This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Asa Conroy. Find them on Instagram at @asakayconroy. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
The Nancy Drew computer games by HerInteractive are a staple in so many of our childhoods. For Zillennial gamers out there, this is probably your introduction to America’s favorite girl detective. That is, if you didn’t steal your grandma’s books like I did. My mom got me these games (shortly after the books so I’d stop stealing) back when I was a kid. I would play for hours on end and then pick up the next game right after. Tons of puzzles, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve, HerInteractive recently released the 34th installment to the franchise. Only a few could be ranked the Top Ten Nancy Drew computer games. So, if you love these games, keep reading and see if your fav made it!
10. Alibi in Ashes
This mystery takes place right in Nancy Drew’s hometown, River Heights. When Nancy is arrested for a crime, she didn’t commit, it is up to her friends to clear her name. You can play as her best friends Bess Marvin and George Fayne along with her boyfriend Ned Nickerson. You have to balance the three friends as you investigate suspects they’ve known their whole lives. Some choices are better than others which allows for special interactions. You get to explore River Heights and solve puzzles based on forensics, antique games, and radio. Not to forget the endless ice cream at Tony’s!
9. Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake
After Nancy’s dad’s friend, Sally MacDonald, is chased out of her lake house by otherworldly rotties, Nancy has gotta play dog catcher. The dogs are said to be the spirits of the powerful Prohibition-era gangster who used to live in her house. They attack every night. To find out why Nancy has to explore twisty forest trails, Moon Lake, and a speakeasy. The locals believe it has something to do with Malone’s gold, but can Nancy find it before the culprit does? You’ll have to get your hands dirty to find out. Literally. One of the puzzles is collecting bugs. Don’t worry, it’s not gross.
8. Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon
Nancy is on her way to Nevada with the Hardy Boys on the newly restored train to find the missing gold mine of Jake Hurley. Jake and his wife Camille were found dead in Blue Moon Canyon on this very train. Lori Girard, who put this trip together believes it’s there and the clues to its location are on the train. But before we can even get there, Lori goes missing! Now her “expert team” of a tv ghost hunter, romance novelist, teenage detectives, and a washed-up cop are suspects. Puzzles and clues hide across the train in doll cabinets, gem-powered machinery, and more!
7. The Secret of Shadow Ranch
A classic title that many Nancy Drew readers should recognize. After Nancy arrives at Shadow Ranch, she soon learns that things keep going wrong. Before she arrived one of the owners was attacked by a venomous snake and hospitalized. After, everything got worse. Obviously, it’s not her fault the pump house blew up or things keep breaking. It seems to be the fault of the ghost horse who once belonged to an outlaw named Dirk Valentine. Or at least that’s what the suspects want you to believe. Dirk left a treasure for his starcrossed lover Frances, the daughter of the sheriff, at Shadow Ranch. Snooping around the farmhouse and riding throughout the Arizona desert is the only way to get there. The ghost town is one of my favorite locations. It’s “horse girl” time as you do whatever it takes to solve Dirk’s recently uncovered cowboy-esque puzzles. At the end you’ll find the most romantic act of thievery you could imagine.
6. Warnings at Waverly Academy
It’s drama and deceit as Nancy delves into an almost too literal cutthroat valedictorian competition. Waverly Academy is one of the most exclusive boarding schools, but after two attacks, it might become the deadliest. Nancy is undercover trying to locate the Black Cat, an Edgar Allan Poe inspired villain who has been threatening the candidates. Actually, Poe will help you a lot during this case as he has special ties to these schools. Most of the puzzles revolve around plagiarism. But doing their essays to get clues is at least fun. You get to play air hockey, build models, and investigate a secret organization with the help of a white squirrel. Just don’t get caught breaking curfew.
5. Ghost of Thornton Hall
The heiress to the Thornton business empire disappears without a trace and Nancy Drew is on the case. Days before her wedding, Jessalyn Thornton vanished somewhere on Blackrock Island, the home of the family’s old estate. Friends and family are all around. Even the ones that aren’t supposed to be around anymore. Not just family outcast, Wade Thornton, but the ghost of the beloved Charlotte Thornton. She died on her 21st birthday with unfinished business. This decrepit estate holds the secrets of the Thornton family, but will Charlotte let you uncover them?
4. The Silent Spy
A game that opens in complete silence, missing Nancy’s usual greeting. Because this one is about Nancy’s mother. For those who don’t know, Nancy Drew’s mother died when she was a kid. Now that she’s 18, the spy organization decides Kate’s daughter must complete her last mission. An evil organization threatens Scotland with an extremely dangerous biochemical weapon. Through searching Scotland by train and zip line, you need to figure out who she can and cannot trust. You need to solve puzzles to figure out what really happened to Kate Drew and how that can save the present. Enjoyable and intricate puzzles, but you might need some tissues.
3. Shadow at Water’s Edge
Guests keep leaving Ryokan Hiei (a traditional Japanese inn) because of the presence of an unwanted one. Kasumi, the ghost of a women who mysteriously died there, is sabotaging the inn. One by one, any remaining guest leaves. Clearly, they are not wreaking havoc, so the only answer is the family. Kasumi’s daughters Miwako and Yumi, her mother Takae, and Miwako’s boyfriend Rentaro. In this game you can learn some cultural lessons from Takae, make bento boxes with Yumi, and solve the most annoying picture frame puzzle with Rentaro. Kasumi’s ghost haunts every corner of the inn, and the puzzles provide a respectable challenge. The scariest mystery with one of the most unsettling animal companions to boot (sorry Suki, but it’s true).
2. The White Wolf of Icicle Creek
It’s time to chill out with this mystery, but only after something blows up! The game opens with Nancy driving to Icicle Creek Lodge just as the bunkhouse explodes. This seems to be another in a long list of “accidents.” After a food poisoning scandal, an icy step, and more, the folks here need someone to blame. The culprit is a white wolf that appears before every accident. Yes, they for some reason believe a wolf can make explosions, poison food, and break windows. While you keep the lodge running with your maid and cook duties, you have to solve the mystery around Icicle Creek. This involves keeping track of your body heat while you’re outside, playing board games, opening a mysterious monument, and befriending the elusive white wolf (the best girl!). I won’t spoil the end, but let’s just say you’ll be chasing down a good time in this one.
1. Sea of Darkness
For the top game, I’m going with Sea of Darkness. This is the 32nd game and it combines many of the elements players love from the previous Nancy Drew computer games. It even has a few callbacks to the ridiculousness of some of the previous puzzles. Have you ever fixed electricity with a block puzzle? Well, you can now as Nancy Drew aids a treasure hunter named Dagny Silva search for her missing partner Magnus and an old treasure. There’s something fishy in the town of Skipbrot and it’s not just the lax (use google translate so it’s funny) in the kitchen. On top of the amazing puzzles, this game also features the only original song in the entire series, and the best part is it’s a clue!
You’re missing 24 games? How would they rank?
That would take too long. Let’s just say they’re all tied for 11th place. As a longtime fan, this was so hard for me to pick because they’re all so fun! The characters are great, the puzzles are even challenging in Junior detective mode (that’s normal for those who haven’t played), and the mysteries are always well done. No matter which one you play, you’ll have to remember your notes and put your thinking caps on. Remember, it’s up to you as Nancy Drew!
What’s your favorite of the Nancy Drew computer games? Did it make it on the list? Let us know in the comment section below!
Leave a Reply