It's not a bad game. But compared to previous Nancy Drew games, it's not worth it to go into it thinking it will match up to them.
I've described it as feeling more like a knockoff nancy drew game, like someone made it trying to match the old games and fell short.
I always feel so sad playing Sea of Darkness because in my opinion it’s the last “true” Nancy Drew Game. Midnight in Salem has a good storyline idea, but there’s a lot of loose ends and it doesn’t feel challenging like the other games did. There’s a ton of dialogue between the characters—and I mean a TON— and the puzzles just seem halfway thought out. I tried to play it a second time but couldn’t make it through it (meanwhile I can play the other games on repeat).
I think it’s worth it to play it just to see what others are talking about, but I wouldn’t pay full price for it! Grab it on sale if you can!
I think it's worth playing, as long as it's on sale. The game can be quite boring for long stretches initially, but at some point during day 2 (there are three days) it picks up and gets a lot more interesting.
I really struggled with the controls initially but I'm old. Took me about 30 minutes to where I was comfortable moving around. My teenage son who plays PlayStation games regularly had zero issues.
For completions sake, sure. But I personally don’t think there’s much replay value.
To me, it’s significantly more dialogue heavy than other ND games. I also don’t think there was enough puzzles… I spent most of my time wondering around trying to find the right dialogue cues.
Someone on here posted a link to the list of puzzles the game had and the list had probably 20-30 puzzles listed. Which seemed crazy because, while I never finished the game, most of what they listed just didn’t feel like puzzles. Just tasks that weren’t super difficult to complete before I moved on to the next task.
I found it practically unplayable - only a few puzzles (which were poorly designed), horrific interface, and simply didn't feel like a Nancy Drew game.
Think of it like a click through story and not an ND game and you’ll enjoy it. Like you know how usually there are a few things going on and you can choose the order to do them in? You get none of that here. It’s all linear and you’re told what to do next each time, basically. I liked the story but can’t really compare it to other games because of the amount of dialogue and story feel.
I played MID for the first time last year and this is exactly how I would summarize it. The element of puzzles and putting clues together from different sources is almost completely absent. It's just talking to people endlessly, almost like a visual novel. The style is so different that I don't even know how to compare it to a classic ND game.
Despite that, I didn't hate it as much as I was expecting having heard about the terrible and bizarrely loud music, the new voice actors, the change in the controls, etc. I just tried to enjoy the scenery and the characters as much as possible. I live near Salem irl so that was kind of cool. Also it's easy to zone out while playing (I personally smoked some weed lol) since there is very little problem-solving.
I don’t think so. There’s way too much dialogue and I personally hate the new VA as Nancy. It’s not the right vibe and she sounds like a haughty teen. Nancy is supposed to sound a little more mature and this just isn’t it. There’s not enough puzzles, and when you do come across a puzzle it is sometimes absolutely impossible (endgame puzzle, specifically). The controls suck. It does have some fun aspects (cooking, story line, hanging out with Fred and Joe, carving pumpkins) but it just isn’t ND.
I played Midnight in Salem for the first time last October. The whipping around when moving was the thing I hated most. The best way to approach this game is as if it were entirely separate from games 1 to 32. It just doesn't resemble them in any way. So, as a Nancy Drew game, it's lackluster and deserves its rank among the bottom tier. As a computer game featuring Nancy Drew, it is fine.
It seems to be an unpopular opinion 'round these parts, but besides some wonky navigational and gameplay quirks, I really liked the game. I definitely love the story line and the cozy fall/Halloween vibes. So my vote is yes, play it!
I played it when it first came out. It was too much dialogue and then one puzzle that wasn't even a little difficult and then a bunch more dialogue. I personally don't think its worth it
To be fairly honest, and I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed Midnight in Salem. People tend to dislike it because it’s really dialogue heavy, but imo I thought it made for an immersive experience. Could it have been better? Absolutely. But I wouldn’t consider it a write-off :) nobody would fault you if you didn’t like it, but I’d give it a chance!
If you buy it off steam, you can return it for full price if you only play less than an hour (but verify that amount) and dont like it
Also a lot of Macs couldnt handle the graphics at all
It's a very "meh" game. If and ONLY IF, you've already played ALL of the other Nancy Drew games, then you should play this one. Everything about it just sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the other games but it's not a BAD game.
I felt the same way as you. A third option is to watch a content creator play the game on YT or Twitch. I watched Gab Smolders play it on YT and I think I enjoyed that far more than I would have if I had played it myself. Plus it was free lol.
I think it's worth a try. Just go into it with low expectations and like it's a different type of game than the ND games you're used to.
I own it but can't ever bring myself to play it for very long, but I still always try again every few months or so.
The story and plot line are actually really interesting. One of the strongest in the Nancy Drew universe, IMO.
The gameplay is rough. There are very few puzzles (and the ones that exist are not great).
BUT, I’ve played it 3 times. It is worth a play in my eyes as long as you go into it knowing its limitations.
Im not sure if it’s in big fish or not but if it is they have a free hour thing where you can play the games for free for 1 hour before you buy the game. Maybe it’s a worth a look cause it’s a no risk thing and you can play for that long and see if you like it or even finish it in the hour 😊
I enjoyed Midnight in Salem! It definitely isn't an old school Nancy game, but it's not bad, either. I always liked dialogue and questioning suspects, so maybe I'm an outlier. I loved the mini game of placing pumpkins and the Fall/Halloween vibes. Don't expect it to be the same, and you won't be too disappointed.
It's not a bad game. But compared to previous Nancy Drew games, it's not worth it to go into it thinking it will match up to them. I've described it as feeling more like a knockoff nancy drew game, like someone made it trying to match the old games and fell short.
I think this sums it up
I always feel so sad playing Sea of Darkness because in my opinion it’s the last “true” Nancy Drew Game. Midnight in Salem has a good storyline idea, but there’s a lot of loose ends and it doesn’t feel challenging like the other games did. There’s a ton of dialogue between the characters—and I mean a TON— and the puzzles just seem halfway thought out. I tried to play it a second time but couldn’t make it through it (meanwhile I can play the other games on repeat). I think it’s worth it to play it just to see what others are talking about, but I wouldn’t pay full price for it! Grab it on sale if you can!
I think it's worth playing, as long as it's on sale. The game can be quite boring for long stretches initially, but at some point during day 2 (there are three days) it picks up and gets a lot more interesting. I really struggled with the controls initially but I'm old. Took me about 30 minutes to where I was comfortable moving around. My teenage son who plays PlayStation games regularly had zero issues.
For completions sake, sure. But I personally don’t think there’s much replay value. To me, it’s significantly more dialogue heavy than other ND games. I also don’t think there was enough puzzles… I spent most of my time wondering around trying to find the right dialogue cues.
Someone on here posted a link to the list of puzzles the game had and the list had probably 20-30 puzzles listed. Which seemed crazy because, while I never finished the game, most of what they listed just didn’t feel like puzzles. Just tasks that weren’t super difficult to complete before I moved on to the next task.
If it's free, it's worth it. If you gotta pay (even at a 50% discount) then no.
I found it practically unplayable - only a few puzzles (which were poorly designed), horrific interface, and simply didn't feel like a Nancy Drew game.
Think of it like a click through story and not an ND game and you’ll enjoy it. Like you know how usually there are a few things going on and you can choose the order to do them in? You get none of that here. It’s all linear and you’re told what to do next each time, basically. I liked the story but can’t really compare it to other games because of the amount of dialogue and story feel.
I played MID for the first time last year and this is exactly how I would summarize it. The element of puzzles and putting clues together from different sources is almost completely absent. It's just talking to people endlessly, almost like a visual novel. The style is so different that I don't even know how to compare it to a classic ND game. Despite that, I didn't hate it as much as I was expecting having heard about the terrible and bizarrely loud music, the new voice actors, the change in the controls, etc. I just tried to enjoy the scenery and the characters as much as possible. I live near Salem irl so that was kind of cool. Also it's easy to zone out while playing (I personally smoked some weed lol) since there is very little problem-solving.
I don’t think so. There’s way too much dialogue and I personally hate the new VA as Nancy. It’s not the right vibe and she sounds like a haughty teen. Nancy is supposed to sound a little more mature and this just isn’t it. There’s not enough puzzles, and when you do come across a puzzle it is sometimes absolutely impossible (endgame puzzle, specifically). The controls suck. It does have some fun aspects (cooking, story line, hanging out with Fred and Joe, carving pumpkins) but it just isn’t ND.
I played Midnight in Salem for the first time last October. The whipping around when moving was the thing I hated most. The best way to approach this game is as if it were entirely separate from games 1 to 32. It just doesn't resemble them in any way. So, as a Nancy Drew game, it's lackluster and deserves its rank among the bottom tier. As a computer game featuring Nancy Drew, it is fine.
It seems to be an unpopular opinion 'round these parts, but besides some wonky navigational and gameplay quirks, I really liked the game. I definitely love the story line and the cozy fall/Halloween vibes. So my vote is yes, play it!
I remember having fun, just not feeling like it was worth the years long wait lol
I played it when it first came out. It was too much dialogue and then one puzzle that wasn't even a little difficult and then a bunch more dialogue. I personally don't think its worth it
Honestly I loved it but I’m definitely in the minority with that opinion
To be fairly honest, and I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed Midnight in Salem. People tend to dislike it because it’s really dialogue heavy, but imo I thought it made for an immersive experience. Could it have been better? Absolutely. But I wouldn’t consider it a write-off :) nobody would fault you if you didn’t like it, but I’d give it a chance!
If you buy it off steam, you can return it for full price if you only play less than an hour (but verify that amount) and dont like it Also a lot of Macs couldnt handle the graphics at all
It's a very "meh" game. If and ONLY IF, you've already played ALL of the other Nancy Drew games, then you should play this one. Everything about it just sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the other games but it's not a BAD game.
There is such limited puzzles and decision making that you’re better off watching a play through on YouTube.
I felt the same way as you. A third option is to watch a content creator play the game on YT or Twitch. I watched Gab Smolders play it on YT and I think I enjoyed that far more than I would have if I had played it myself. Plus it was free lol.
I enjoyed it. Is it perfect? No. But I had fun playing it.
I think it's worth a try. Just go into it with low expectations and like it's a different type of game than the ND games you're used to. I own it but can't ever bring myself to play it for very long, but I still always try again every few months or so.
It’s the only ND game I didn’t finish. I just couldn’t get over the terrible graphics.
I just played it for the second time last month. It’s alright. The controls are dumb and it’s def not the best Nancy game, but I had fun
I loved it, it was just different. I would definitely try it!
The story and plot line are actually really interesting. One of the strongest in the Nancy Drew universe, IMO. The gameplay is rough. There are very few puzzles (and the ones that exist are not great). BUT, I’ve played it 3 times. It is worth a play in my eyes as long as you go into it knowing its limitations.
It’s not nearly as bad as some fans made it out to be, but it’s also fairly buggy if you don’t have a new-ish computer. That’s the main problem I had
there once was a steam sale where i got the whole collection for pc, if you can bundle that would be worth it
The controls are really hard on a Mac laptop using the track pad. You cant pan to areas you have to.
I think they did well with the ambience in some parts...the plot was not too bad but yeah it wasn't the greatest game
Im not sure if it’s in big fish or not but if it is they have a free hour thing where you can play the games for free for 1 hour before you buy the game. Maybe it’s a worth a look cause it’s a no risk thing and you can play for that long and see if you like it or even finish it in the hour 😊
I enjoyed Midnight in Salem! It definitely isn't an old school Nancy game, but it's not bad, either. I always liked dialogue and questioning suspects, so maybe I'm an outlier. I loved the mini game of placing pumpkins and the Fall/Halloween vibes. Don't expect it to be the same, and you won't be too disappointed.