the overall enjoyment and made the gameplay feel like a chore. While some appreciated the option to skip dialogue, it did little to alleviate the sense of monotony that permeated the experience.

    • “It's so friggin tedious.”
    • “The conversations were long, tedious and, frankly, boring.”
    • “I played a game on my phone during most of these conversations because they were so tedious.”
  • emotional16 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game elicits mixed feelings among players, with some appreciating the well-researched narrative and touching moments, while others express frustration over gameplay mechanics and a rushed ending. The emotional depth of characters varies, leading to a sense of disappointment for some, though nostalgic elements like the classic Nancy Drew music provide moments of joy. Overall, the game evokes a range of emotions, from excitement and nostalgia to frustration and heartbreak.

    • “It made me feel like, wow, I am really a detective, puzzling this all out.”
    • “It’s clear that someone on the narrative team is very emotionally invested in the Salem witch trials and needed some sort of outlet.”
    • “It's heartbreaking.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the slight variations in outcomes based on dialogue choices and multiple endings, many feel that it lacks the depth and quality of older titles in the franchise, resulting in limited incentive to replay. Some recommend purchasing it on sale for a casual experience, but caution against full-price expectations due to its perceived shortcomings in replay value.

    • “Your final dialogue choice slightly changes the outcome of the game and achievements, which adds replay value.”
    • “The three or four different ending choices gave the game a bit more replay value, similar to Ghost of Thornton Hall!”
    • “Buy it on sale and it's worthwhile to pass the time, but I would hesitate to recommend it at full price due to its limited replayability.”
    • “Like many players, I've grown up with these games and felt that, with the exception of a few titles (Sea of Darkness, Ghost of Thornton Hall), the most recent games were really lacking in quality and don't have the replay value the older titles do.”
    • “Buy it on sale and it's worthwhile to pass the time and a tentative thumbs up, but thumbs down for the full price cost or comparing it to the rest of the ND franchise or in terms of replayability (or lack thereof).”
    • “One in which I don't see much replay value afterwards.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

11hMedian play time
16hAverage play time
6-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 13 analyzed playthroughs

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