secrets can kill
- release date: 1998
- owned: no
- replayed recently: no and i don't think you could pay me
- rating: historically relevant
the one that started it all (for HERinteractive anyway). it came on two discs and you had to switch them out depending on the area you wanted to be in.
stay tuned for danger
- release date: 1999
- owned: no
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd
i played this as a kid but i have no solid memories of it.
message in a haunted mansion
- release date: 2000
- owned: no
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd
played, but no solid memories.
treasure in the royal tower
- release date: 2001
- owned: no
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd
here at least i remember the delight that is prof. hotchkiss, but that's about it.
the final scene
- release date: 2001
- owned: no
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd
definitely played it, couldn't tell you much about it.
secret of the scarlet hand
- release date: 2002
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd
this was a favorite when i was a kid - i loved the museum setting and i was already into the Maya so i ate this right up.
2024 playthrough
replaying as of 12.2.24! i'm excited to see how it holds up to my nostalgia.
this is the oldest game i currently own and the UI is a blast from the fucking past. once you select the difficulty level you get thrown straight into the opening cutscene, which i liked. i also thought it was neat that you can't even name your saved games! the books in the iconic save/load bookshelf can only say "nothing saved here" or "something saved here" - the latter of which is delightfully ominous.
turns out the Beech Hill Museum still makes me happy. it's a quaint little space that i would love to be able to explore in real life. the exhibit hall is small but has a lot of neat stuff - the graphics are a little elderly-looking but the spirit is there. if you pick up a pair of headphones from behind the front desk, you can listen to audio narration for certain exhibits, and for some reason this makes me so happy? it's accessible, immersive, and actually a part of the storyline. i just think it's a nice piece of game design.
there's a garden out back with some outdoor exhibits and it is the most fabulously liminal space i have ever seen. as a kid i didn't really notice the solid hedge walls not-quite-obscured in the background, or the way it's always dark and moody out there regardless of the time of day, suggesting a roof that doesn't make sense. it's a cozy kind of creepy. definitely the vibiest environment in the game. the sounds are nice too.
there's always some fun little details hidden in these games. the donor plaques outside of Joanna's office have some interesting names:
- Hugh Honeyham
- Marquis de Falcone
- Bubba Phatsis
- Ayu N. D. Bayou
- Astrid Starflex
- the Ester Beezwack and Snookie McGee foundation
- NDfan123
- Punchy LaRue (whom we'll hear from again in a much later game)
at this point i don't know if this is standard for the older ND games, but this one goes HARD on the 'walking simulator' thing. you gotta move Nancy almost one leg at a time, it feels like, and the cursor cues and movement options aren't as polished as they will be in later games. i don't hate it, but i do be spam-clicking down hallways.
at the back of the exhibit hall lies the temple. there's little computer games and quizzes in here, and they're... okay. the sound design of Bul is especially horrid, i fear. my middle-school self was absolutely charmed by this, though, so it gets some nostalgia points.
more to come...
ghost dogs of moon lake
- release date: 2002
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: nostalgia bomb
where it all started for me. i have the fondest memories of playing this with my mom. we both loved it and ended up playing all the games that were out at the time.
the haunted carousel
- release date: 2003
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd
i think i lent this to a friend and never got it back, so i remember very little about it. this was my Nancy Drew white whale for quite some time.
danger on deception island
- release date: 2003
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd but high
i love this one so much. the music is so good and the puzzles were really satisfying from what i remember. i want to replay this soon.
the secret of shadow ranch
- release date: 2004
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: yes
- rating: S-tier
all-time favorite, because it's a great game that also hits me right in the childhood.
curse of blackmoor manor
- release date: 2004
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd
this was one of the first spooky installment and it definitely gave me the creeps as a kid.
secret of the old clock
- release date: 2005
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd but high
very solid. i loved driving around in the little top-down minigame, delivering errands. this one is based on the first four OG books so the story is actually quite fleshed out.
last train to blue moon canyon
- release date: 2005
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: yes
- rating: S-tier
a favorite. excellent setting and characters, plus very good puzzles.
danger by design
- release date: 2006
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: B-tier
it's been a while, but this one doesn't stand out in the lineup. it's solid though, and i'll replay it soon.
the creature of kapu cave
- release date: 2006
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: yes
- rating: F-tier
boo, tomato tomato. this one is so short, and half the length it does offer is just a bunch of clicking down static paths on your way to and from like, four locations. as a kid i loved shell-hunting on the beach to make necklaces but as an adult the gameplay was pretty bleak.
the white wolf of icicle creek
- release date: 2007
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: A-tier
solid, but not standout.
legend of the crystal skull
- release date: 2007
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: yes
- rating: S-tier
a formative experience! delightfully creepy, with Dutch angles and moody lighting and New Orleans gothic. absolutely love the puzzles in this one.
the phantom of venice
- release date: 2008
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd
not the best in the lineup, but it gets points for sheer shenanigans.
the haunting of castle malloy
- release date: 2008
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd
been a long time since i played this, though i do remember the basic story arc because it's, uh... a doozy.
ransom of the seven ships
- release date: 2009
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd
the one with questionable brownface! i can't remember how this one hit on the whole, though i remember it definitely had some fun parts.
warnings at waverly academy
- release date: 2009
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: tbd but high
the dark academia installment! it's been a long time so i'll need to replay it.
trail of the twister
- release date: 2010
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: yes
- rating: B-tier
worth playing but not a favorite. it's perfectly fine but it's just fine.
secrets can kill remastered
- release date: 2010
- owned: yes
- played: no
- rating: tbd
need to play!
shadow at the water's edge
- release date: 2010
- owned: yes
- replayed recently: no
- rating: S-tier
scared the shit out of me and introduced me to nonograms for the first time! i remember the minigames being pretty good.
the captive curse
- release date: 2011
- owned: no
- played: no
- rating: tbd
on the list.
alibi in ashes
- release date: 2011
- owned: no
- played: no
- rating: tbd.
on the list.
tomb of the lost queen
- release date: 2011
- owned: no
- played: no
- rating: tbd.
on the list.
the deadly device
- release date: 2012
- owned: no
- played: yes
- rating: C-tier.
meh. short, uninspiring, but a little better than Kapu Cave.
ghost of thornton hall
- release date: 2013
- owned: no
- played: no
- rating: tbd.
on the list.
the silent spy
- release date: 2013
- owned: no
- played: no
- rating: tbd.
on the list.
the shattered medallion
- release date: 2014
- owned: no
- played: no
- rating: tbd.
on the list.
labyrinth of lies
- release date: 2014
- owned: no
- played: no
- rating: tbd.
on the list.
sea of darkness
- release date: 2015
- owned: no
- played: yes
- rating: C-tier.
i played this over the pandemic, i think, and it was okay. on the short side and not extremely memorable.
midnight in salem
- release date: 2019
- owned: no
- played: no
- rating: tbd
on the list.
mystery of the seven keys
- release date: 2024
- owned: no
- played: no
- rating: tbd
on the list.