The Underrated: Obscure Nerd Things That Deserve More Love
by Ariane Perideaux
Nancy Drew games.
Yep. I went ahead and told you straight from the jump. No use in drawing it out for paragraphs to come. On the off chance you have no idea what I’m talking about, Her Interactive crafts Nancy Drew Games that are both engaging and suspenseful, and if you’ve ever read a Nancy Drew book, then you have some idea of how intense these games can get (The Hardy Boys ain’t got ish on Nancy Drew...but I digress). There's 30+ games in their oeuvre and I'm still trying to collect all of them. The settings range from the set of a popular soap opera to a haunted mansion. There are 33 games, so results will vary-- but the ones I’ve played are pretty atmospheric and most of all, a lot of fun.
Gameplay
So when you first fire up this game, you have to choose the type of adventure you want. I always go straight for the "Senior Detective” mode ‘cause, you know... ba-dum-tsss-- I love a challenge. Next, you’re usually given a few tidbits of back story from Nancy (perfect Nancy Drew voiceover work by the talented Lani Minella, might I add) . After that you set off in search of clues to the latest mystery. The cursor is a magnifying glass and when you hover over something that needs more attention, the magnifying glass glows. Sometimes it’s useless information, but sometimes you think it's useless and you forgot to write down the numbers and it turns out that was the code to get into the safe that you've been trying to get into since the start of the game... again, I digress. It's in first person view and if you’re not careful, you can roll up on the wrong someone. I was sneaking around inside a building once and got the crap scared out of me when I turned around and someone was there.
I just peed a little.
Not only are you forever on the hunt for clues, but Nancy is constantly getting herself into other, more casually dangerous situations. If you mix the wrong chemicals or connect the wrong wire, it could mean game over for you. Plus Senior Detective is of course harder, so there are fewer clues given to puzzles and some of the NPCs downright useless.
Stanley P. Stuffypants here is clearly not gonna be terribly forthcoming with our old pal Nancy.
Design, Music, Controls
The game is designed so that you have to solve each clue before you can proceed to the next.That doesn't mean you don't have multiple clues or that you’re just stuck (though I have been for the majority of some of the games). You will walk back and forth in the same area scratching your head and combing through everything to make sure that you didn't miss anything and it can get aggravating, but it's so satisfying when you do finally see a clue you missed before. Your attention to detail needs to be on point. The music is pretty good, too. I wouldn't buy the soundtrack or anything, but there are always a couple of songs that I like from each of the games. As for the controls, is a menu-based puzzle game; you’re basically just using your mouse. I'm sure you could use your keyboard... but I suspect the mouse works way better.
Community There’s a pretty active (and growing) community with Her Interactive. The forum on the site has walkthroughs and moderators nearby that you can ask about parts of the game. They make sure to avoid spoilers, which is nice. Not saying I've looked at these forums for help... but I heard that people do that... Nah, I've totally looked and there are times after the fact where I was like “duh!” and there were times where I was amazed that some benign thing turned out to be the answer. It's a great place to talk and learn about the game.
Recommended if: You’re into suburban adventuring, solving mysteries, and just chillin’ out with a puzzle game that’s a bit more challenging than your average casual game.
(And I know I shaded the Hardy Boys earlier, but I would legit play a Hardy Boys game.)
Ariane is an actress, writer, and gamer who also works in computing. She makes time for streaming games on Twitch in between writing and working on various acting projects. Creating content and cuddling with her doggie are her favorite pastimes.
