By Dana Armstrong
EDITOR'S NOTE: Everything But... does not receive a portion of the proceeds for these Nancy Drew games but, boy, can you imagine if we did?
There’s nothing in this world as comfortingly nostalgic as the theme song of the Nancy Drew game franchise. My grandpa gifted me the box set of the first five games of Her Interactive’s point and click series (to be played on a Windows XP computer) at around six years old which launched me into my obsession with the mystery genre.
In my 21 years, I’ve played a whopping 19 out of the 33 games (though in my youth I watched Arglefumph—the self-proclaimed Nancy Drew dude—YouTube playthroughs for many of the others). While I don’t have the experience or authority to provide a complete ranking of all the games, I feel qualified enough to share the ones I’d most recommend. The holidays are nearly here, and since you can purchase and download the Nancy Drew games digitally, they can be the perfect last-minute gift idea for yourself or others. Since we all should be stuck at home this holiday season, why not keep your mind sharp and digitally sleuth and travel with the beloved female amateur detective?
My Top 5:
This is one of the scariest games in the Nancy Drew series, and because of that my friends and I would cower under blankets and scream at every strange sound and jump scare in our youths. The game takes place entirely within a 14th century English mansion, which may seem limiting, but things are so interesting within that you’ll never even feel tempted to explore elsewhere. There are countless secret passages and details within the manor to discover. Plus, the characters are all so engaging and at times genuinely creepy. Even a parrot named Loulou will pull at your heartstrings…and/or sanity. Without giving too much away, there are some seriously dark, supernatural themes in here. One teaser I’ll leave you with: lycanthropy.
I should also note that this game took my friends and I years to complete. Granted, we only played this game at sleepovers so we weren’t playing consistently—even still, the puzzles take a lot of brainpower and determination to get through. If it wasn’t for a walkthrough we finally resolved to use, I doubt we would have completed the game. If you’re up for a challenge and a bit of a scare, I can’t recommend the Curse of Blackmoor Manor enough.
This game is so unique and offers the best amateur detective experience out of all of the games. It takes place in Nancy’s fictional hometown of River Heights with her friends, boyfriend, and family. During a town-wide scavenger hunt, Nancy is framed for committing arson on the Town Hall. Nancy is actually locked away in the sheriff’s office for part of the game, so you must switch characters with her friends in order to gather evidence to release Nancy and track down the real arsonist.
From the ice cream shop and antiques shop owners to the local reporter and Nancy’s childhood rival, the characters are so wonderful and the hometown feel of this game is so rich. You can even explore Nancy’s childhood house. The mini-games in here are stellar, and all of the tasks and puzzles you complete feel so authentic to real mystery solving. It’s also ideal for anyone who wants to avoid the scary or supernatural.
The best way I can describe this game is that it’s a more kid-friendly version of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express meets the Wild West and steampunk. It’s an odd combination, I know, but one I promise works beautifully. You get to explore an old train, reveal an old love story, collect crystals, and put together super cool contraptions. The characters are amusing because they’re so archetypal—you’ve got the entitled girl living off of her daddy’s money, a washed-up detective, a romance novelist, and a ghostbuster. Plus, this is the first Nancy Drew mystery that includes the Hardy Boys!
The pacing and storylines in this game are incredible, and the world feels so expansive. You solve puzzles to gradually unlock the different train cars, and there are two train stops in Colorado and Nevada to explore. I consider this to be one of the most underrated games of the series, so don’t make the mistake of missing out.
Of all the Nancy Drew games, this is the one I’ve replayed so many times I’ve almost burnt myself out on it. Nancy is staying in a family-run ryokan in Kyoto, Japan while she teaches English to children. However, she soon notices how often guests are checking out early from the inn. Once she’s the only guest left in the ryokan and experiences ghostly occurrences first-hand, she realizes why. Now it’s up to Nancy to uncover the family’s secrets and explain the seemingly unexplainable supernatural activity before the ryokan is forced to close.
Players either love or hate this game due to some of its notoriously difficult puzzles. (Plus, the characters can be frustratingly secretive at times.) But I’m the person who replays this game purely to solve the massive, unavoidable sudoku puzzle for the seventh time, so I’m a bit biased. There are many other tasks such as writing calligraphy, putting together bento boxes, and solving a memory puzzle within a traditional tea ceremony that I thoroughly enjoy but others find tedious. Regardless, no one can deny how culturally immersive this game is.
This is SUCH a good game. You may have noticed that I’m into the darker, supernatural Nancy Drew games, and this game is no exception—in fact, the plot is oddly reminiscent of Shadow at the Water’s Edge. Nancy is sent to a plantation house in Georgia to investigate the disappearance of a young woman just before her wedding. Little does she know the investigation will lead her to uncover a family’s dark secrets—including a fire that killed one of the family’s most beloved members. The detailed backstories and motives of the characters are absolutely unparalleled. Plus, the game delves into complex themes such as grief, mental health, family betrayals, greed, and dangerous labor conditions—they even touch on female espionage during the Civil War. The conclusion of the game is thrilling and haunting, even more so because there are multiple endings!
I’ve gone into numerous deep dives online to further investigate the details of this game, and that’s something I can’t say I’ve done with any other Nancy Drew game. Although suitable for younger players, older players will get the most out of this game. Beyond the truly startling jump scares, this game is dark if you allow yourself to read into it. (I’m convinced that one document hints at incest within the family tree?) There are so many lingering questions with this game—though some argue they’re plot holes—and the puzzles are challenging but not impossible. Besides a few frustrating tasks, Ghost of Thornton Hall is a masterpiece. Highly recommended!
Honorary mentions:
The only reason this doesn’t make the top five is because you’re stuck in a residence hall the entire time which feels a bit limiting. This case takes Nancy to an all-girls boarding school where someone is blackmailing valedictorian candidates under the alias of “The Black Cat” in an attempt to take girls out of the running. Nancy goes undercover as a new transfer student, therefore thrust into the petty teen dramas played out through texts and the secondhand stress of elite academics. It’s filled with fun mini games, such as air hockey and snack shop management, that balance out the homework tasks you’re forced to help peers with. The references to Edgar Allan Poe and secret societies also give the game a delightful, gothic counterbalance.
For the early Nancy Drew games, #4 is the clear front-runner. The only reason this doesn’t make the main ranking is because it was released in 2001 and not everyone may have the ‘luxury’ of a Windows XP computer to run the game. It takes place in a Wisconsin ski resort that contains a tower that was dismantled in France, shipped to Wisconsin, and rebuilt onto the resort. Even more intriguingly, the tower once housed Marie Antoinette during her imprisonment! With lots of secret passages and arguably the most iconic recurring character in the series, Professor Beatrice Hotchkiss, this is the way you want to experience French history.
Many players rat on this game—and rightfully so to some extent—because the plot doesn’t contain much of a mystery. Whereas some see this as a negative, I actually enjoy this game because it is so satisfyingly mindless. Nancy is going undercover as an intern at a meteorological research team’s Oklahoman farm house. Therefore, you get to learn a lot about weather phenomena (particularly tornadoes) and complete lots of puzzle chores, all without the pressures of sleuthing a time-sensitive mystery. Plus, Gold Rush is my favorite mini-game ever. If you’re looking for some mundane fun, this is the game for you!
As a final note, for some reason, I’ve either not played or wasn’t particularly impressed with more of Nancy’s international adventures, but some are in love with these games so I feel like I should shout them out. Help a fashion designer in France with #14 Danger by Design (2006), bring an Italian jewelry robber to justice in #18 The Phantom of Venice (2008), or investigate disappearances in Germany and monster legends in #24 The Captive Curse (2011).
What’s the Nancy Drew game that will be on my Christmas list this year? It’s #32 The Sea of Darkness (2015). I’ve heard so many good things about this game, but even though it’s five years old, I’ve somehow yet to play it. The graphics and environment are supposed to be stunning, and it’s also the last of the true Nancy Drew games (in my eyes and in the eyes of many others, the newest release, #33 Midnight in Salem (2019), is a total disgrace and for all intents and purposes does not exist). I’ll have to tell you how I rate this case of the missing Icelandic ship captain after I play it. But, until then, happy sleuthing this holiday season!
Comments