Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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66 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Disappointment, November 24, 2006
I love the Nancy Drew games, and I own every one. I bought this game, with high hopes--then I finished it in only one day. It was that simple. Yes, like all Nancy Drew games there were interesting characters, amazing graphics, and intriguing puzzles, but those good things failed to even out the bad. The game was over much too quickly. The problem of the game was too simple and seemingly unimportant. There was not much to do, and the three or so mandatory tasks were monotonous and dull. While the character-switch Her Interactive offered was interesting, it could also be very confusing. The characters, though interesting, were not as thoroughly developed as in the other Nancy Drew games. And what I consider the worst fault of all, the ending of the game was absolutely horrid. It was by far the worst of all the games in its series. There was no action, or chase, or anything that really needed a brain or quick thinking. It was just over. While the Nancy Drew games are an amazing series as a whole, this game just left me wondering, "What was Her Interactive thinking?" I would recommend this game only to the die-hard Nancy Drew fans. To those of you merely seeking a fun and entertaining game, look at some of the other Nancy Drew games. I believe that "The Curse of Blackmoor Manor", "The Secret of Shadow Ranch", and "The Secret of the Scarlet Hand" are the best.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very Disappointing, November 11, 2006
Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars
I've been a fan of these games since the first one - Secrets Can Kill - came out. I've played them all.
I'm not at all sure what's happened to the games, though. While the graphics have steadily improved, the puzzles, plot, and gameplay have really gone downhill.
The first game, "Secrets Can Kill" had pretty horrific graphics, but the story was compelling and there were some fabulous puzzles in it.
Things really picked up with the second game, "Stay Tuned for Danger". Better graphics and a very interesting story, very cool puzzles, great plot.
I can absolutely recommend Games 2 (Stay Tuned for Danger), 3 (Message in a Haunted Mansion), 4 (Treasure in the Royal Tower), 5 (The Final Scene), 6 (Secret of the Scarlet Hand), 7 (Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake), 9 (Danger on Deception Island), and 10 (Secret of Shadow Ranch).
These games are similar in length and have interesting puzzles. Lots of areas where you can snoop around - which I really enjoy.
Game #8 (The Haunted Carousel) is interesting and has wonderful graphics, but is awfully short.
I did not at all enjoy #11 (Curse of Blackmoor Manor) as I found it way too difficult. I also cannot really recommend #12 (Secret of the Old Clock). It was too short and repetitive.
I did somewhat enjoy #13 (Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon) and #14 (Danger by Design) but they were nowhere near the quality of the earlier games in terms of plot or puzzles.
And now, we have #15. Outstanding graphics, but way too short. The amount of repetition of puzzles in order to advance drove me completely crazy. I don't mind Nancy running about doing errands to help people (for that, I thought Games 3 and 4 had it perfectly balanced). But I like each task to be different and interesting. Not mind-numbingly repetitive and boring.
This seems to be a factor of the more recent games - delivering telegrams in Game #12, painting pictures in Game #14, and now finding seashells and making necklaces in this game.
I miss looking for clues. Putting together evidence for a purpose. I miss puzzles that actually are woven into the fabric of the plot and are there to advance the game. It seems like the repetition now might be so that it can be said that this game took X number of hours to complete.
I also miss learning useful things.
In #1, I learned about American Sign Language
In #3, I learned about Chinese symbols and the San Francisco earthquake
In #4, I learned about latitude and longitude and how a sextant works
In #6, I learned SO much about the Maya and how to work a HAM radio
In #7, I learned about Roman Numerals and Prohibition
In #8, I learned how to make invisible writing!
In #9, I learned how to work a HAM radio and about Pacific Northwest sea animals
After that, well, I didn't really learn very much of anything useful in any of the later games.
If you've never played a Nancy Drew game, please, please, PLEASE do yourself a favor and start with one of the earlier games (although probably not the very first one - the graphics aren't as good and switching discs can be highly annoying). But give #2 - 9 a try; you won't be disappointed!
Oh please, Her Interactive, PLEASE go back to the way they used to be structured. I'd gladly sacrifice some of the improved graphics if it meant regaining some plot, cohesion, or integrated, interesting puzzles.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A pale shadow of former greats like "Danger on Deception Island", January 2, 2007
Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars
I've played every one of Her Interactive's Nancy Drew games, and except for the last two or three, loved all of them. Her Interactive offers pre-teen girls the chance to use brainpower, not firepower, and to pick up various educational tidbits that tie into the games. The graphics and voicework have steadily improved from the very first Nancy Drew game Secrets Can Kill, but the last three games (Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, Danger By Design, and Creature of Kapu Cave) have seen some backsliding in tired puzzles, monotonous find-the-object and perform-the-task-to-get-the-needed-object, and the lack of suspense that made games like Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake and Message in a Haunted Mansion great.
Creature of Kapu Cave finds Nancy on an assignment in Hawaii, land of swaying palm trees, hula dancers, and pristine beaches....but you'll have to read travel brochures if you want to see any of those things. The "beach" in the game is pitifully small and doesn't allow for exploration beyond collecting seashells--and most of the time, you end up going back and forth to the beach to collect the same shell. Nancy is working as an intern for Quigley Kim, an aspiring entomologist. Nancy also investigates a mysterious genius with serious anger-management issues. But where is the mystery? The intrigue? The "I'm being followed by something creepy" moments?
One nice feature is the ability to switch between Nancy and the Hardy Boys by calling each other on your cell phone. Navigation is done via "GPS." Nice concept, but the animation quickly grew repetitive every time I needed to select another location.
Most of your time is spent in the jungle collecting frass. What is frass? To put it delicately...bug poop. Yes, Nancy spends a frustrating amount of time collecting and analyzing bug poop. Frank and Joe Hardy are undercover, checking up on Big Island Mike and Pua Mapu. Mike runs Big Island Mike's Excursions, a sort of barter economy where you catch fish and make seashell necklaces to earn Big Island Bucks, which can then be traded in for souvenirs, fishing bait, and necklace supplies. Pua is an up-and-coming surf champ. Other than that, there is a noticeable lack of secondary characters and potential suspects.
The puzzles are the game's major weak point. Much of the game (at least half) feels like repetitive filler: making necklaces, collecting shells to make more necklaces, playing the annoying arcade game to win stuff to make more necklaces, and sitting around trying to catch fish. There were no "fun" puzzles: spending hours sorting through insect parts and bug poop does not count. There is also an optional arcade game, Wiki Tiki, which has the most annoying song ever heard in a video game. The game is based on Paper, Rock, Scissors, and is purely based on what the computer draws. Prizes include shark's teeth, which can be used in more expensive necklaces.
Also, there are very few locations to explore, and very restricted movement within those locations. The beach, for example, is about four or five clicks long. You're blocked from continuing down the beach by a fallen tree. This is Hawaii, so more beach to explore would have been nice. The jungle screens all looked the same. Similarly, Kapu Cave offered pretty scenery but little to explore or interact with.
Overall, the game felt...empty. The amount of mind-numbing, repetitive filler puzzles added nothing to the overall experience except frustration. The ending held no hint of mystery or a rewarding payoff. I can only hope that the next Nancy Drew title is a return to Her Interactive's glory days.
The Good:
+ Voice acting
+ Graphics
+ Music
The Bad:
- Length (very short)
- Weak puzzles (including at least one known bug)
- Weak story
- Noticeable lack of characters to investigate
- Limited locations and restricted freedom of movement
- No sense of mystery or suspense
- Two words: frass jars
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