Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill
The debut Nancy Drew mystery game.
Secrets Can Kill is the first installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series, released on November 23, 1998 by HeR Interactive. Players assume the first-person perspective of amateur sleuth Nancy Drew, solving a mystery through interrogation, puzzles, and clue discovery. The game features pre-rendered 3D environments with 2D animated characters and offers three difficulty levels: Junior, Senior, and Master detective modes.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- HeR Interactive
- Publisher
- DreamCatcher Games
- Released
- November 23, 1998
- Genre
- Adventure, Puzzle
- Modes
- Single player
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
- Series
- Nancy Drew
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Nancy Drew takes a semester off from school to visit her Aunt Eloise in Florida. When a student named Jake Rogers is murdered at the local high school where Eloise works as a librarian, Eloise asks Nancy to investigate. Nancy goes undercover as a new student and uncovers that Jake was blackmailing several people by videotaping their misdeeds. Hal Tanaka plagiarized an English essay; Jake blackmailed him into doing homework. Connie Watson competed secretly in a men's judo tournament for prize money; Jake forced her to date him. Hulk Sanchez stole steroids from a pharmaceutical plant; Jake made him his lackey. Daryl Gray, son of a former senator, was involved in a drug deal with Mitch Dillon; Jake demanded a cut of the profits. Mitch Dillon ran a drug transport ring from the plant. When Jake tried to blackmail Mitch, Mitch killed him. With Daryl and Connie's help, Nancy arranges for Mitch's arrest. After the killer is caught, Nancy travels to New York City to investigate death threats against a rising star named Rick Arlen.
Development
Nancy Drew is an 18-year-old amateur detective from the fictional town of River Heights. She is the only playable character, and the player solves the mystery from her perspective. Daryl Gray found the victim's body, works as a short-order cook at Maxine's Diner, and is student council president; he drives a Porsche 911 and is known as a rich, popular flirt. Connie Watson is a strong girl with a dark secret, often found in the Student Lounge. Hal Tanaka is a Japanese exchange student focused on earning a scholarship to become a doctor; he studies in the school's study dome. Hector 'Hulk' Sanchez is a jock hoping for a college football scholarship and a future with the Miami Dolphins. Mitch Dillon is the school's boiler serviceman, rarely seen, and described as shady. Voice actors include Lani Minella as Nancy Drew, John Truong as Hal Tanaka, Rick Calvert as Hulk Sanchez, Bill Corkery as Daryl Gray, Kenton Leach as Mitch Dillon, and Donna Rowry as Connie Watson.
Release
Secrets Can Kill was released on November 23, 1998, and was one of the first mystery computer games targeting the young female demographic. In 2001, it sold 28,050 units in North America; its jewel case re-release sold 41,455 copies in the region in 2003. By August 2006, the computer version had sold between 100,000 and 300,000 units in the United States alone. Critical reception was mixed: The Washington Post criticized the game for not conveying Nancy Drew's character, while Adventure Gamers gave it two stars. The Sun Sentinel praised it for bringing characters alive, and Millie Benson, a writer of original Nancy Drew mysteries, commended it for retaining the flavor of the early books. The game was discontinued on August 1, 2010 due to sound card compatibility issues. A remastered version with a new ending and pre-rendered 3D characters was released on August 24, 2010, receiving a five-star rating from Common Sense Media.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who published Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill?
Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill was published by DreamCatcher Games.
What platforms is Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill available on?
Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill was released for Microsoft Windows.
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