Nancy Drew is
off to the Canadian Rockies in this latest adventure from Her Interactive. The
last several Nancy Drew games featured the Hardy Boys as well as Nancy, but
this time, it’s Nancy going solo as she tries to solve the mystery of The
White Wolf of Icicle Creek.
The Icicle
Creek lodge is a popular mountain resort, but there has been a recent rash of
near-disasters that threaten the future of the lodge.
Chantel Moique, the owner of the lodge, is
friends with the Rawleys, who run Shadow Ranch.
The Rawleys recommend Nancy Drew to help
Chantel discover what or who is causing all the
trouble at Icicle Creek. Nancy arrives at Icicle Creek and while posing as a
maid and cook, sets out to solve the mystery.
The incidents
all seem to be random accidents that don’t appear to be connected.
Unfortunately for the owner, though, the accidents have involved several of
the paying guests, who are understandably upset and vow never to come back to
the lodge. Food poisoning, explosions, and a gas leak are just some of the
strange occurrences. Even more odd are the
appearances of a mysterious white wolf at the locations of some of these
accidents.
This game
follows the same formula as previous Nancy Drew games, in that it is a
third-person adventure. Players will gather clues by talking to the
characters, collecting inventory items and solving puzzles. Many of the later
Nancy Drew games also feature mini-games that can be played separately from
the game. This installment has mini-games, but they aren’t really stand-alone
games for the most part. A nice rendition of Fox and Geese is included, but
can only be played sometimes when one of the characters is at the game board.
Other activities and games include a logical game similar to
Minetrap, a simple Rubik’s Cube type game, and a
snowball fight activity.
Other
familiar features such as the Jr. and Sr. detective levels and the use of the
phone and computer to keep notes is present, but a few things have changed.
The Second Chance is slightly different, in that Nancy doesn’t really expire
or get fired, but automatically begins at a set point right before the
calamity. While this is described as being really different, it’s actually
not, in that Nancy still undergoes the disaster before she gets to being
again, just as in the Second Chance option.
A more
noticeable difference is the changed menu interface, which is wholly
different. Players now access the game from a Nancy Drew “hub,” where they can
pick the game they want to play. The save, load and quit functions are
different, as well. Instead of a list of words describing the functions in a
menu, these options are now present as icons accessible directly from the
in-game screen. The inventory and journal are handled differently in that they
are presented as smaller menus that pop-up over the game screen and can be
seen through. These changes all work very well.
The actual
mystery isn’t extremely compelling nor is the connection of the wolf to the
whole thing relevant, but the wolf itself is pretty interesting, especially
for any young person that loves nature or wolves. The scenery is outstanding,
and the overall appearance of the game is very attractive, especially if
you’re in Georgia with temperatures in the 90’s. The puzzles and activities
are a mixed bag, with some good ones like the Minetrap
and Fox and Geese games, but also some bad ones like the snowmobile one that
was extremely lame, and the fishing, which could have been more fun. There
aren’t as many manipulative puzzles to solve for clues as usual, either.
However, the puzzles that are present are mostly challenging and interesting.
Many of the
earlier Nancy Drew games feature lots of trivia and facts about certain
things, but only some of the later games do. Icicle Creek doesn’t have much
educational content, besides a few notes about birds and fish and a
conversation with one of the characters that yields a lot of information about
wolves. A lot of these games also feature daily chores and tasks for Nancy,
and this time around Nancy is whipping up restaurant orders in the kitchen.
This is fun the first few times, but having to keep returning to this activity
three times a day is a bit wearing.
The White
Wolf of Icicle Creek is one of the better Nancy Drew games, and is much better
than the last one, Creature of Kapu Cave. The
story is more interesting and there are more puzzles and activities. However,
it’s not quite on a par with games like Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, Shadow
Ranch, Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake, Blackmoor Manor,
and Haunted Carousel. Making the games and activities playable independently,
and including more puzzles and facts would have improved this game. One thing
I would like to see changed is the negative tone of the “You’re Fired!” that
Nancy gets every time she makes a mistake. As she’s working for free as a
favor to Chantel and the
Rawleys, this is pretty harsh. If it hurts my feelings, it probably
affects some young players, as well.
Still, White
Wolf of Icicle Creek is a welcome return to the former quality of the Nancy
Drew series and one that kids and teens will definitely enjoy. Parents, this
is a good solution for the “I’m bored!” you’re hearing this summer!
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Gameplay: 8.0
This
is a welcomed return to the quality of previous Nancy Drew games. The story of
the wolf is interesting, even if the main mystery isn’t all that exciting. The
puzzles and activities are challenging and fun for the most part, and the game
is a good length. Kids will have fun!
Graphics: 8.0
As
always, the graphics are great. The outside snowy scenes are particularly
attractive, especially if you’re dying in a heat wave.
Sound: 7.0
The
sound affects are average, and there really isn’t any music as such. Some
hoedown music would have been fun in this lodge setting.
Difficulty: Medium
The
puzzles and activities range from a medium difficulty to an easy one. None of
them are overly difficult.
Concept: 7.0
The
game doesn’t offer anything substantially new of different to the series, or
to the genre as a whole, but it is well-presented.
Overall: 8.0
This
is a fun Nancy Drew adventure. It ranks with the better games in the series,
and kids and teens will enjoy playing. The puzzles could have been more
challenging, and having some of them as stand-alone games would have been
nice, but the overall game is engaging and well-designed.
