Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch (lost inaccessible iOS gamebook app; 2011)

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Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries- Shadow Ranch - iPhone Front Cover.jpeg

iPhone app design for Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch.

Status: Lost

Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch (hereafter referred to as Shadow Ranch; also commonly abbreviated as iSHA) is the first and only installment of the Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries gamebook series developed by Her Interactive. Originally slated for release during the 2010 holiday season,[1] Shadow Ranch was released on February 23, 2011 to iOS 3.0 and 3.2 on the Apple App Store for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad devices.[2][3] A Lite version of the app, which enabled users to play the first chapter of the game for free, was released on April 11, 2011.[4]

Compatibility Issues and Availability

Sometime around 2014, Shadow Ranch began facing compatibility issues. This is evidenced by a post from April 5, 2014 on Her Interactive's Amateur Sleuth Blog titled "Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch", directing readers to contact Apple Support "[i]f you are experiencing technical problems with iTunes, the Apple App Store, or your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch."[5]

Since at least 2015, both the full version and the Lite version of Shadow Ranch have not been available in the App Store,[6][7] and some fans who had downloaded the app previously began reporting issues where they could not navigate past the main menu, making the game unplayable.[8]

Calina Herman (a.k.a. Little Jackalope), former Her Interactive marketing intern and marketing coordinator,[9] indicated on her personal website and in a comment on the Amateur Sleuth Blog that Shadow Ranch is no longer available in the App Store because it is incompatible with the latest iOS.[10][11] Nancy Drew Walkthroughs alleges that the app was discontinued in 2014.[12]

On November 10, 2017, Little Jackalope indicated in a comment on the Amateur Sleuth Blog that it is possible that Shadow Ranch will be re-released, although there were no plans to do so at the time.[11]

Lost Material

Currently, the full version and the Lite version of the Shadow Ranch app are lost and cannot be downloaded or purchased on iOS devices.[11] Although there may still be some iOS devices with the full version and/or the Lite version of the app installed, there is no evidence that either of these have been made accessible online.

Found Material

Although the Shadow Ranch apps themselves are currently lost, several images and videos of the game still exist online. These include the following:

  • 3 images of the app designs:
    • 1 for the iPhone/iPod Touch version[12] (high quality)
    • 1 for the iPad version (which includes the text "HD")[12] (high quality)
    • 1 for the Lite version (which includes the text "Lite")[13] (low quality)
  • Screenshot of the opening screen[12]
  • 6 promotional images showing screenshots from the game[2][12]
  • 3 promotional images that do not use screenshots from the game[12]
  • 2 wallpapers[12]
  • Official game trailer uploaded by Her Interactive[14]
  • Game commercial uploaded by Her Interactive[15]
  • Promotional contest video called "Nancy Drew: Case of the Missing iPad" by Her Interactive [16]
  • 6 promotional videos called the "Nancy Drew Radio Mysteries" by Her Interactive [17]
  • 2 soundtrack videos:
    • Partial original soundtrack uploaded by girldetective.org[18]
    • Full original soundtrack uploaded by Nancy Drew Walkthroughs[19]
  • Full, 54-video walkthrough by arglefumph[20]

Gallery

Images

Videos

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References

  1. iSHA announcement of the gamebook. Retrieved 26 Mar '22
  2. 2.0 2.1 iSHA Product information page. Retrieved 26 Mar '22
  3. iSHA launch announcement. Retrieved 26 Mar '22
  4. iSHA Lite launch announcement. Retrieved 26 Mar '22
  5. Amateur Sleuth Blog: "Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch" (2014-04-05) Retrieved Mar '22
  6. iSHA game review, including a note that the game was no longer available for download. Retrieved 26 Mar '22
  7. iSHA Community Forums post, inquiring about whether the game can still be purchased. Retrieved 26 Mar '22
  8. iSHA Community Forums post, indicating issue with moving past the opening screen. Retrieved 26 Mar '22
  9. Calina Herman Farewell announcement. Retrieved 26 Mar '22
  10. iSHA Information Page by Calina Herman. Retrieved 27 Mar '22
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Amateur Sleuth Blog post, including comment from L.J. about iSHA not being available in the App Store. Retrieved 27 Mar '22
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 iSHA information page by Nancy Drew Walkthroughs. Retrieved 26 Mar '22
  13. iSHA Lite page on Formid Apps, including an image of the Lite version app design. Retrieved 27 Mar '22
  14. iSHA official trailer. Retrieved 27 Mar '22
  15. iSHA commercial uploaded by Her Interactive. Retrieved 27 Mar '22
  16. Nancy Drew: Case of the Missing iPad video. Retrieved 27 Mar '22
  17. Nancy Drew Radio Mysteries video playlist by John Hudson. Retrieved 27 Mar '22
  18. iSHA Partial Soundtrack uploaded by girldetective.org. Retrieved 27 Mar '22
  19. iSHA official soundtrack. Retrieved 27 Mar '22
  20. iSHA full walkthrough video playlist by arglefumph. Retrieved 27 Mar '22