There are so many games that come out in less time with immensely better graphics. This took FIVE YEARS it should have been amazing. There was none of the nostalgic music that give the Nancy vibe. Nancy's voice and all her silly sayings was an important part of what made the games special.
The new Nancy voice is lame, another reviewer said it sounded so generic they could never tell who was talking because the voices all sounded the same - I couldn't have put it better myself. Our whole family was shocked that they even released it like this. We were not expecting it to be great, but we never could've imagined it being as bad as it was. Music is different, Nancy's voice is different, quality, graphics, controls, puzzles, everything is different. This does not feel like a Nancy game, it feels like something entirely different. There is zero nostalgic feel, because there's not a single aspect of the game the resembles the old ones. Nancy has always had a special place in our lives and something we looked forward to every 6 months. My sister and I started playing these games with our mom when we were kids. I’d definitely recommend checking this out and sleuthing for yourself.This is not a Nancy Drew game.
It’s the graphics that are the biggest weakness here-the game certainly looks the part of an older Nancy Drew game, but it didn’t necessarily have to. It’s handled well, and seeing the case unravel is fun. The mechanics, writing, and voice acting are all as solid as ever, and I love the spiritual take on a mystery story. Midnight In Salem feels and plays like a Nancy Drew game from the late 90s/early 2000s.īut that’s not a bad thing. “Classic” is the best way I’d describe this game. If you love sleuthing, puzzles, flirting with the Hardy boys and feeling like a real detective? This game is for you, kiddo. Not sure if that was in other recent Nancy Drew games, but it feels like a natural development from earlier games in the series, where calling phone numbers and reviewing your checklist of things was common-now it’s all in one convenient place. Speaking of voice acting, I love the little nod to the long release period, where Nancy says, “It feels like it’s been ages since my last adventure.”Īlso, Nancy has a smartphone now. The voice acting and music are spectacular-both easily outshine the mediocre graphics. And the brightness of the game is way too low for me, but there’s no way to adjust it, which is a real shame. The game’s troubled development really shows in the graphics-it looks like a game released 5 years ago, definitely not in 2020. Still, Nancy sounds more like a teenage girl than a mature young adult-whether you like one over the other is up to you. Nancy’s voice changed for this game, which is something I got over despite my nostalgia. A way to change up the controls would be nice for players who need it, but then again the controls are rather minimalist here. I like that I can turn on subtitles and tutorials, and mess with the graphics and camera settings as much as I desire. There’s a ton of options in the game’s menus. It’s a game rich in spirituality from a lot of perspectives, which is a nice surprise in a game about detective-ing. Since the story is about Salem, there’s also a lot of discussion about the Salem Witch Trials, the Puritans, Christianity, and the Bible. Salem is said to be haunted, and that’s a main part of the story. This is a game about sleuthing, solving puzzles, and flirting with the Hardy Boys, of course. Be aware going in that there are some violent scenes, but that’s not the game’s main focus. This game is rated E10+ for mild violence, so.
So, let’s see if this new take on Nancy Drew holds up, despite its troubled past.
#Nancy drew game reviews series#
For a long time, fans of the series thought it would never get released, and Midnight In Salem would be cancelled.īut here it is, after five years of waiting. It was stuck in development for years, halting the regular cycles of Nancy Drew games with its troubled development. Her Interactive’s Nancy Drew: Midnight In Salem is a strange game. And with steady releases year after year year, the fun didn’t have to end.īut, at some point, it did. I ate them up as a kid, and I still remember huddling around the computer and point-and-clicking my way through thoughtful dialogue, interesting settings, and clever (sometimes impossible) puzzles. Her Interactive’s series of Nancy Drew games, where you play as the titular detective, were a highlight of my childhood.