Nancy Drew Replay Dossier and MID

 This last blog is where I conclude this Nancy Drew Replay Series. Without further adieu, I continue into the two dossiers and Midnight in Salem. 

Courtesy of adria.ign.com

These three games are in this blog because they are a different play style than any other Nancy Drew Herinteractive games out there. Dossiers are the quick-play version of Nancy Drew and MID (Midnight in Salem) is a category all by itself due to being a different system and play style. There is a lot to say, but we'll put the dossiers first because they were released before MID. 

Dossiers - Resorting to Danger and Lights Camera Curses

The first dossier released is Lights Camera Curses and the second was Resorting to Danger. I had to play the first on the spare Lenovo because my HP wouldn't let it launch, but would let it install (much like games 16-20 because it was most likely released around that time). Resorting to Danger was fine for my HP, though, so it must have been released after the 20th game. 

The main difference between the dossiers and the main games is an arcade play style. You can even unlock all the mini games in the main menu and only play those, should you want to. You can sit down and play this in half a day or less. You could complete this in an hour, if you wanted to. The arcade and mini game style of it is for busy people who only need a study break and have two papers to write. Have kids? Try these two games and you might have some chance of finishing it in one shot. That was the whole concept for this gameplay style. 

Courtesy of old-games.com

The second game has some improved features, but is otherwise the same. Resorting to Danger has hints and different ways to interact with objects that Lights Camera Curses doesn't. It also has multiple endings. A third one almost came out at some point, except that the project was canceled due to some inner-company issues. Herinteractive has had those at various times and MID was one of the worst times (but we'll get into that next section). 

The plus side of these styles of games are the mini games that have high scores listed and are quite fun. I adore the facial game in the second dossier and the drink game in the first dossier. If you don't want to play a full game, yet want some Nancy for the day, you have the right games in mind. It doesn't take forever to finish these or play the mini games for the fun of it. Students, parents, and busy adults can pull this out with no fear of overloading their brains. I highly suggest them. I also suggest plugging a mouse into your laptop for the sections of dossier that require speedy movement. 

Midnight In Scandal

 I have to bring this up. MID was created during a change in CEOs in Herinteractive's company staff, which then created scandal when PR was so bad that fans were getting upset. You'll notice that, even with a new game coming, they waited for a long time to release sneak peaks. The reason for this is MID's PR oopsies. They have learned not to give us any clues to a game until it is a sure thing, which is wise. This new game also looks miles better than the rushed character designs of MID.

The downside to this game is that some of the issues with it include that it was somewhat rushed by fans and was outsourced. Another issue is that anger at Herinteractive has caused it to have a shadow over it. This has lifted over time, mind you, but I wanted to make it clear that this game is not as bad as some people say. If you are considering buying this game, go find a playthrough on Youtube or borrow it from a friend. Try it yourself before looking at reviews that are influenced by a PR scandal. We all like Nancy Drew for different reasons. I have chosen to play it despite this and I enjoyed it (though I skipped most cut scenes and it was more fun). 

Midnight In Salem - the actual game experience

First of all, consider it an interactive novel with puzzles tacked in. It is not the puzzle games where you are free to explore and have a long list of puzzles to solve. Deirdre is a plot device to keep you on track. This is why there are more cut scenes than puzzles and more conversation than puzzles. It is not the games you knew before. Adjust your expectations now. It may be more like an actual investigation because of the interviews you do all the time. This is closer to real detective work. The storyline has a depth to it, rich depth. You even get a party epilogue to conclude the case.

Like I said in a previous section, it was rushed. We were lucky to even get the game at all. Herinteractive was on the struggle bus for a hot second. They outsourced it. Fans got upset at the delays and how Herinteractive was pushing the release date back. The game is not as pretty as it could be. If you don't care, like me, you may still like it and have fun playing it. It has mixed reviews. Make your own decision on the game. The more I replay it the more I like it, but it isn't what your nostalgia brain is going to be used to. 

Hint system? What hint system. Seriously, there is no hint system. On top of that, you do have to adjust to the way you navigate the world (which they considered when they made the game, thus the first part is more of a tutorial on navigation). It was smart to do the first part the way they did, especially for people like me who don't usually play games that require looking up and down the room. It took me forever the first time to figure out how to make the desk key work, but it clicked once I learned to rotate and interact with the objects. Pro-tip, rotate everything at every angle to find all your clues. 

Sea of Darkness and MID share one quality; when characters are done talking to you they say so or you can't talk to them. You are sure you've exhausted dialogue because the conversation automatically ends. While you can still engage them in conversation, after you exhaust all of it they say goodbye first sometimes. It saves some time. 

Courtesy of vastcoach.weebly.com

Cutscenes are everywhere in this game. I play the game faster by skipping them (because you can in this game, most of the time). Be aware you are experiencing a storyline rather than playing a typical Nancy Drew puzzle game.  It is an interactive novel if it is anything at all, so please note that if you don't want to watch Deirdre have a hissy fit (because Nancy solved the case her way - Heaven forbid!) you should hit "skip cutscene" in the corner of the screen (top left). I do, it helps me enjoy the game without watching her have a hissy fit. I hate that cutscene in particular and even when I first played it I knew she'd get herself stuck somewhere and I'd inevitably have to save her. You can skip those cutscenes that make the game run long. It's more fun that way. Try it both ways and see what you think. 

Save files are easy on this one. They automatically save your game for you. It is nifty and tells you kind of where you are. Your phone is also your to-do list, which is short for most of the game. There are about two days or so in Nancy's world, mostly because the game ends at midnight of the day the Hathorne house almost becomes public property. This game will also let you change difficulties mid-game or at any time, as well as let you adjust the graphics for your computer (I had to on my old Dell laptop). 

The only bad thing about this game is the loading time on older computers (it was a miracle my Dell even played it) and the graphics settings you might have to adjust. If the game slows as you play it, the cutscenes become unbearable because the mouths don't line up with the audio dialogue; it lasts twice the time it should. Keep in mind your older computers might have some struggles with this game. My newer laptop runs it fine and doesn't take fifteen minutes to load ( my Dell laptop was ancient). 

Ned is another thing you have to deal with. Ned has a weird conversation that could have multiple interpretations to it, one of which being his sister took his phone and another being he's cheating or his friends are truly being awful to him. You don't get an explanation. You never talk to him about it. Instead, the two of you play phone tag and Ned calls back at the worst possible moments that he can (when the Parry's house is vandalized and when you are trying to find ergot). I don't like this aspect of the game because I like helpful Ned, who is not the Ned of this game. It doesn't impact all you do, obviously, I can still have fun playing it, but it is clear they have some issues. Nancy does hint that they are working it out after the game ends, though, so at least we can look forward to the next game being a bit less dramatic. Also, they hint at Francy again, which I kind of like. The more I play it, the more I realize that Ned is consumed with worry over her safety. 

The voice of Nancy is not the voice you knew from your childhood. It still sounds good, and some say better, but it isn't what you are used to. "Not what you're used to" is the theme of this entire post, it seems. Even her tones and the way she speaks her words are not the old Nancy (sounds more accurate to a lawyer's daughter/ serious investigator). She is actively trying to be more sensitive. I see her as more of a real detective in this one. The ending includes her chewing out a judge for prejudice (and if you know the whole game, the shoe fits that). I agree with her; you can make your own decisions on that dialogue propriety for yourself when you hear it. 

Much like other games, it does switch you to Frank Hardy's perspective and it does give you a mini-game to play. This is another super mystery-ish crossover. That is where the Francy dynamic comes in. It does keep the drama era going, even pushing it a little farther than the previous games. This is also not the first time Ned and Nancy have had an argument. This game does take on some aspects of the older games. Mini-games also show up, this time in the form of making herbal remedies (which I quite enjoy). When Deirdre is out researching you can make a truth serum if you do enough of these remedies. It's kind of fun and kind of funny to see the reactions. Only Deirdre and Joe take it, though. Nancy is upfront about it being truth serum. 

Courtesy of tomai.jodymaroni.com

Conclusions

This concludes me playing through the entire Nancy Drew series, so cheers to that! It was worth every minute. MID is more fun once you play it more than once, at least in my opinion. It has some drama to it amongst the rich dialogue and storyline. The Dossiers are fun for study breaks and when you don't want a whole game. I play the mini-games in the menu lots of times. I recommend playing all the games. Everyone likes different aspects of a game. You'll learn what you like along the way. 

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