Windows

Nancy Drew: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon

This is an entry in the series that long-time fans will love. Despite its serious lack of background music, the game delivers strong in so many ways that you will look over any of the weak puzzles and enjoy another outing with Nancy, the Hardys, and the usual collection of goofy and humorous characters (even a recurring character from a previous mystery!), accompanied by dialogue that’s more crisp and witty than it has been in a while.

The game offers hours of thrilling detective work. As all the Nancy Drew games, Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon is targeted to mystery fans ages 10 to adult. It is worth noting that this is the kind of game that can be particularly enjoyable to play with other people. You can have a wonderful time discovering the mystery with a friend or family member. Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon can be easily recommended to adventure and mystery fans.

Drew fans will be delighted to play with Nancy as well as the Hardy Boys. Even Nancy's age old friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne are available to offer off-site help. Players interact with a variety of characters, including a spoiled socialite, cynical romance writer, ghost buster, "famous" police detective, and others. Her Interactive has done an excellent job with individual character portrayal through the storyline, and interviewing each provides worthwhile information and entertainment to boot.

I thought this game was perfect for preteen and early teenage girls, and if I was grading it from the perspective of that demographic alone, I’d give it an A+. The writing, the graphics, and the multitudinous puzzles and challenges also make this a well-above-average game for adults (particularly adults who have fond memories of reading the Nancy Drew books). Still, it’s clear that design decisions were made for this game based on the assumption that a large chunk of the game’s audience would be young girls. When compared to adventure games that address a more general audience, Last Train has fewer environments, spends more time with traditionally female preoccupations (dolls, samplers, dancing steps), and contains portions of dialog that are clearly of more interest to young females than to anyone else.

Although Last Train to Blue Mountain isn't one of those noncommittal casual games that are good for killing time, the game's rich narrative and mind-bending puzzles offer their own unique rewards.

A very good game overall. It could have used more interesting mini-games for replayability, and also more educational trivia, but the game itself is a hoot to play and will involve the whole family in the mystery. Much better than the last game, The Secret of the Old Clock.

Coming up with a rating for this entry was tricky. If I'd never played any of the others, I'm sure, based on how I felt after playing my first Nancy Drew game, that I would have found it quite enjoyable. As it is, my enjoyment was tempered by a concern that the production crew is losing focus on what makes the games work. How else to explain the growing reliance on photos and flashy setpieces or the willingness to throw away the established look of the game for the sake of a single gaudy sequence? Though I remain a fan of the series, and am giving Train a Thumb Up, I am hopeful that Her Interactive will proceed with care in tampering with a formula that has, so far, served them well.

A big "hi" to my fellow sassy detectives! Nancy Drew is back in action and starring in her latest adventure Last Train To Blue Moon Canyon. But in this adventure you are not alone, (although being the kick ass chick that you are it wouldn't be a problem). In this ghostly case you'll have to team up with Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe, to uncover the mystery of Jake Hurley's legendary gold mine and see what's going on with the rumored ghost of Elizabeth Hurley.

Un gioco divertente, alla portata di tutti, che conferma l'impegno di una produzione intelligente e non ripetitiva da parte degli autori della serie.

Ich hatte mehr erwartet und war ehrlich gesagt etwas enttäuscht, daß Rätsel und Locations nicht so wirklich originell und spannend waren. Die Geschichte ist zwar gut durchdacht und erzählt und spiegelt sich in sehr unterhaltenden Dialogen wieder, von denen ich gern noch mehr gehört hätte. Aber man hat hier nicht wirklich den großen Wurf für das Jubiläumsjahr gelandet sondern ein solides und professionelles aber eher schlichtes Produkt ohne große Höhepunkte geschaffen. So reiht sich Nancy Drew 13 - Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon in die Zahl der guten, aber nicht aufregenden Spiele der Serie ein. Für das nächste Jahr ist bereits Nancy Drew 14 - Danger by Design mit Schauplatz Paris geplant.

Everyone's favourite female detective is back for another rip-roaring adventure in Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, which takes place on an old train with an even older mystery. Not surprisingly, for better or worse, the game adheres closely to the existing formula of the enduring Nancy Drew series. However, the mobile location should prove a nice change of pace (literally) to longtime fans, and a couple new faces add a little something extra to the experience.

Au final, l'ensemble fonctionne plutôt bien, grâce à quelques énigmes plus corsées, un gameplay varié qui compense un peu les phases inévitablement répétitives d'allers et retours entre les zones, et une durée de vie plutôt correcte. Le jeu reste très classique dans son fonctionnement et dans son déroulement, et ne surprendra pas les joueurs les plus chevronnés, mais dans le genre aventure grand public, on a vu nettement pire.

Bon, on commence quand même à tourner en rond maintenant. Certes, ce Nancy Drew n'est pas foncièrement mauvais, mais il faut bien dire que les développeurs ont un peu de mal à se renouveler au niveau des énigmes. Pas étonnant me direz-vous car la série est tout de même prolifique. Oui mais voilà, comme on a toujours affaire au même moteur graphique et aux mêmes mécanismes de progression, les joueurs ne risquent-ils pas de se lasser ? C'est là toute la question. Une évolution plus importante serait appréciée pour les prochains titres de la jeune détective.

Si l’on ferme les yeux sur la résolution médiocre et la bande son désespérante, Dernier train pour Blue Moon canyon est une aventure policière intéressante qui fera plaisir aux jeunes et moins jeunes aventuriers, mais risque d’être trop facile pour un enquêteur chevronné. Ceci dit, son prix et le fait qu’il n’est pas nécessaire d’avoir joué aux précédents volumes de la série risqueront d’en tenter plus d’un. Les nostalgiques des années « Alice » se laisseront probablement séduire et les parents apprécieront d’offrir enfin à leurs enfants un jeu intelligent et non violent. C’est déjà pas mal.