Dark Fall: Ghost Vigil

Point and Click and Adventure players rejoice!
+Story, story, story!
+Graphics
+Atmosphere
+Play Length
+Controls
+Unique new gadgets!
+Multiple endings
+Easter Eggs
If you are a fan of The Lost Crown, (we are) you will recognize the ghost hunting gadgets we have. Those gadgets have been updated to 2020 technology, and there are new ones as well; you have an iPad!
Note that you needn’t have played The Lost Crown, but there are old friends and Easter Eggs in Ghost Vigil for those that have.
This is a spooky complex story about what used to be a children’s home. That in itself tells you it will be spooky. The atmosphere is perfect: the mansion has seen dark days and you will discover all that transpired there
You begin your expedition in the small attic of an abandoned mansion. The game explodes, and you are no longer just in the attic but have access to a large, and at times beautiful mansion. What you see depends on the era.
.
Puzzles:
Get your notepad out! Literally, “pencil and paper children!” as the Matron would say.
There are many puzzles to work through. You have what you need to solve them. Some puzzles are quite tricky so pay attention.
The sounds are perfect. Footprints sound like footprints; wind sounds like wind.
Thank you for a manual save system in addition to an auto-save! There are nine save slots that can be overwritten.
The tablet (one of our new gadgets) provides you with a good description of the ghost hunting tools you will use.
The game ran seamlessly with no crashes despite alt+tabbing, popping in and out of Discord.
There are some scenes in the game that you will want to replay because the graphics are so amazing. (and you can!).
Your inner child will have a great time at the interactive playground. Look around for something special there.
There are no jump scares by the way; this game is atmosphere and story
This game introduces new voices that are really enjoyable! Favorites were “The Matron” and “Jen”.
Estimated playtime for the game without a walk-through is 15-20 hours.

I've only gotten about one third of the way through but heartily recommend this artistically amazing, many layered and engrossing game. If you love good adventure games that have a great story, environment and voice acting you'll love this. For those familiar with the Darkfall series, no doubt you already have this wonderful addition . Others have written excellent reviews, just wanted to add my enthusiastic two cents. Get it! Edited.....
Finished, it, loved it.....
Got the ending that I wanted too. Such a fun game. So good for the little brain cells.....
I will definitely be playing it again and before that, think I must roll out Lost Crown to play again too....

I got my copy of Ghost Vigil directly from the developers before it released here on Steam, so I have been spending the last week playing through the game. ( I probably have at least 8 hrs invested so far)
It's your first investigation with the OPG and what better place than a huge, abandoned, asbestos and ghost filled house! This game is massive! There is so much to explore and experiment with, including a whole arsenal of realistic ghost hunting gadgets. The non-linear path, randomized puzzle solutions, and three different endings makes each gamer's experience unique and great for replayability.
There are several easter eggs hidden throughout, so keep your eyes peeled.
Bonus fun: there is a fully interactable playground!
Dark Fall: Ghost Vigil is everything you would expect (and want) in a game from DarklingRoom. Hauntingly beautiful location, unsettling atmosphere, challenging puzzles, intriguing story line that leaves you thinking & wanting more. It makes a wonderful and spooky addition to the Dark Fall series. Two ghostly thumbs up!
My copy of the game was free, because I voice one of the characters, but there is still a lot that I had to discover on my own. So just like a newbie investigator, I too was left in the dark.

**DISCLAIMER** Whilst the version I'm playing on Steam was a gift, I also purchased a copy directly from the Shadow Tor store on the day of release.
Having said that, here goes with my first ever review.
I was fortunate (and honoured) to be invited to play a pre-release version of this game and as a big fan of the Dark Fall, Lost Crown and Barrow Hill series it certainly didn't disappoint.
Considering Jonathan Boakes' first mention of Ghost Vigil was as a supplemental extra to the release of his first ever game, The Displacement*, it's come a long way since those days to become a fully fledged, worthy addition to the Dark Fall series.
The puzzles require all the usual note taking (or in my case photos as I can't draw for toffee) and I love the introduction of the ghost gadgets from The Lost Crown into a classic Dark Fall setting. The history of Harwood House/Shangri-La unravels as you proceed, reading every note and investigating every corner with your equipment.
There are no 'jump scares' per-se, but a couple of disturbing sequences, more related to the background sounds than graphics. Having said that, these are no worse than anything you'd experience in Dark Fall: Lost Souls so if you were OK with that game you'll have no problems. There is no gore here. What there is, is a classic point-and-click adventure full of creepy atmosphere and nicely balanced puzzles. Some are more complex than others but all the clues are provided if you take the time to explore and make good use of your gadgets.
Fans of The Lost Crown and previous Dark Fall games will see some familiar names and faces as they progress which is a nice touch, but there is no previous experience of those games required to play and enjoy this one.
At the end of the credits, there's a touching tribute to Jonathan Boakes' sister Jo who passed around this time last year. She was very much a part of his previous games and I'm sure she approves of this one.
* You get a bonus copy of The Displacement and an environmental soundtrack from Ghost Vigil if you purchase directly from Shadow Tor. You also get a Steam key.

Played the game last week when it was released on the developers own website. I enjoyed it so much that I binge played it with a group of friends over a couple of days.
It's a tight focused story based around one location with a lot of nooks and cranies to explore, ghosts to hunt and Curly Wurly's to gaze at longingly.
Spent way too much time on the slide and roundabout in the playground to get away from the scary happenings inside the haunted mansion.
It still amazes me that this is more or less a two man team that produces these games, but from what was originally a small project this has grown into a full size Dark Fall sequel and probably my favourite of the series to date.
Highly recommended.

Really loved this game! Played the full game from ShadowTors store and bought a Steam copy as well and am replaying.
You don't need to have played the other Dark Fall games to enjoy this one. Playing DF Ghost Vigil may inspire you to play the others. The story was very well done. Dark and spooky but not a blood splatter fest or full of jump scares. The house you are investigating has a long history so there are layers upon layers of inhabitants, ghosts and evil deeds to learn about which all tie together as you explore.This is an easy to maneuver point and click system The game world is pretty large. It is organized very well and so not easy to get lost. You even get maps - just in case.
The graphics were crisp and clear with a great attention to detail. There are a ton of "little things" to notice and appreciate. The voiceovers were also very well done.
The puzzles ranged from simple to very complex. Time to bring out a notepad or take lots and lots of screenshots. The clues found might not be used until later in the game so keeping track as you find them helps from having to backtrack later.
Bottom line: It took me about 17 hours to do my first playthrough, The story got me completely hooked and I was excited to move forward. The puzzles were creative and fun. I wanted to take the time to figure out the complex puzzles since they were so linked to the unfolding of the story even if some of them to me a while to figure out. I enjoyed myself from start to finish. I do recommend this game very much and feel it is well worth the price for a great haunting story, game quality, puzzle challenge and game length!

Fantastically fun and... sometimes a bit too challenging. The good outweighs the bad! You totally need to check this one out!