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Overview: A student is found dead at Paseo del Mar High School and all of the evidence points to a murder. Nancy is sent undercover as a new student to find the killer.
Story: Good story, more mature than most of HI's other games. The story flowed smoothly with a few surprises.
THEN: A good story all around. No gore or outright violence kept it E.
NOW: The plot may questionable for younger players because the murder is treated very casually.
Ending: The ending seemed a little abrupt. Otherwise it neatly tied everything together.
THEN: The solution to the final puzzle seemed like anyone's natural instinct.
NOW: The final game scene may be considered too violent for younger players.
Graphics: 2D animated characters are superimposed upon 3D environments. A magnifying glass and a U-turn arrow are used for navigation.
THEN: Most 3D characters were stiff, rough-edged puppets. The smooth 2D characters make the game more inviting.
NOW: The graphics do not compare. The U-turn arrow has changed its function since, which might provide some confusion.
Dialogue: The choices are very simple phrases. The voice acting is wonderful.
THEN: The conversation choices make Nancy sound like a cop dumbing herself down so everyone will think she's a high school student. It make her sound unintelligent, rather than like the brilliant sleuth we all know that she really is.
NOW: The dialogue still could use some tweaking. The voice acting is still high quality by today's standards.
Characters: Quite a few essential stereotypes are included, all of them will be recognized by anyone who plays the game. The conversations are short and frequent.
THEN: The game includes the Golden Boy, the jock, the tough girl, and the overachieving nerd.
NOW: These stereotypes still hold up in every high school.
Puzzles: There are few puzzles in the whole game. The solutions range from obvious to mildly taxing.
THEN: The puzzles seemed unique and creative.
NOW: Not all of the puzzles aged well, such as one involving a video tape.
Replay value: The game features multiple conversation paths and hidden puzzles to find.
THEN: All the hidden messages were fun and the was always another to find and decode.
NOW: The conversations are rather unengaging, no matter what path is chosen. All of the messages have been found and the translations are available online.
Conclusion: A must-play for any Nancy Drew fans, as this game started it all. Swapping the discs is annoying. This game might be better suited to slightly older players because of its mature subject matter. Players might be interested in all of the random facts that can be learned in the library. Otherwise, this game is still fun 12 years later.
Story: Good story, more mature than most of HI's other games. The story flowed smoothly with a few surprises.
THEN: A good story all around. No gore or outright violence kept it E.
NOW: The plot may questionable for younger players because the murder is treated very casually.
Ending: The ending seemed a little abrupt. Otherwise it neatly tied everything together.
THEN: The solution to the final puzzle seemed like anyone's natural instinct.
NOW: The final game scene may be considered too violent for younger players.
Graphics: 2D animated characters are superimposed upon 3D environments. A magnifying glass and a U-turn arrow are used for navigation.
THEN: Most 3D characters were stiff, rough-edged puppets. The smooth 2D characters make the game more inviting.
NOW: The graphics do not compare. The U-turn arrow has changed its function since, which might provide some confusion.
Dialogue: The choices are very simple phrases. The voice acting is wonderful.
THEN: The conversation choices make Nancy sound like a cop dumbing herself down so everyone will think she's a high school student. It make her sound unintelligent, rather than like the brilliant sleuth we all know that she really is.
NOW: The dialogue still could use some tweaking. The voice acting is still high quality by today's standards.
Characters: Quite a few essential stereotypes are included, all of them will be recognized by anyone who plays the game. The conversations are short and frequent.
THEN: The game includes the Golden Boy, the jock, the tough girl, and the overachieving nerd.
NOW: These stereotypes still hold up in every high school.
Puzzles: There are few puzzles in the whole game. The solutions range from obvious to mildly taxing.
THEN: The puzzles seemed unique and creative.
NOW: Not all of the puzzles aged well, such as one involving a video tape.
Replay value: The game features multiple conversation paths and hidden puzzles to find.
THEN: All the hidden messages were fun and the was always another to find and decode.
NOW: The conversations are rather unengaging, no matter what path is chosen. All of the messages have been found and the translations are available online.
Conclusion: A must-play for any Nancy Drew fans, as this game started it all. Swapping the discs is annoying. This game might be better suited to slightly older players because of its mature subject matter. Players might be interested in all of the random facts that can be learned in the library. Otherwise, this game is still fun 12 years later.
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