Nancy Drew: The Final Scene

The Good
Her Interactive has finally gotten it right! Their programming team has produced another game that installs and runs perfectly with an interface that is simple to use.

The 3D graphic environment is pleasing to the eye. The old theater has everything you’d expect – a Lobby with Refreshment stand and amusements for the waiting audience, Main Floor seating, a Balcony as well as private Box Seats, Dressing Rooms and a Back Stage area and a Projection room. In addition there are hidden “secret” passages and rooms incorporated into the theater’s design for use by the live performers. Even though it looks like 3D, there is no panning so you can only look where your cursor allows you to click.

The characters are lifelike and have personalities which come through in their body actions and speech. Voices sound appropriate for each person, and the lip sync looks flawless. There are more characters for Nancy to call in this game than in previous ones, and those conversations (although somewhat lengthy) also reflect the individual personality of the person on the other end of the telephone.

The “day to night” clock has been eliminated! No more going back and forth just to adjust the time of day.

As in previous games, you can choose between 2 difficulty levels (Junior or Senior Detective). I played both and found no difference in the game other than a change in the puzzle design and difficulty. All of the puzzles can be described as “parlor games” which are solved by trial and error and for which no clues are necessary or required. A few of the puzzles can be played again after solving them once, which is kind of neat.

The Bad
As I said before, the game runs beautifully. There are still some things inherent in the entire series that I would like to see changed in later releases (but probably won’t happen).