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Treasure in the Royal TowerPlot
Nancy decides to take a little ski vacation to Wickford Castle located in snowy Wisconsin! Soon, she and the rest of the guests are snowed in! The historic library is vandalized and one of the guests rooms are robbed! So much for that vacation... Nancy finds herself in the middle of another case once she learns Marie Antoinette's tower from the Château Rochemont in France was taken apart and rebuilt into the castle. The entrance is hidden and sealed off. You, as Nancy Drew have to search the castle for clues, ask questions, and uncover hidden secrets before something else happens!
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I love this plot! Probably because I love French history specifically surrounding Marie Antoinette. I think her childhood and time spent as Queen is fascinating. It was refreshing that a real character was woven into the plot along with all the history you get to learn about her!
I give the plot 10/10!
Characters
Dexter Egan: The caretaker of Wickford Castle. Dexter was adopted by Ezra Wickford the former owner of the castle. He mostly stands behind the front desk, is very vague and a dash unfriendly. I feel he was gruff at first, not really happy that anyone, let alone Nancy is there and snowed in. If you need something, he's your guy. Of course he acts as anything you say to him is a huge inconvenience but I mean, it's his job. Perfect motive and above all great weirdo. He gives off a vibe that feels like he might be keeping a secret!
Professor Beatrice Hotchkiss: I feel as though "eccentric" just doesn't quite cut it. Professor Hotchkiss is entertaining, confusing, questionable and hilarious. Definitely a fan favorite as I've seen on the boards and a legendary character. The professor is writing a novel on the late Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. She loves French History, couscous and refuses to leave her room! Someone has robbed her but does she know more than she's letting on?
Lisa Ostrum: A photojournalist who is writing an article about old Mid-Western mansions. Lisa is always seen in the sitting area, right next to the fire place, left of the front desk if you're standing at it. A magazine in hand at all times, she loves to gossip with Nancy. She reminds me of a girl stuck in high school. If you get her mad enough, she'll refuse to talk to you! Albeit lively, Lisa doesn't really bring that much to the table in terms of "interesting" characters. She's just there to dish on the other inhabitants and not really help. Does she have an ulterior motive for being at this castle?
Jacques Brunais: A former French Olympic Skier who's career ended in sorrow, Jacques is now a ski instructor at the castle. I liked how he was French, keeping up with all the French history surrounded in this game. He definitely comes up with some silly one-liners and shamelessly flirts with Nancy but he's a solid character. I would've liked if we could go skiing with him, but we were snowed in. I also like how he calls his fiancé Isabelle "mon petit chou" or "my little cabbage"-adorable! Could there be more than meets the eye when it comes to this charmer?
I really love this cast! Such a smattering of different people, personalities, and traits. Everyone has an extensive background, they all have motives and everyone could be a possible suspect. I truly liked talking to each and every person (besides Dexter at first, although I felt he sort of softened as time went on). My favorite was probably a tie between the professor whom I had to get used to at first and Jacques. His voice, the way he would say things, and his funny one-liners made speaking with him enjoyable each time. There were times when he wasn't there, or Lisa wouldn't talk with you, Dexter had nothing to say and Professor Hotchkiss would ignore your incessant knocks, but that was only because I had to do something in the game.
I give the characters 9/10!
Graphics/Scenery
Easy on the eyes! It was a definite step up from FIN. The characters were more easy, sure you could say a tad stiff but c'mon, this was only the 4th installment. I say, brava. I thought HeR did great!
The only scenery is a garden outside, a shed outside & the castle. Obviously, you're snowed in so there isn't anywhere else to go. But that's ok because the whole point is to search for a way inside the tower! The castle has more than enough space to explore, there are a lot of rooms/elevators/secret passageways and a basement to see, so don't worry if you think there's not many places to go.
I give graphics/scenery 8/10!
Puzzles/Activities
This is where things get tricky for me, but that's just because puzzles can be hard for me when they're easy for others. I definitely had to look up cheats & walkthroughs when I was stuck, I even took a year off from playing as I got so frustrated (and didn't realize there were message boards with the answers) haha. But to each their own. Once I re-played the game I found that it wasn't all that difficult, maybe I was too young! There is always something to do, so if you're just wandering around aimlessly that probably means you missed something or still have yet to do something. Always call your phone buddies (Bess Marvin, George Fayne & Ned Nickerson) for hints, or question the characters until they have nothing to say, or if you're desperate and nothing seems to be working, check the message boards or walkthroughs they will help immensely before you throw your computer out the window.
I give puzzles/activities 6/10!
Music/Scare Factor
The music was perfect, I like how it changes with how the mood changes. I definitely felt like I was in a snowed in mansion. You can hear the wind whipping around outside, and that along with the music definitely puts you in the game! Was the game scary? I'd say not really to no. I mean nothing jumps out at you like I've heard about in SAW. None of the characters are creepy or just show up in front of you. And the end with the culprit isn't scary nor is time running out like in FIN. If you don't like being scared, this game is perfect for you! And probably younger kids playing like around 10 or so.
I give music 10/10 and scare factor 1/10!
Ending
Quite honestly, I didn't see the culprit coming! I was pleasantly surprised when they showed themselves as I had my sights set on someone else. So I like that it wasn't too obvious like in CUR. What you did to escape them was fairly too easy but at the same time, you don't know exactly what you have to do so you may have to hit the 'second chance' button to successfully beat them. All in all, I thought it was a good, solid ending.
I give the ending 8/10
Overall
If you don't have this game, go out and buy it right now. Order it online if a store near you doesn't carry it, borrow it from a friend if they have it, download it online, just go get it! It is worth every cent. By far, my favorite ND game. I had an amazing time playing it and was sad when it is over. But I love it so much that I can play it over and over and not get bored! Now I understand some people don't/won't/didn't like it, and everyone has their own opinion and that's fine by me. But this is my review and I say, J'adore!
Overall score: 8/10 (but realistically I give it 10/10!)
If you have sat through all of that, I applaud and thank you. I can ramble and tried to just say what I thought without going into too much detail but this is my first review so I hope everyone enjoyed it!! Please leave comments, I'd love to know what you think about my review and the game! Cheers! Salude! And have a good evening!