Jake Hunter Detective Story: Ghost of the Dusk

Jake Hunter Detective Story: Ghost of the Dusk
Developer(s)	Arc System Works
Publisher(s)	Arc System Works, Aksys Games
Series	Jake Hunter
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Release	JP: August 31, 2017 NA: September 28, 2018
Genre(s)	Visual novel, adventure game
Mode(s)	Single-player

Jake Hunter Detective Story: Ghost of the Dusk is a visual novel adventure game developed and published by Arc System Works and Aksys Games in the United States. The game is part of the Jake Hunter series of detective games. It was released for Nintendo 3DS in August 31, 2017 in Japan, and September 28, 2018 in the United States.^[1] It received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the game's linearity and thought its gameplay was outdated.

The game received an aggregate score of 65/100 on Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[1]

Tris Mendoza of RPGFan rated the game 70/100 points, calling it "criminally predictable and painfully easy", and saying it compared poorly to similar games such as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice. While praising the game's music, he said that it could not save the game's story from "mediocrity".^[2]

CJ Andriessen of Destructoid rated the game 6/10 points, calling the game "not the best but not the worst". He noted that while the game opened teasing a haunted house supernatural element, it ultimately became less interesting as the game progressed and the premise was revealed as more conventional. He also criticized the inconsistencies between the American setting of the localization and the Japanese setting of the original. Calling the touch controls a surprisingly poor way to play the game, he stated the circle pad worked better. Additionally, he called questioning people too easy, with obvious answers. He summed the game up as having some "neat designs", but overall being "outdated and in desperate need of a refresh".^[3]

Pascal Tekaia of Adventure Gamers rated the game 2.5/5 stars, stating that it was unengaging and would not likely bring the series new fans in the West. Saying that the game's main case was interesting, he nevertheless called the side cases largely unrelated. Saying the game was rarely exciting, he criticized its handholding mentality.^[4]