Nancy Drew 16 Review

<B>Platform:</b> PC
<b>ERSB:</b> E (Everyone)
<b>Genre:</b> Adventure
<b>Number of Players:</b> 1
<b>Publisher:</b> HerInteractive
<b>Release Date:</b> 06/12/2007
<a href=”http://www.herinteractive.com/prod/index.shtml”>Official Website</a>
<b>Writer:</b> Cherith

56a8d2; font-size: large;”>Rating: 7.0

Nancy Drew: White Wolf of Icicle Creek Review

The sixteenth installment in the Nancy Drew adventure game series, the White Wolf of Icicle Creek is based off the Nancy Drew novel: The Mystery of the Mother Wolf. In this game, you take control of Nancy to find the clues and track down the answers behind the mysterious explosions near the Icicle Creek Lodge in the Canadian Rockies, and figure out what the howling wolf is doing skulking around the place.

Graphics:
I really love the look of games like this, the first person, point and click on clues and to interact with characters has been around forever and I think the mix of real world pictures and computer graphics makes for an interesting backdrop for this game. My only complaints about the graphics are during the small ice floe mini-game where it looks and feels a bit more cheap puzzle game, but that doesn’t last long; and the too short videos when Nancy takes off into the areas around the Lodge. The FMVs aren’t long enough to be very interesting and only serve to show a lapse of time elapsed while walking.

Controls:
As always with games like this, I always feel that there’s not enough stuff to click on. I’m a serial clicker in games like this, and I felt a bit annoyed that the game dictated what I could and couldn’t look at. However, the rest of the controls were very simple and straightforward, even as far as having to dial numbers on the phone.

Sound:
There’s a very low music that repeats frequently in the background as you play. I didn’t notice it much and in a move very unlike me, I left it on for the entire game. There’s some pretty decent voice acting in this game, with the exception of Nancy herself, who always sounds a little off. I especially got a kick out of some of the ‘accents’ the other characters have.

Flow:
The biggest problem I had with this game is in the sequencing of events. There are times that there is no way to advance the plot without skipping time entirely, which you can do using Nancy’s alarm clock. This means lots of sleeping for Nancy, or lots of waiting around doing nothing, which I don’t advise. Not only are the events of the mystery scripted to specific times/events, but so are the interactions with other characters, which gets old fast.

Fun Factor:
I think the most fun I had in this game, aside from listening to the snarky comments Nancy makes while she cleans the bathroom, is with the cooking. See, Nancy’s cover at the Lodge while she investigates is that she’s become both the Maid and the Cook. So, at Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Nancy must be in the kitchen cooking. I don’t know why, but this particular mini-game of making sure you serve each character the right thing was entertaining.

Female Aspect:
Of course, Nancy Drew herself!

Replay Value:
There are definitely some moments worth replaying for; however they mostly involve the mini-games like Cooking or the small ski-free moments when you take the snowmobile out. They’re not worth the entire adventure though. The game does have two settings, Junior and Senior Detective, and both levels have different puzzles so; it’s worth trying at least a second time.