ArnirIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 53
Joined: 21 JAN 2003
Status : Online | Nancy Drew: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon
The latest installment of the Nancy Drew adventure game series by Her Interactive continues the fun that I have grown to like over the years. Fans of the series should like this one whereas those who don’t like the series should pass this one by.
More of the same applies to this game, but it is up to the player to decide if that is good or bad. Nancy is invited on a trip to discover the secret of a nineteenth century miner and his fortune. To add some spice to the mystery, Nancy’s host, who is I can only assume modeled after a Paris Hilton stereotype, disappears quite early in the game. So, the rush is on to find both the hostess and solve the original mystery.
Game mechanics are the same as the last few Nancy Drew games. The Hardy Boys make their physical debut in the game as NPCs that assist Nancy in her investigations. Frank and Joe aren’t really adding much to the game although their inclusion makes sense. Their presence allows for some useful help without the need for a lot of backstory. Another character from an earlier game also “reappears” in this story. The main character, besides Nancy, of course, is the train itself. Most of the action takes place on the train.
The puzzles are adequate for the game although a bit repetitive at times. While I enjoyed most of the puzzles in the game, the designers are really showing very little inventiveness any more. The usual suspects make their appearances: picture jigsaws, rotate the letters to display the password, etc. One puzzle is broken into 3 parts. Although there is a slight twist with each new iteration, I did feel a little bit cheated. Thankfully there were few puzzles that were outright annoying and I can’t recall any that were hampered by the game system. The miniature golf game from the Secret of the Old Clock was an example of this. Not being able to position the cursor properly depending on screen location.) Clues were adequate and even the puzzles that stumped me for a while were fair in hindsight. One puzzle was unacceptable to me: find a writing implement. I wish the designers wouldn’t make a multi-step puzzle out of something that should be absurdly simple anywhere other than a deserted island.
The plot was fine although the characters did seem fairly shallow – not that this is much of a departure from the other games in the series. The graphics are standard Nancy Drew fare. They are functional although not overly attractive. No complaints there. The voice acting is fine although, once again like most games in the series, some more variation in the goodbye phrases would be nice. If I had to listen to Joe Hardy say, “you know where to find us” one more time, I think I would have considered homicide.
Each installment in the series has an educational topic or two and this game is no exception. Gemstones and needlepoint are the two subjects this time around, and I thought they were done well. The needlepoint especially was interesting and very well sewn into the fabric of the game. Sorry, I couldn’t resist the puns). More games aimed at older gamers could benefit from adding some edutainment, properly implemented, of course. I did not feel the frustration of remembering every single name for every shade of horse or the meaning of ancient relics in this game as I have in earlier ones in the series.
Overall I think fans of the series will place this issue on the better half of the scale. I enjoyed it a lot and highly recommend it.
I give it a B+/A-.
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