The misty darkness covered Nancy like a shroud
as she approached the silent manor. The moaning of a wild thing
disturbed from its sleep is whispering her name, and as she turns,
out of the darkness appear demonic red eyes, so near and so full of
menace. Nancy pounds on the manor door, which is opened by a tall,
stern woman, who regards Nancy as an unwelcome guest. Nancy stammers
her fear of the beast; they both look into the night and there is
nothing there.
The latest gothic bodice ripper? No, you are entering the world
of Nancy Drew and her adventure “Curse of Blackmoor Manor”, a
departure into the esoteric, with a centuries old legacy of alchemy
and guardian chimeras, werewolves and hidden treasure. Will this be
a successful journey?
THE STORY:
“As the moon rises upon thee, fear not, but
draw upon the strength of absent friends”
In Nancy Drew’s eleventh episode, Nancy travels to an old manor
in England at the behest of neighbors to check on the welfare of
their daughter. The daughter, Linda, hides behind a covered canopy
bed, and will not emerge; it is clear that she is somewhat angrily
resigned to some terrible fate. Nancy resolves to uncover the answer
to this odd behavior, and to delve into the centuries old mysteries
surrounding Blackmoor Manor and the Penvyllyn family.
There is an immediate bombardment of clues and visual delights in
this game, from heraldic shields to old tombs of runes and secret
ceremonies, from astrological puzzles to hidden passages guarded by
stone gargoyles. Every character who Nancy encounters provides
clues, and yet it is easy to ascertain that each has some hidden
agenda.
The deliciousness of the adventure is that items to aid you on
your quest are to be discovered in every nook and cranny, and secret
doors are waiting to be found.
Nancy learns of the ancestor who was burned at the stake for
witchcraft, the rumors of the wild beast of the moors, and gradually
uncovers many stories of the somewhat eccentric manor dwellers in
times past. But all is not in the past, as Nancy is awakened by
eerie chanting in the night…
GAMEPLAY:
“There are some doors that should never be
opened”
There is something comfortable about the familiar
refrain you hear when beginning a Nancy Drew game, like settling
onto the sofa with a hot fudge sundae and a favorite movie just
beginning. You anticipate no glitches, no hair pulling out over
impossible puzzles, and a simple but interesting story. With the
possible exception of The Scarlet Hand, the previous games appeared
well targeted at the younger gamers, with practical exercises and
topics geared to that age group. Interestingly, this game is a bold
move in the direction of capturing the hearts of older gamers, for
the subject matter is decidedly more mature, with the exploration of
alchemy, lycanthropy, and various esoterica. I suspect that the
younger gamers may not find this their favorite due to the added
complexity of puzzles and the more mature subject matter, but at the
same time, I think older gamers may be more entranced. Certainly I
found it the most ambitious and the best Nancy Drew adventure to
date.
The game is point and click, with the standard ability to do a
partial panning. SKIP THE FOLLOWING UNDER GAMEPLAY IF YOU ARE LEERY
OF ANY POSSIBLE SPOILERS.
As always, you may elect to play the game as a junior or senior
detective. Playing as a junior detective allows you to have a
helpful task list to check off as you complete various exercises,
and the somewhat annoying parrot in residence to give you hints.
When playing each status, I noted that one puzzle was already
completed for the junior detective, and there is possibly some
leeway on others.
Puzzles are generally simple, but may be time-consuming in some
cases, such as a tile puzzle and a puzzle box. There is a maze of
sorts, and a few timed tasks, but there is no cause for alarm –
these are not difficult and simple observation and good note taking
will simplify this. Yes, a pen and paper is a great advantage in
playing this game! There are also various mini-games within the game
in a guise of contents of a child’s toy box, which you must complete
for a light source and for information. These are generally of the
sort you might have played as a child, such as a memory game of pick
out the pairs, and a variety of “go fish”. Also making a second
appearance is a puzzle used in a previous game. In a separate
location there is also a charming puzzle with a hero and the
diabolical winds, where the characters take on human persona, and
laugh with glee at victory and groan with defeat.
There is a wealth of foreshadowing each time you enter a new
location, and the puzzles are well integrated into the story. The
clues are numerous and cleverly constructed by the developers, and
these little extra touches are what I appreciated so much. An
example of this is a charming fairy tale book that is located in
Nancy’s bedroom which tells a story that will assist in a much later
puzzle.
You can go about solving these puzzles in a nonlinear fashion,
although some are dependant on others or dialogue to take place
before hotspots will appear. Some information can be obtained in
different ways as well, from talking on the telephone to finding a
note. A few scenes will require a certain time of night to be
completed, but rather than idling in frustration, you can set the
alarm clock for the appropriate time, and immediately access what
you need to progress.
A departure from the previous games is that Nancy is unable to
telephone her friends for hints, which is probably a practical idea
what with transatlantic fees and all. Nancy has the assistance of
other individuals however, and the use of the world wide web,
although her email is inaccessible.
The graphics are sophisticated, with a fine use of color, and
their combination is a kaleidoscope of contrast. The art alone of
the old books you come across in this game is a delight. There is so
much to see and to touch in this game that you may well want to
linger here and there.
The score is also wonderful, and I only wish that it had been
used with more frequency. Ambient sounds are appropriate. Voice
acting varies in quality. Did I mention that the parrot was
annoying?
Although this adventure is much darker in nature than most of the
previous Nancy Drew games, there are still moments of humor,
generally gained through completing an action which the game tells
you is risky, and then utilizing the second chance feature. There is
a particular scene that had me laughing out loud, where Nancy annoys
a carnivorous plant. OOPS!
PERSONAL BIAS IF YOU CARE:
I’ve not been a fan of Nancy Drew. I sneered at her perkiness,
and daydreamed of her demise in nefarious fashion. But then a
strange thing happened. I noted that each Nancy Drew adventure was
better than the last in technical achievement, such as in the use of
shadows. Nancy lost some of her chirpiness. The stories had more
depth. The games installed and ran beautifully and reliably, without
having to tweak them with the skill of a safecracker. So with the
attitude of a proud parent, I now applaud the progression of this
group of developers, the same individuals that have completed each
and every one of the Nancy Drew games. As these developers develop
more artistically, so does Nancy evolve.
AN EXTRA BIT OF TRIVIA:
The developers set this game in Essex, although it doesn’t have
moors as described in the game. Why then? Because Essex has a
history of witchcraft and women persecuted as witches, and burned at
the stake. If you have further interest in this topic, you might
check out your local library for the out of print books “Essex
Witches” by Glyn Morgan, and “Witch-hunt : The great Essex witch
scare of 1582” by Anthony Harris.
JUST THE FACTS:
The minimum system requirements are as follows:
OS: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
For PC CD-ROM
400 MHz Pentium
64 MB RAM
300 MB hard drive space
16- bit color graphics
video card with at least 16 MB of VRAM
12X CD ROM
(I played on XP, Pentium IV, 64 Intel integrated graphics)
I encountered no problem installing, and no glitches whatsoever.
This is a point and click first person adventure game.
There are approximately 20-25 hours of game play.
The CD-ROM does have to be in the drive to play the game.
There is a maze, a tile puzzle, and timed challenges – all are
not of the hair pulling variety and well integrated into the puzzle,
as are all the puzzles in the game. Inventory and logic puzzles. If
you only like games with Mensa style puzzles, this may not be for
you.
PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM:
“Blackmoor manor is indeed the sum of the
hearts and minds of all who dwelt here. Welcome dear initiate! Here
you will face many trials – but persevere! “
The best of the Nancy Drew adventures to date, and
even if you don’t like the series, this is one you just might wish
to try. A well written story, colorful graphics, and interesting
puzzles make this a winner.
Grade: A
08-2005
design copyright ©
2004
GameBoomers
Group
