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The Haunted Carousel is a Lovable Classic
Despite being one of the older Nancy Drew games, this game never gets old. It has an intriguing premise that draws players in, a fun plot, and incredible characters. I feel like there’s a lot of pressure to make a fun game that takes place at amusement parks since amusement parks are by default fun places, but this game definitely delivers.
In this 8th installment, Nancy is hired by a friend of her Dad’s to investigate the incidents that have been happening at the friend’s amusement park. First, a horse was stolen off of the carousel, then the carousel began experiencing, “hauntings”, and then the roller coaster began malfunctioning as well. This premise definitely seems unoriginal, but the plot was executed so well, that it’s irrelevant.
The plot progresses mainly through two veins—from Nancy following leads that she discovers around the park and from solving riddles presented by a machine designed by the father of one of the characters. I’m a little conflicted about the machine because as always no one can figure out its riddles until Nancy steps in and saves the day. However, the machine sets Nancy off on some really interesting tasks that add a great deal to the story, and she still does a lot of investigating on her own. I also love the intricate history about the park. Nancy learns about the creator of the park’s carousel, the origins of the haunted house, and previous crimes that occurred within the park.
My favorite part about this game are the characters. After playing so many Nancy Drew games with mediocre characters, I was starting to forget what quality characters were like. The haunted Carousel definitely exemplifies them. All of the characters in this game have distinct personalities and unique backstories. There are also quite a few phone contacts that Nancy adds during the game. Though the conversations that Nancy has with these people are brief in comparison to the in-person characters, the game makers still managed to each person interesting and a pleasure to talk to.
There are very few puzzles in this game, but that’s not unusual in this era of Nancy Drew. Regardless, the game play is still exciting and has a lot of unique components. Nancy does a lot of fix-it work for the park, such as upgrading arcade games and fixing a card reader. My favorite is when she uses a lathe to recreate a broken piece from the carousel. She also orders food, plays games on the midway to earn prizes, and does a lot of exploration. I love how much of the park there is to explore in this game and how much there is to click on in each of the locations.
To any Nancy Drew fans that have yet to play this game, I strongly recommend it. There is so much fun and intrigue packed into this game that it is a true treasure to play.
In this 8th installment, Nancy is hired by a friend of her Dad’s to investigate the incidents that have been happening at the friend’s amusement park. First, a horse was stolen off of the carousel, then the carousel began experiencing, “hauntings”, and then the roller coaster began malfunctioning as well. This premise definitely seems unoriginal, but the plot was executed so well, that it’s irrelevant.
The plot progresses mainly through two veins—from Nancy following leads that she discovers around the park and from solving riddles presented by a machine designed by the father of one of the characters. I’m a little conflicted about the machine because as always no one can figure out its riddles until Nancy steps in and saves the day. However, the machine sets Nancy off on some really interesting tasks that add a great deal to the story, and she still does a lot of investigating on her own. I also love the intricate history about the park. Nancy learns about the creator of the park’s carousel, the origins of the haunted house, and previous crimes that occurred within the park.
My favorite part about this game are the characters. After playing so many Nancy Drew games with mediocre characters, I was starting to forget what quality characters were like. The haunted Carousel definitely exemplifies them. All of the characters in this game have distinct personalities and unique backstories. There are also quite a few phone contacts that Nancy adds during the game. Though the conversations that Nancy has with these people are brief in comparison to the in-person characters, the game makers still managed to each person interesting and a pleasure to talk to.
There are very few puzzles in this game, but that’s not unusual in this era of Nancy Drew. Regardless, the game play is still exciting and has a lot of unique components. Nancy does a lot of fix-it work for the park, such as upgrading arcade games and fixing a card reader. My favorite is when she uses a lathe to recreate a broken piece from the carousel. She also orders food, plays games on the midway to earn prizes, and does a lot of exploration. I love how much of the park there is to explore in this game and how much there is to click on in each of the locations.
To any Nancy Drew fans that have yet to play this game, I strongly recommend it. There is so much fun and intrigue packed into this game that it is a true treasure to play.