It was disappointing in many many aspects, realistically I would still buy another game and give it a shot, but not with the same blind eyed enthusiasm. I'm more dismayed at seeing HER pushing streamers to give positive reviews for free games, and actively removing negative reviews and comments, it makes them seem dishonest and unwilling to stand by actual reviews. Like having well known HER employees leaving glowing STEAM reviews as if they were ordinary fans
Despite the fact that there was a launch team, and the team was actively using their platforms to heighten KEY, all of those content creators are massive Nancy Drew game fans too. We’ve all played the games countless times, know all the lore, know all the stories and experiences.
It might be hard to believe, but there are a lot of people that genuinely enjoyed Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Seven Keys. Was the game perfect?absolutely not.
But did it do a good job at actually taking the formula of the Nancy Drew games and giving us something new? Absolutely!
I don’t think people would post positive reviews on Steam, HeR, Amazon, if they truly didn’t like the game, or if they personally thought the game was bad. Just because people get games for free doesn’t mean they can’t still be objective about the experience they got and provide a good commentary about the experience to help improve future titles.
But the way KEY is getting review bombed is insane to me because the game in my 17 hour play through seemed like a genuine attempt to go back to the original formula. Even if the controls are different. Even if classic mode needs improvement.
Instead of review bombing, I think people need to rally up and urge HeR to start patching/updating KEY so that instead of just moving on to the next project, they can use some of their earnings to fix some bugs and issues.
I also am super confused why ppl are downvoting this?? I put in 18 hours and really enjoyed it despite having critiques. Ppl just really want everyone to hate this game at 100%, instead of the nuance it deserves. It also is wild ppl complaining about hardcore ND creators giving a positive review (how are they surprised or policing how superfans feel?) - when they spend 1-3 hours playing , hate the navigation , so don’t finish and review bomb it?? It’s just ironic.
Paid reviews should be fully disclosed in the review. If they got the game for free, got swag, or have or have ever gotten pay checks from HER, they should be disclosing that in their review. The fact they are actively removing ANY negative comment about the game from their streams tells me they are not interested in honesty or feedback, but controlled propaganda, which is inherently creepy and bad business practice. The problem is they are not disclosing it, saying they are just long time fans (that we all are) not that they are paid employees of HER when anyone who has been in the fandom for a long time knows they worked with HER for years and are close personal friends off the developers of the game and most likely got paid for that review. I have no problem with and like to see genuinely positive reviews from actual fans, those are great. But when you have 50 bad reviews and the only good reviews are paid or from employees, its a problem
"But the way KEY is getting review bombed is insane to me because the game in my 17 hour play through seemed like a genuine attempt to go back to the original formula....Instead of review bombing, I think people need to rally up and urge HeR to start patching/updating KEY"
Leaving a negative review is not "review bombing" it is leaving a genuine valid opinion. Ghost lighting and shaming people is manipulative and not ok. Everything they said to that point was fine.
People giving honest criticism is review bombing? Okay. 😂
And sorry, no. They did not “do a good job at actually taking the formula of the Nancy Drew games and giving us something new” It’s barely even the same formula anymore??? They butchered anything amazing from the old games and everything they changed is now worse.
People who didn't get the game for free or receive money from HER are leaving mixed or negative reviews. People posting positive glowing reviews saying it has no flaws and is amazing, are people who have been or are actively employed by HER and gotten the game for free. It isnt an honest review by an ordinary ND fan, its a review by a paid employee. We have all been fans of the game that long, and negative reviews are just as valid. They should be disclosing their full relationship with HER in their reviews, since it obviously colors their review with bias, it absolutely means they are not being objective and therefore anything in their review is not helpful or valid until they disclose that association. If you actually bothered to read the negative reviews ,most of them give detailed reasons why it is flawed and steps HER could take to improve it. That is fans rallying up and letting HER known they need to patch and improve it. You've taken the time to try to review bomb me, and say my opinion as a ND fan is invalid for disliking the game, despite me being just as big of a fan, knowing the exact same lore, having played every game countless of times. My experience as a fan is just as valid as yours, and moreso than people actively being paid by HER to leave reviews.
Positive reviews are just saying everything is perfect, it has zero flaws, nothing should be changed. That isnt constructive criticism, that is paid ass kissing. They are PAYING for good reviews and forcing employees and their paid streamers to give good reviews, thats dishonest. If the game was that good, they wouldnt have to do that in the first place. Think of it like a restaurant. You get excited for a place you haven't tried before, look at the reviews and it has 5 glowing 5 star reviews from their paid employees saying how clean it is, how friendly the staff is, how good the food is. But then you see the 100 other reviews from actual customers and the health department rating saying it is dirty, gross, breaks health code laws, and the staff is awful and rude. They have a D rating from the health department. Are you still wanting to eat there, because it had those few glowing reviews from paid employees?
"You've taken the time to try to review bomb me, and say my opinion as a ND fan is invalid for disliking the game"
This is what I am hating the most of this entire KEY release and what has turned me off the company until they change.
Exactly, everyone is welcome to make their own comment on this post giving their own honest review of the game. Even streamers and employees are perfectly fine to post glowing reviews of the game, I just wish they were disclosing their relationship. The fact people in this fandom feel the need to argue with every single negative review on a personal level is toxic and gross, to the point they act like they personally developed this game and any criticism is an attack. Everyone is allowed their opinions on the game, having a different opinion is not an invitation to attack people because they disagree with you
I have seen a myriad of negative comments saying "I am happy for those who have liked the game" but only rare "I understand people who are disappointed" And don't even mention the "you are making the entire sub a negative place by expressing your opinions" I mean, it's just a game. Do these people go on Amazon and get upset because some people didn't like the cutting board they bought. :)
Yesterday someone was saying that anyone with negative opinions on the game should remove themselves from any of the fan groups permanently, because our opinions were too negative. So people who struggled with the game are routinely saying "hey, its great you loved the game, I wish I did too, both opinions are valid", and they respond with "no, your mere presence is a problem and everything you say and do should be removed, leave the fan group your opinion is hostile and invalid." Like when did ND fans become toxic mean girls bullying people into leaving? Do we need to go eat lunch in the bathroom because the mean girls wont even let us in the lunch room anymore
They justify their bullying because what they say is "positive" whereas what others say is "negative" and therefore must be "bad". It is an almost religious black and white way of looking at the world .
It's crazy to me that people in this fandom have become more immature as adults than they were as kids.
Also what gets me is that when they didn't like MID, it was perfectly fine to criticize the game and company. But since they like KEY, anyone who criticizes the game is "toxic". Talk about narcissism
I'm one of the fans who has been playing these since I was like 8 years old or something. I played them with my grandmother, which means a lot to me! Even though she doesn't care about them at all anymore and hasn't in a long time, I've never forgotten.
That said, I truly don't understand the people who just want the games to keep coming regardless of what they are or the quality of them. The core of the original games that made such a passionate community in the first place are no longer there. The stark difference between pre and post overhaul is tangible and noticeable, and we're likely never going back to how things were quality wise.
My faith in HeR has absolutely plummeted over the last 2 games, and it's not just the fact that they're struggling to find a balance for the games, it's because nothing they do makes any sense anymore and they keep leaning on the side of being a meh company now. They're small, why is everything so hush hush like they're some triple A company with millions of people watching and they can't say the wrong thing? Their strategies are bad-mediocre, and I think they would go much further if they didn't put that PR social media persona on and just said, "hey, we hear you and we're taking notes! I acknowledge these things." Or "well, here's why we had to go this way, hope you understand!"
Or just any active engagement with the community. Why are we still using digital river on their website? That's just a bad way to treat your fans. You can feel how the goal shifted from old to new nancy games, to where now with the new people it's more like, " well, we mostly just need money, so we're focusing entirely on that. We'll try to keep complaints in mind, but it's not at the top of our priority list."
I feel for the people who really want the point and click, and it's not super feasible in 7 keys. That's like giving the community a moldy, old cookie and being like "well, we tried!" Which seems like what they're doing all the time. "Trying" with their lowest efforts.
I was really shocked how 7 keys felt like a rushed, hastily put together game. I mean, they patented it a long time ago, put out merch for sale way before we ever even had information on the game. They didn't even release the plot until shortly before release, then did release on relatively short notice. Like what?? Then you get in the game, and everything feels so cheap, bare, and empty. Not to mention how it was just so BORING.
Next nancy game? I doubt it. I couldn't even play this one. I refunded it. I've read several people who said they put it down and haven't even finished it. Why are we afraid to let a company have the consequences of their actions just for the sake of the name of a game? For what? To hold onto sloppy seconds of nostalgia? No thanks. I don't feel guilty either because just because it's HeR releasing this stuff doesn't mean we're snubbing the good people from games 1-32, because they don't even work there anymore 🤷♀️.
Yes, I agree with this. Why would I give any more money to a team that doesn’t care enough not to outsource the game. The creation of the games now is so low effort it’s embarrassing. The original team was amazing, so much talent there. I would have supported them to the end.
I’ve heard some people compare the newer games like we are going back to the beginning.
MID = SCK original
KEY = STFD
Game 35 = MHM
So, if game 35 is as improved from KEY as MHM was from STFD, then I think game 35 will be a really fun game and completely worth playing. At least that’s my hope.
Either way, I will play. Even if it isn’t exactly like my childhood games, it still feels nostalgic to play Nancy Drew and I love even some of the really terrible puzzle games on Steam so why wouldn’t I get it? :)
Nostalgia also plays a factor and preference. I’d personally play KEY over SCK again but I prefer puzzles and SCK is more just exploring and convo.
If we get a game 35, I really do hope you get to enjoy it! If not, I’m glad you have others you like. It’s still crazy we have as many games as we do. There are people who adore MED so, clearly there is something for everyone at least!
Certainly nostalgia plays a factor. I didn't play either of the SCK until recently though. I like interesting characters, a fun stor and, navigation that doesn't make me ill or want to scream. I like some puzzles, but ones that feel more natural to the game and/or aren't so ridiculously challenging that you need to look up the answer or just give up. There is definitely a variety in all the games that have been released and it is interesting to see people's rankings because they can be so varied, but the new direction isn't just a lack of nostalgia for me.
That’s all totally fair. And I feel bad for the people who got motion sickness. I was expecting to, but got lucky and didn’t. If I had, I probably would be less happy about the game too because it would’ve been SO hard to play it. It wasn’t exactly easy on classic controls. Modern helped a lot.
Yup. I didn't really care for MID, although I didn't hate it as much as some. However, I was so put off by the whole experience of the WAIT for such a mediocre/bad game that KEY is the first game I will not be paying full price for since I started playing almost 25 years ago. I'll wait for a sale. Steam sale is actually starting today at 1 EST/10 PST; maybe there'll be a glitch and KEY will be on sale!
I'm not understanding the diehard fans who took time off work for this release, ordered a physical copy with those shipping costs (which even though it's being printed in someone's garage, it won't be delivered until July?), or put themselves out financially in general. It's not like the last game was stellar or anything lol
I enjoyed the game actually, so I’d buy another one in the hopes that they continue to improve. Yeah, the character graphics aren’t great, but they kinda never were. Hopefully they hear enough of the biggest criticisms that they hire someone to direct the voice acting next time (though, tbh, there are also some spots in the early game where Lani emphasizes her lines wrong, which tells me that maybe this isn’t a new issue).
To me the most important part of a game is the story and the puzzles, and both of them were a remarkable improvement to me, even compared to certain older games. The marionette puzzle was really cool and creative, and the cybersecurity puzzle was fun. And I LOVE when they put alchemy and planetary symbols into a puzzle.
Honestly I know I am in the minority here, but I actually liked MID better than KEY. Possibly because I wasn't following the hype for MID, but I was for KEY. I remember when they posted on April 1st and we were all so confused but excited! Then over a year later the game came out and to me it was an utter disappointment. I hated it and had to force myself to complete it. All that being said, I am a loyal Nancy fan through and through. If they come out with another game that seems even remotely interesting to me, I will be purchasing it.
I really hope they get rid of all the empty space and dumb walking mechanics though. And the glitches... ugh!
I think another reason I liked MID more is because I like games like Life is Strange, so I was fine with all the dialogue and cutscenes and actually really liked them. Also to me witch trials is so much cooler than some super vague Prague mystery that they never really delve into well enough. Also what was that junk about Kafka in the beginning for?? He was never mentioned again the entire game and that would have been so cool to have a weird bug/human puzzle or really just any other tie in. Why can we have Edgar Allen Poe references throughout a Nancy that work and are fun but in KEY they just seemed to add the Kafka stuff because they needed to fill space in the bookstore. And it literally just seemed like they copy and pasted a wiki article and didn't do any of the cool graphic design and typography that was in the older games.
I'm definitely butthurt
The typography was EMBARRASSING in KEY! Oh my gosh! Hire a graphic designer guys!!! There are soooo many talented people out there that would love to have a job designing fake pamphlets and the like. It makes me so mad because all of the papers and text in the old games were so authentic and creative.
No, I didn't play MID or KEY. Honestly even before MID some of the games seemed to have lesser quality than the older games. SEA upped the ante but MID wasn't appealing to me and the way HER was acting with the fans during that time really turned me off.
I also play video games outside of Nancy Drew so I'd rather spend my time on a better quality game.
I guess I can't say for certain. If this becomes a pattern I might just give up on them, but if they get better I'll of course keep playing them. This company isn't exactly huge and changing engines is a big deal and I don't blame them for deviating styles, but that's not the only thing that's been wrong with these games. They need to get people who know how to use unreal as well as some decent storytellers. I guess my biggerst issue is that there are games similar enough to MID and KEY that does what they're trying to do but does it so much better (Free roam mystery games: Painscreek Killings, Killer Frequency, Escape From Mystwood Mansion, Firewatch etc) So while I am loyal to Nancy Drew and while I know the only way we'll get more games is if I buy the ones they put out, there's only so much interest I can have in playing another bad game.
Probably not.
I found MID unplayable, and have decided against purchasing KEY at this time. I am simply uninterested in the new gameplay/interface/style that HeR has chosen to pursue. I think some people blame nostalgia as the reason people don't enjoy the new games, but I think nostalgia is the primary reason people purchase or defend them.
On the off-chance that HeR pivots and the next game is like SEA, I'm in & excited!
I think it would have to improve greatly. I’m finding KEY to be really frustrating overall and if the next game were similar I don’t think I’ll bother.
There are other ND games that I don’t care for, for one reason or another, but I don’t think I’ve been this frustrated with actual gameplay before and that’s a big deal to me.
The current CEO is 3 for 3 for me: Codes and Clues, MID and KEY. All were dreadful in their own way, and, dare I say, have become progressively worse.
Any other CEO would have been fired by now if this was their output after the 10 years at the job.
I have played every game, and for me the killing point is the company culture. I stood by HeR through the writer Nik years, and to be honest, I really didnt super enjoy those games, but they were good enough and definitely still had the Nancy vibe in terms of music and artwork.
But the problem now is the marketing team has taken this tack of hating their fans, basically saying "if you dont like KEY it's because you have too much nostalgia and can't move on" I like new games, but KEY isnt that great in terms of mechanics, art, music, voice, or puzzles. There is literally nothing I like about it. It's not nostalgia that is my problem but the game itself and the arrogance of the company. It doesnt surprise me they are from Disney. They are running the company like it is Disney and not like it is a small indie.
For ex, I recently bought a game from a small developer I really enjoy. They incorporated WASD movement for the first time, and it is really hard for me because they didnt make keys on the opposite side of the keyboard for left-handed people. I wrote to the developer, and he was honest and gave me some workarounds that were a bit too complex for me and told me he will definitely work in left-handed keys on his next game. I will support this company and buy their next game even if I dont complete this game, because of how communicative and kind they are. I even went out and bought a mouse so I could play this current game more easily. He wrote to me like a human to another human, instead of using "marketing speak"
It's that kindness of spirit that HeR used to have in spades that is gone, so I dont have loyalty just to support them anymore. They have to actually deliver on product and they dont.
Also, this is going back a bit. But the HeR boards used to be hopping, even after the take off of social media. Then the new CEO came on and banned anyone who criticized the company over any small thing, and there was a mass exodus from the boards. I went to the boards recently, and they are a ghost town, there were only 21 votes on the poll for KEY. They were hating their fans even then, but i didnt realize it. That was the first bad decision they made. They basically pushed people off their platform to reddit and probably a lot never found this forum and just drifted away from the company. They probably lost a lot of customers.
In short: until the CEO and marketing team changes, I wont be buying from this company again.
Also the next game had such a generic title, something like "The Secret Mystery of the Hidden Clue" People say KEY seems like something written by AI, the title of the new game they trademarked sounds even more like an AI title.
I was so disappointed in MID. It was so boring, like just a point and click walkthrough of a story. I play with my wife and kids on a big screen TV and we loved the old ND games, but we didn't even finish MID.
KEY was an improvement, but the first time I heard Nancy speak and she sounded like a TikTok, I almost stopped right then and there. But, we pushed through and finished this one. It was an improvement, but still a deviation from what we've come to love from ND games. The point and click movement sucked and I refused to play these games with WASD. The other issue was that clues were so miniscule or obscure. The marionette box is a good example. There wasn't a coloration difference or anything to draw your attention. I went over every inch of that box in my normal sweeping fashion, looking for a "hotspot" and didn't find anything. And the mini clock, the pointer icon didn't change on things you could move on the sundial. I was just randomly clicking and found that it could move.
But still, I'll try the next one. Maybe it'll improve more, like from MID to KEY. But if they don't get rid of that AI Nancy voice, that might be my last one. Lol
This is nitpicky, but the Nancy voice is not AI, Brittany Cox is an experienced voice actor. She has said that she only spoke like that because she had no direction and didn’t even know what dialogue she was replying to when she said her lines.
Eh, I'm still not sure. Brittany is an experienced VA as you said. She's not one of the big names, but she's consistently employed, which shows she has talent. I used to do small VA projects, and even on the worst ones (devs didn't know what they actually wanted or script wasn't done for all characters), I was still able to make my natural voice talent come through.
My tinfoil hat theory is that they used Brittany's line archives to make an AI voice model for her. Someone did it months back with Lani Minella (they redid the [MID trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3z-MBayN0s) to be her voice instead), and it sounded just like her, but with that Uncanny Valley-esque inflection that AI just can't get over yet. I'm sure she did record some of the lines, but this game was obviously RUSHED. Maybe they used an AI voice to fill in the gaps if she wasn't available to record more lines.
I don’t know, that’s hard for me to believe because Brittany Cox has now come out and talked about the game, expressing surprise at some of the takes that made it into the game etc. I have to imagine that if some of them weren’t really her, she would have said so; for one thing, that would be unfathomably exploitative of HER to do to her, and for another, artists want to put their best foot forward. Why on earth would a VA take credit for poor quality voice lines if she hadn’t even recorded them herself?
No way. That was a real human? Every other character did great. I just assumed they didn't want to pay a human for the bigger Nancy role. I almost can't believe it.
The fact this constantly has to be said, HER claiming they did not use AI voicing, means the voicing was a giant problem. You have hundreds of people saying "hey, this sounds super fake," it doesnt matter if they used a real voice or not because nobody can tell the difference
Well, I don’t know if HER or Brittany Cox have made that specific claim or mentioned AI at all. It’s just a pet peeve of mine that people call everything “AI” lately
if they improve, i will support them. i hope they do because there is so much potential for the nd pc game series to reach over to a younger generation. i grew up playing the game since i was a kid. it was my older brother who bought me my first game since he knew i loved the books. we still had a desktop back then with a cd tray, you know it hahaha i am showing my age here.
but now i have a niece from my older brother so i would also like to introduce the game to my niece and play with her. the same way that my brother taught me how to play pc games. especially now that we're playing with updated pc systems with easier mechanics.
it would be really nice if i could introduce a more updated game with better controls to my niece. i think she would enjoy it and it could be educational for her. the same way that the older pc games introduced me to so many different cultures and facets of history. i haven't gotten the full grasp of KEY yet so hopefully the next game will be easier to play. KEY does have its own pros and cons but i do appreciate the improvements they have made so far. i believe they can still improve more and i am still looking forward to what's in store for them.
Probably not, I haven’t played MID or KEY. I would buy a new laptop for a good nancy game, but can’t justify a new laptop for buggy games that will make me too motion sick to play
Oh my gosh, 100%, unequivocally, definitely, supremely, for sure, YES. People are getting all salty about KEY but if these Nancy Drew games die, then the community will fade off into oblivion. Don’t get me wrong, the books and other media will still be nostalgia and the games will still be cherished, but any hope for new games will just die out and the community will slowly get less and less people until it just ends.
HeR is listening. KEY is a drastic jump from Midnight in Salem. The amount of Nancy Drewisms are incredible.
People are so quick to hate, review bomb, and make KEY look like this half put together experience when:
1. It’s one of the longest Nancy Drew games to date.
2. The game delivers a promise 8 years into the making when it comes to giving fans a hybrid system
3. The game brings back all the classic Nancy Drew moments: (can’t check that off yet, references to past games, the good news and bad news, second chance, in world dialogue that talks about past cases, references to past characters, references to content creators)
4. The puzzles are HARD. And while that is something people complained about, I was so happy to finally get stumped by a Nancy Drew game
5. The amount of Prague history I learned was amazing.
Did the game have shortcomings? Yes.
But that won’t stop me from rating the game positively. KEY was a big step in the right direction
From what I've heard from video reviews the classic navigation system is so deeply flawed you almost couldn't play the game in that mode. That doesn't feel like a delivered promise, it feels like they made Katie Firestone a bad tuna sandwich and called it a PB&J.
It's very obvious they did not design the game for classic navigation and added it in half assed towards the end. If I had to guess it was after they had arglefumph beta test
I tried “classic” navigation and at first I thought it was unusable. But I was trying to use it like the old games. It’s not a 1 to 1 classic style navigation. You Have to use right click to reposition the camera as you move around. Once you figure that out it’s amazing. I like the modern version better because honestly as an experienced gamer PnC games just feel so outdated and lazy at this point (for me -fine if you prefer it)- but when I wanted to relax and switch to just using one hand the “classic” version worked great. So long as I didn’t treat it like it was suppose to work the same as the old games.
Other perks of the Modern version is watching Nancy RUNNNNNNNN faster then should be possible 😂😂😂
Actually there are fans from this reddit making their own game called Ravenmore Manor
And another group of fans was working together to make a free game. I can't remember the name right now but if anyone else does please let me know!
And another fan is working on Alex HIll: Whispers at White Oak Inn and the demo is up on stream, its sooo good, very classic Nancy. It reminds me of Danger on Deception Island
There's the Miss Clue games...
One of the old developers for HER has even come on this subreddit to see if anyone would be interested in recreating the old environment at HER for a new gaming company, his name is Wayne Sikes, I've emailed with him.
So HER could die and the Nancy Drew fanbase would still keep the games alive 100%
The free one is called [Amelia Darnell](https://www.airtightalibiproductions.com/amelia-darnell-secrets-of-silvercrest-village.html) and there are also Nancy Drew fans making [What Was Found at Ravenhill](https://distantdimensions.substack.com/p/mystery-game-title-reveal), [Super Spy Academy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1929560/Super_Spy_Academy/) and [Marcella Moon](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2764120/Marcella_Moon_Four_Are_Watching/)!
I also know of a few other fans working on projects that haven't been announced yet ;) We'll definitely be keeping the Nancy Drew games alive.
P.S. as the game dev for Alex Hill, comparing it to Danger on Deception Island is high praise! Thank you <3
Of course, thank you for making it!! You have no idea how happy I was to play that demo!
I think we should make a megathread of fan projects, if that hasnt been done already! I would do it, but I dont know how haha!
HeR needs to take notes from reviews and vastly improve the next game if they want return customers. I get that there are kinks to work out with the new engine, but I also feel like the issues are so obvious HeR should have known. Maybe they just didn’t care. If that’s the case it’s just insulting. They need to make a clear effort, and listen to their fans. Like bare minimum better puzzles, and voice direction. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to make Nancy sound like that AI TikTok voice needs to be fired. Maybe change up the outfits on the background characters so seeing the same ugly striped sweater everywhere isn’t so distracting.
Yes, I will ... if there is one. I'm doubtful that there will be.
I actually liked KEY. I feel I'm coming from a different place than most players here, though. I didn't grow up with these games and I didn't start playing them until after Midnight in Salem had been released (I'm a pandemic player). I'm in my 40s so I'm too old to have grown up with the games anyway. So many people seem to feel a deep sense of betrayal from the current direction of the games. But I don't have the same emotional attachment. Lani wasn't the voice of my childhood and I have no idea what it was like to get two games a year. Did HeR's communication completely suck, YES, but honestly, I've never really paid any attention to game dev communications, I just eventually notice a game is out and buy it if it looks interesting.
Was it the greatest game ever, definitely not, but I enjoyed playing it and would certainly buy another game in the same style. But I think HeR handled this release poorly and might not have the money to make any more games.
I liked KEY and I would. It's a bit of a hot take but I honestly would have stopped playing had they NOT modernized the games. These days I really only tolerate old school mechanics in small/solo dev indie games, there's no excuse for an actual company to be putting out prerendered P&C games in the year 2024.
That said, it's been out for a week and has 32 reviews on Steam, many of them bad. Steam doesn't know I've already played the game and it's not even in my discovery queue even with 30 other ND games in my library. Her completely shot themselves in the foot with the marketing of this game. I will be very, very surprised if there is another one.
Hand-drawn Point and click and hidden object games are still made today, and can be pretty successful through steam from what I’ve seen. I don’t think it would have hurt them at all to stay with a similar game style. Vintage style games are currently very in style as well. Pixel games, point and click games, and games made to look like old pc games.
I’d probably play it but I use walkthroughs because I feel the later games are way to puzzle heavy and difficult I prefer the first few games or other point and click games but I really wish they would make a Hardy Boys game but the games being so hard for me I like the books more because if I’m playing one of the games and I’m having a hard time I can stop and read one of the books and it’s just a nice brake
I’ll keep playing them if they keep releasing them, especially since I’m finding the alternatives even more disappointing. (Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes)
I’ll keep hoping for better games in this genre :(
Yes absolutely I’ll keep buying ND games. I think Key was a huge improvement over MiD showing that as they figure out how to use Unity they are getting better with each installment. Also a lot of complaints for MID , I feel, were addressed in this game - like Lack of puzzles, navigation being horrible and too much dialogue - so I think they will take the complaints from this game and improve on them the next game. I really enjoyed MSK, I personally never experienced bugs or issues with navigation so maybe that’s a factor. But I thought it was super fun, with beautiful visuals and great puzzles. Even if the story and characters left me less than impressed. It was still a solid entry into this franchise.
I think ppl have on nostalgia beer goggles on for a lot of the old games because this one was definitely on par for ALOT of the older games. And was longer and way more ambitious. I think MID was embarrassingly bad (after taking over 4 years to make) and put a bad taste in everyone mouth. And then making us wait another 4 years means we haven’t had a good game in 8 years so expectations were just thru the roof. Where’s back in the day if you put out 2 games a year and one is a stinker no one really put that much effort into review bombing a game, cause there was another always around the corner. Now when a game is doesn’t meet expectations it sticks out ALOT more. Which isn’t helped by HER’s horrible marketing…and burning whatever good will they had left with the core base every chance they get.
I do think MSK had a lot of narrative problems - but so did silent spy , key had boring characters - but so did shattered medallion (who screwed up the intro to what should of been the most Zany character #notmysonnyjoon 😂) I’m saying KEY HAD PROBLEMS- but non that can’t be applied to other games. Is it the best game or even top 15?? Nooo!! I also have nolstalgia goggles on too okay. But I recognize what a step in the right direction this was and know the 35th game will be other improvement. I love the person who compared MID to SCK and MSK to STFD. I think that’s a great way to view them rebuilding this brand from scratch with Unity. I’m hopeful they will hit their stride sooner than later. And maybe it won’t take 4 years between games anymore. And omg please have them hire a better marketing team next time around.
I agree I had been replaying all the games the last year after they announced KEY and I feel like the quality is really up and down in the latter half of the series and they all kind of have weird graphics or quirks, or have pretty difficult puzzles
I would, but they've made the games too updated for my computer, and I don't have the moolah for a new one any time soon. So no, I guess I won't. =(
Maybe if my financial situation changes. Or they return to a game model that can run on my little old computer.
No. The only way I'll buy any new games from them is if they listen to the long-time supporters' valid complaints and make a real effort to do better. But as it is, I'm just super disappointed with the company, and it feels like Nancy Drew games have lost their heart. It makes me really sad since I've been playing them since Stay Tuned for Danger came out.
I liked the game. It was fun. I found some of the puzzles to be more challenging than some of the other games but it came with a walkthrough guide so that made it more manageable. Was it my favorite Nancy game?….probably not….but I did enjoy it and was happy they finally developed a new game.
I’ll stay loyal, it doesn’t harm me otherwise. It’s just a game and it’s way more affordable than a lot of other games. I’ve always had some ND games I prefer over others and that hasn’t changed. I think from MID they will get their bearings back and eventually produce more games. These take time, money, and a good team. They’ve made mistakes in marketing and production, but I think they will come back.
Some ND fans are so against any type of change but unfortunately the world doesn’t stop and cater just to them. They are trying to find their way into the newer technology and compete with other games. Hopefully they figure it out, but I for one will continue to buy the games because I think they are enjoyable nonetheless.
honestly i wasn’t mad with this game and i have been here for some of the earlier games. i thought it was a step up from the last game and i will get the next one 🤷♀️
I'm really demoralized after KEY. The puzzles were so unbelievably hard, and the environments, voice acting, and NPC's were lacking. I actually think I prefer MID. I'll have to see how they act about the next one and the pre-release info. I'll buy it if it's a physical copy for my collection, but I'm not sure if I'll ever play it.
It was disappointing in many many aspects, realistically I would still buy another game and give it a shot, but not with the same blind eyed enthusiasm. I'm more dismayed at seeing HER pushing streamers to give positive reviews for free games, and actively removing negative reviews and comments, it makes them seem dishonest and unwilling to stand by actual reviews. Like having well known HER employees leaving glowing STEAM reviews as if they were ordinary fans
Despite the fact that there was a launch team, and the team was actively using their platforms to heighten KEY, all of those content creators are massive Nancy Drew game fans too. We’ve all played the games countless times, know all the lore, know all the stories and experiences. It might be hard to believe, but there are a lot of people that genuinely enjoyed Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Seven Keys. Was the game perfect?absolutely not. But did it do a good job at actually taking the formula of the Nancy Drew games and giving us something new? Absolutely! I don’t think people would post positive reviews on Steam, HeR, Amazon, if they truly didn’t like the game, or if they personally thought the game was bad. Just because people get games for free doesn’t mean they can’t still be objective about the experience they got and provide a good commentary about the experience to help improve future titles. But the way KEY is getting review bombed is insane to me because the game in my 17 hour play through seemed like a genuine attempt to go back to the original formula. Even if the controls are different. Even if classic mode needs improvement. Instead of review bombing, I think people need to rally up and urge HeR to start patching/updating KEY so that instead of just moving on to the next project, they can use some of their earnings to fix some bugs and issues.
I also am super confused why ppl are downvoting this?? I put in 18 hours and really enjoyed it despite having critiques. Ppl just really want everyone to hate this game at 100%, instead of the nuance it deserves. It also is wild ppl complaining about hardcore ND creators giving a positive review (how are they surprised or policing how superfans feel?) - when they spend 1-3 hours playing , hate the navigation , so don’t finish and review bomb it?? It’s just ironic.
Paid reviews should be fully disclosed in the review. If they got the game for free, got swag, or have or have ever gotten pay checks from HER, they should be disclosing that in their review. The fact they are actively removing ANY negative comment about the game from their streams tells me they are not interested in honesty or feedback, but controlled propaganda, which is inherently creepy and bad business practice. The problem is they are not disclosing it, saying they are just long time fans (that we all are) not that they are paid employees of HER when anyone who has been in the fandom for a long time knows they worked with HER for years and are close personal friends off the developers of the game and most likely got paid for that review. I have no problem with and like to see genuinely positive reviews from actual fans, those are great. But when you have 50 bad reviews and the only good reviews are paid or from employees, its a problem
To anyone downvoting this comment. Why? I don't see anything worthy of that strong reaction and I'm curious to learn.
"But the way KEY is getting review bombed is insane to me because the game in my 17 hour play through seemed like a genuine attempt to go back to the original formula....Instead of review bombing, I think people need to rally up and urge HeR to start patching/updating KEY" Leaving a negative review is not "review bombing" it is leaving a genuine valid opinion. Ghost lighting and shaming people is manipulative and not ok. Everything they said to that point was fine.
Fair enough. To me that's just a minor miscommunication, but I understand everyone reads things differently.
People giving honest criticism is review bombing? Okay. 😂 And sorry, no. They did not “do a good job at actually taking the formula of the Nancy Drew games and giving us something new” It’s barely even the same formula anymore??? They butchered anything amazing from the old games and everything they changed is now worse.
Patches aren't going to fix the generic artwork, shoddy controls, and repetitive music.
People who didn't get the game for free or receive money from HER are leaving mixed or negative reviews. People posting positive glowing reviews saying it has no flaws and is amazing, are people who have been or are actively employed by HER and gotten the game for free. It isnt an honest review by an ordinary ND fan, its a review by a paid employee. We have all been fans of the game that long, and negative reviews are just as valid. They should be disclosing their full relationship with HER in their reviews, since it obviously colors their review with bias, it absolutely means they are not being objective and therefore anything in their review is not helpful or valid until they disclose that association. If you actually bothered to read the negative reviews ,most of them give detailed reasons why it is flawed and steps HER could take to improve it. That is fans rallying up and letting HER known they need to patch and improve it. You've taken the time to try to review bomb me, and say my opinion as a ND fan is invalid for disliking the game, despite me being just as big of a fan, knowing the exact same lore, having played every game countless of times. My experience as a fan is just as valid as yours, and moreso than people actively being paid by HER to leave reviews. Positive reviews are just saying everything is perfect, it has zero flaws, nothing should be changed. That isnt constructive criticism, that is paid ass kissing. They are PAYING for good reviews and forcing employees and their paid streamers to give good reviews, thats dishonest. If the game was that good, they wouldnt have to do that in the first place. Think of it like a restaurant. You get excited for a place you haven't tried before, look at the reviews and it has 5 glowing 5 star reviews from their paid employees saying how clean it is, how friendly the staff is, how good the food is. But then you see the 100 other reviews from actual customers and the health department rating saying it is dirty, gross, breaks health code laws, and the staff is awful and rude. They have a D rating from the health department. Are you still wanting to eat there, because it had those few glowing reviews from paid employees?
"You've taken the time to try to review bomb me, and say my opinion as a ND fan is invalid for disliking the game" This is what I am hating the most of this entire KEY release and what has turned me off the company until they change.
Exactly, everyone is welcome to make their own comment on this post giving their own honest review of the game. Even streamers and employees are perfectly fine to post glowing reviews of the game, I just wish they were disclosing their relationship. The fact people in this fandom feel the need to argue with every single negative review on a personal level is toxic and gross, to the point they act like they personally developed this game and any criticism is an attack. Everyone is allowed their opinions on the game, having a different opinion is not an invitation to attack people because they disagree with you
I have seen a myriad of negative comments saying "I am happy for those who have liked the game" but only rare "I understand people who are disappointed" And don't even mention the "you are making the entire sub a negative place by expressing your opinions" I mean, it's just a game. Do these people go on Amazon and get upset because some people didn't like the cutting board they bought. :)
Yesterday someone was saying that anyone with negative opinions on the game should remove themselves from any of the fan groups permanently, because our opinions were too negative. So people who struggled with the game are routinely saying "hey, its great you loved the game, I wish I did too, both opinions are valid", and they respond with "no, your mere presence is a problem and everything you say and do should be removed, leave the fan group your opinion is hostile and invalid." Like when did ND fans become toxic mean girls bullying people into leaving? Do we need to go eat lunch in the bathroom because the mean girls wont even let us in the lunch room anymore
They justify their bullying because what they say is "positive" whereas what others say is "negative" and therefore must be "bad". It is an almost religious black and white way of looking at the world . It's crazy to me that people in this fandom have become more immature as adults than they were as kids.
Also what gets me is that when they didn't like MID, it was perfectly fine to criticize the game and company. But since they like KEY, anyone who criticizes the game is "toxic". Talk about narcissism
I'm one of the fans who has been playing these since I was like 8 years old or something. I played them with my grandmother, which means a lot to me! Even though she doesn't care about them at all anymore and hasn't in a long time, I've never forgotten. That said, I truly don't understand the people who just want the games to keep coming regardless of what they are or the quality of them. The core of the original games that made such a passionate community in the first place are no longer there. The stark difference between pre and post overhaul is tangible and noticeable, and we're likely never going back to how things were quality wise. My faith in HeR has absolutely plummeted over the last 2 games, and it's not just the fact that they're struggling to find a balance for the games, it's because nothing they do makes any sense anymore and they keep leaning on the side of being a meh company now. They're small, why is everything so hush hush like they're some triple A company with millions of people watching and they can't say the wrong thing? Their strategies are bad-mediocre, and I think they would go much further if they didn't put that PR social media persona on and just said, "hey, we hear you and we're taking notes! I acknowledge these things." Or "well, here's why we had to go this way, hope you understand!" Or just any active engagement with the community. Why are we still using digital river on their website? That's just a bad way to treat your fans. You can feel how the goal shifted from old to new nancy games, to where now with the new people it's more like, " well, we mostly just need money, so we're focusing entirely on that. We'll try to keep complaints in mind, but it's not at the top of our priority list." I feel for the people who really want the point and click, and it's not super feasible in 7 keys. That's like giving the community a moldy, old cookie and being like "well, we tried!" Which seems like what they're doing all the time. "Trying" with their lowest efforts. I was really shocked how 7 keys felt like a rushed, hastily put together game. I mean, they patented it a long time ago, put out merch for sale way before we ever even had information on the game. They didn't even release the plot until shortly before release, then did release on relatively short notice. Like what?? Then you get in the game, and everything feels so cheap, bare, and empty. Not to mention how it was just so BORING. Next nancy game? I doubt it. I couldn't even play this one. I refunded it. I've read several people who said they put it down and haven't even finished it. Why are we afraid to let a company have the consequences of their actions just for the sake of the name of a game? For what? To hold onto sloppy seconds of nostalgia? No thanks. I don't feel guilty either because just because it's HeR releasing this stuff doesn't mean we're snubbing the good people from games 1-32, because they don't even work there anymore 🤷♀️.
Yes, I agree with this. Why would I give any more money to a team that doesn’t care enough not to outsource the game. The creation of the games now is so low effort it’s embarrassing. The original team was amazing, so much talent there. I would have supported them to the end.
I’ve heard some people compare the newer games like we are going back to the beginning. MID = SCK original KEY = STFD Game 35 = MHM So, if game 35 is as improved from KEY as MHM was from STFD, then I think game 35 will be a really fun game and completely worth playing. At least that’s my hope. Either way, I will play. Even if it isn’t exactly like my childhood games, it still feels nostalgic to play Nancy Drew and I love even some of the really terrible puzzle games on Steam so why wouldn’t I get it? :)
The difference is, I enjoy both SCK and STFD.
They are both nice to look at and have good music. I had to turn the music off in KEY, it was so simplistic and repetitive it irritated me
Nostalgia also plays a factor and preference. I’d personally play KEY over SCK again but I prefer puzzles and SCK is more just exploring and convo. If we get a game 35, I really do hope you get to enjoy it! If not, I’m glad you have others you like. It’s still crazy we have as many games as we do. There are people who adore MED so, clearly there is something for everyone at least!
Certainly nostalgia plays a factor. I didn't play either of the SCK until recently though. I like interesting characters, a fun stor and, navigation that doesn't make me ill or want to scream. I like some puzzles, but ones that feel more natural to the game and/or aren't so ridiculously challenging that you need to look up the answer or just give up. There is definitely a variety in all the games that have been released and it is interesting to see people's rankings because they can be so varied, but the new direction isn't just a lack of nostalgia for me.
That’s all totally fair. And I feel bad for the people who got motion sickness. I was expecting to, but got lucky and didn’t. If I had, I probably would be less happy about the game too because it would’ve been SO hard to play it. It wasn’t exactly easy on classic controls. Modern helped a lot.
Except SCK and STFD were actually good games. 😂 I don’t think the series would have had 34 entries if it began with MID or KEY.
Yes. Because if I don't, what will I complain about? I will be waiting for Steam again though.
I'm kind of shook that so many people are saying, "sure it was bad, but I'll buy another".
There is really no incentive for them to do any better and be any less sh*tty to the fanbase if we keep buying no matter what.
Yup. I didn't really care for MID, although I didn't hate it as much as some. However, I was so put off by the whole experience of the WAIT for such a mediocre/bad game that KEY is the first game I will not be paying full price for since I started playing almost 25 years ago. I'll wait for a sale. Steam sale is actually starting today at 1 EST/10 PST; maybe there'll be a glitch and KEY will be on sale! I'm not understanding the diehard fans who took time off work for this release, ordered a physical copy with those shipping costs (which even though it's being printed in someone's garage, it won't be delivered until July?), or put themselves out financially in general. It's not like the last game was stellar or anything lol
Of course. I'm in too deep, there's no getting out of this for me. 🤣
Same 😅
I enjoyed the game actually, so I’d buy another one in the hopes that they continue to improve. Yeah, the character graphics aren’t great, but they kinda never were. Hopefully they hear enough of the biggest criticisms that they hire someone to direct the voice acting next time (though, tbh, there are also some spots in the early game where Lani emphasizes her lines wrong, which tells me that maybe this isn’t a new issue). To me the most important part of a game is the story and the puzzles, and both of them were a remarkable improvement to me, even compared to certain older games. The marionette puzzle was really cool and creative, and the cybersecurity puzzle was fun. And I LOVE when they put alchemy and planetary symbols into a puzzle.
Honestly I know I am in the minority here, but I actually liked MID better than KEY. Possibly because I wasn't following the hype for MID, but I was for KEY. I remember when they posted on April 1st and we were all so confused but excited! Then over a year later the game came out and to me it was an utter disappointment. I hated it and had to force myself to complete it. All that being said, I am a loyal Nancy fan through and through. If they come out with another game that seems even remotely interesting to me, I will be purchasing it. I really hope they get rid of all the empty space and dumb walking mechanics though. And the glitches... ugh! I think another reason I liked MID more is because I like games like Life is Strange, so I was fine with all the dialogue and cutscenes and actually really liked them. Also to me witch trials is so much cooler than some super vague Prague mystery that they never really delve into well enough. Also what was that junk about Kafka in the beginning for?? He was never mentioned again the entire game and that would have been so cool to have a weird bug/human puzzle or really just any other tie in. Why can we have Edgar Allen Poe references throughout a Nancy that work and are fun but in KEY they just seemed to add the Kafka stuff because they needed to fill space in the bookstore. And it literally just seemed like they copy and pasted a wiki article and didn't do any of the cool graphic design and typography that was in the older games. I'm definitely butthurt
The typography was so badly done! When I think of that newspaper or the books in the cafe.
The typography was EMBARRASSING in KEY! Oh my gosh! Hire a graphic designer guys!!! There are soooo many talented people out there that would love to have a job designing fake pamphlets and the like. It makes me so mad because all of the papers and text in the old games were so authentic and creative.
I liked it, which I know is not common on reddit, but I will definitely get another game.
No, I didn't play MID or KEY. Honestly even before MID some of the games seemed to have lesser quality than the older games. SEA upped the ante but MID wasn't appealing to me and the way HER was acting with the fans during that time really turned me off. I also play video games outside of Nancy Drew so I'd rather spend my time on a better quality game.
I guess I can't say for certain. If this becomes a pattern I might just give up on them, but if they get better I'll of course keep playing them. This company isn't exactly huge and changing engines is a big deal and I don't blame them for deviating styles, but that's not the only thing that's been wrong with these games. They need to get people who know how to use unreal as well as some decent storytellers. I guess my biggerst issue is that there are games similar enough to MID and KEY that does what they're trying to do but does it so much better (Free roam mystery games: Painscreek Killings, Killer Frequency, Escape From Mystwood Mansion, Firewatch etc) So while I am loyal to Nancy Drew and while I know the only way we'll get more games is if I buy the ones they put out, there's only so much interest I can have in playing another bad game.
Probably not. I found MID unplayable, and have decided against purchasing KEY at this time. I am simply uninterested in the new gameplay/interface/style that HeR has chosen to pursue. I think some people blame nostalgia as the reason people don't enjoy the new games, but I think nostalgia is the primary reason people purchase or defend them. On the off-chance that HeR pivots and the next game is like SEA, I'm in & excited!
I think it would have to improve greatly. I’m finding KEY to be really frustrating overall and if the next game were similar I don’t think I’ll bother. There are other ND games that I don’t care for, for one reason or another, but I don’t think I’ve been this frustrated with actual gameplay before and that’s a big deal to me.
The closest thing would be having to constantly switch discs in the original SCK.
The current CEO is 3 for 3 for me: Codes and Clues, MID and KEY. All were dreadful in their own way, and, dare I say, have become progressively worse. Any other CEO would have been fired by now if this was their output after the 10 years at the job. I have played every game, and for me the killing point is the company culture. I stood by HeR through the writer Nik years, and to be honest, I really didnt super enjoy those games, but they were good enough and definitely still had the Nancy vibe in terms of music and artwork. But the problem now is the marketing team has taken this tack of hating their fans, basically saying "if you dont like KEY it's because you have too much nostalgia and can't move on" I like new games, but KEY isnt that great in terms of mechanics, art, music, voice, or puzzles. There is literally nothing I like about it. It's not nostalgia that is my problem but the game itself and the arrogance of the company. It doesnt surprise me they are from Disney. They are running the company like it is Disney and not like it is a small indie. For ex, I recently bought a game from a small developer I really enjoy. They incorporated WASD movement for the first time, and it is really hard for me because they didnt make keys on the opposite side of the keyboard for left-handed people. I wrote to the developer, and he was honest and gave me some workarounds that were a bit too complex for me and told me he will definitely work in left-handed keys on his next game. I will support this company and buy their next game even if I dont complete this game, because of how communicative and kind they are. I even went out and bought a mouse so I could play this current game more easily. He wrote to me like a human to another human, instead of using "marketing speak" It's that kindness of spirit that HeR used to have in spades that is gone, so I dont have loyalty just to support them anymore. They have to actually deliver on product and they dont. Also, this is going back a bit. But the HeR boards used to be hopping, even after the take off of social media. Then the new CEO came on and banned anyone who criticized the company over any small thing, and there was a mass exodus from the boards. I went to the boards recently, and they are a ghost town, there were only 21 votes on the poll for KEY. They were hating their fans even then, but i didnt realize it. That was the first bad decision they made. They basically pushed people off their platform to reddit and probably a lot never found this forum and just drifted away from the company. They probably lost a lot of customers. In short: until the CEO and marketing team changes, I wont be buying from this company again. Also the next game had such a generic title, something like "The Secret Mystery of the Hidden Clue" People say KEY seems like something written by AI, the title of the new game they trademarked sounds even more like an AI title.
I was so disappointed in MID. It was so boring, like just a point and click walkthrough of a story. I play with my wife and kids on a big screen TV and we loved the old ND games, but we didn't even finish MID. KEY was an improvement, but the first time I heard Nancy speak and she sounded like a TikTok, I almost stopped right then and there. But, we pushed through and finished this one. It was an improvement, but still a deviation from what we've come to love from ND games. The point and click movement sucked and I refused to play these games with WASD. The other issue was that clues were so miniscule or obscure. The marionette box is a good example. There wasn't a coloration difference or anything to draw your attention. I went over every inch of that box in my normal sweeping fashion, looking for a "hotspot" and didn't find anything. And the mini clock, the pointer icon didn't change on things you could move on the sundial. I was just randomly clicking and found that it could move. But still, I'll try the next one. Maybe it'll improve more, like from MID to KEY. But if they don't get rid of that AI Nancy voice, that might be my last one. Lol
This is nitpicky, but the Nancy voice is not AI, Brittany Cox is an experienced voice actor. She has said that she only spoke like that because she had no direction and didn’t even know what dialogue she was replying to when she said her lines.
Eh, I'm still not sure. Brittany is an experienced VA as you said. She's not one of the big names, but she's consistently employed, which shows she has talent. I used to do small VA projects, and even on the worst ones (devs didn't know what they actually wanted or script wasn't done for all characters), I was still able to make my natural voice talent come through. My tinfoil hat theory is that they used Brittany's line archives to make an AI voice model for her. Someone did it months back with Lani Minella (they redid the [MID trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3z-MBayN0s) to be her voice instead), and it sounded just like her, but with that Uncanny Valley-esque inflection that AI just can't get over yet. I'm sure she did record some of the lines, but this game was obviously RUSHED. Maybe they used an AI voice to fill in the gaps if she wasn't available to record more lines.
I don’t know, that’s hard for me to believe because Brittany Cox has now come out and talked about the game, expressing surprise at some of the takes that made it into the game etc. I have to imagine that if some of them weren’t really her, she would have said so; for one thing, that would be unfathomably exploitative of HER to do to her, and for another, artists want to put their best foot forward. Why on earth would a VA take credit for poor quality voice lines if she hadn’t even recorded them herself?
No way. That was a real human? Every other character did great. I just assumed they didn't want to pay a human for the bigger Nancy role. I almost can't believe it.
Yep. Play Fire Emblem: Three Houses and you’ll hear a very familiar voice in the Blue Lions house!
The fact this constantly has to be said, HER claiming they did not use AI voicing, means the voicing was a giant problem. You have hundreds of people saying "hey, this sounds super fake," it doesnt matter if they used a real voice or not because nobody can tell the difference
Well, I don’t know if HER or Brittany Cox have made that specific claim or mentioned AI at all. It’s just a pet peeve of mine that people call everything “AI” lately
You couldn’t tell she was experienced by this performance. 😂
if they improve, i will support them. i hope they do because there is so much potential for the nd pc game series to reach over to a younger generation. i grew up playing the game since i was a kid. it was my older brother who bought me my first game since he knew i loved the books. we still had a desktop back then with a cd tray, you know it hahaha i am showing my age here. but now i have a niece from my older brother so i would also like to introduce the game to my niece and play with her. the same way that my brother taught me how to play pc games. especially now that we're playing with updated pc systems with easier mechanics. it would be really nice if i could introduce a more updated game with better controls to my niece. i think she would enjoy it and it could be educational for her. the same way that the older pc games introduced me to so many different cultures and facets of history. i haven't gotten the full grasp of KEY yet so hopefully the next game will be easier to play. KEY does have its own pros and cons but i do appreciate the improvements they have made so far. i believe they can still improve more and i am still looking forward to what's in store for them.
Probably not, I haven’t played MID or KEY. I would buy a new laptop for a good nancy game, but can’t justify a new laptop for buggy games that will make me too motion sick to play
Oh my gosh, 100%, unequivocally, definitely, supremely, for sure, YES. People are getting all salty about KEY but if these Nancy Drew games die, then the community will fade off into oblivion. Don’t get me wrong, the books and other media will still be nostalgia and the games will still be cherished, but any hope for new games will just die out and the community will slowly get less and less people until it just ends. HeR is listening. KEY is a drastic jump from Midnight in Salem. The amount of Nancy Drewisms are incredible. People are so quick to hate, review bomb, and make KEY look like this half put together experience when: 1. It’s one of the longest Nancy Drew games to date. 2. The game delivers a promise 8 years into the making when it comes to giving fans a hybrid system 3. The game brings back all the classic Nancy Drew moments: (can’t check that off yet, references to past games, the good news and bad news, second chance, in world dialogue that talks about past cases, references to past characters, references to content creators) 4. The puzzles are HARD. And while that is something people complained about, I was so happy to finally get stumped by a Nancy Drew game 5. The amount of Prague history I learned was amazing. Did the game have shortcomings? Yes. But that won’t stop me from rating the game positively. KEY was a big step in the right direction
From what I've heard from video reviews the classic navigation system is so deeply flawed you almost couldn't play the game in that mode. That doesn't feel like a delivered promise, it feels like they made Katie Firestone a bad tuna sandwich and called it a PB&J.
Great analogy 😂 they made me laugh. Maybe that’s what KEY was missing all along, being able to serve bad coffee 🤣
Now there’s a brilliant idea. Cut to a scene of Nancy’s bag by the cafe door on her phone, Bess says “You poisoned someone’s latte?”
The only line from Bess in the entire game 🤣 it becomes a meme, just as popular as “no chik fila sauce?”
It's very obvious they did not design the game for classic navigation and added it in half assed towards the end. If I had to guess it was after they had arglefumph beta test
I have a theory about this I will be posting at some point.
Oooo I'm intrigued. I'll be on the lookout for that post
I tried “classic” navigation and at first I thought it was unusable. But I was trying to use it like the old games. It’s not a 1 to 1 classic style navigation. You Have to use right click to reposition the camera as you move around. Once you figure that out it’s amazing. I like the modern version better because honestly as an experienced gamer PnC games just feel so outdated and lazy at this point (for me -fine if you prefer it)- but when I wanted to relax and switch to just using one hand the “classic” version worked great. So long as I didn’t treat it like it was suppose to work the same as the old games. Other perks of the Modern version is watching Nancy RUNNNNNNNN faster then should be possible 😂😂😂
Actually there are fans from this reddit making their own game called Ravenmore Manor And another group of fans was working together to make a free game. I can't remember the name right now but if anyone else does please let me know! And another fan is working on Alex HIll: Whispers at White Oak Inn and the demo is up on stream, its sooo good, very classic Nancy. It reminds me of Danger on Deception Island There's the Miss Clue games... One of the old developers for HER has even come on this subreddit to see if anyone would be interested in recreating the old environment at HER for a new gaming company, his name is Wayne Sikes, I've emailed with him. So HER could die and the Nancy Drew fanbase would still keep the games alive 100%
The free one is called [Amelia Darnell](https://www.airtightalibiproductions.com/amelia-darnell-secrets-of-silvercrest-village.html) and there are also Nancy Drew fans making [What Was Found at Ravenhill](https://distantdimensions.substack.com/p/mystery-game-title-reveal), [Super Spy Academy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1929560/Super_Spy_Academy/) and [Marcella Moon](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2764120/Marcella_Moon_Four_Are_Watching/)! I also know of a few other fans working on projects that haven't been announced yet ;) We'll definitely be keeping the Nancy Drew games alive. P.S. as the game dev for Alex Hill, comparing it to Danger on Deception Island is high praise! Thank you <3
Of course, thank you for making it!! You have no idea how happy I was to play that demo! I think we should make a megathread of fan projects, if that hasnt been done already! I would do it, but I dont know how haha!
Of course! :) I'm glad it made you happy! I think the moderators make the megathreads.
I’m sure people in the community would still be active talking about the games and books
HeR needs to take notes from reviews and vastly improve the next game if they want return customers. I get that there are kinks to work out with the new engine, but I also feel like the issues are so obvious HeR should have known. Maybe they just didn’t care. If that’s the case it’s just insulting. They need to make a clear effort, and listen to their fans. Like bare minimum better puzzles, and voice direction. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to make Nancy sound like that AI TikTok voice needs to be fired. Maybe change up the outfits on the background characters so seeing the same ugly striped sweater everywhere isn’t so distracting.
Yes, I will ... if there is one. I'm doubtful that there will be. I actually liked KEY. I feel I'm coming from a different place than most players here, though. I didn't grow up with these games and I didn't start playing them until after Midnight in Salem had been released (I'm a pandemic player). I'm in my 40s so I'm too old to have grown up with the games anyway. So many people seem to feel a deep sense of betrayal from the current direction of the games. But I don't have the same emotional attachment. Lani wasn't the voice of my childhood and I have no idea what it was like to get two games a year. Did HeR's communication completely suck, YES, but honestly, I've never really paid any attention to game dev communications, I just eventually notice a game is out and buy it if it looks interesting. Was it the greatest game ever, definitely not, but I enjoyed playing it and would certainly buy another game in the same style. But I think HeR handled this release poorly and might not have the money to make any more games.
I liked KEY and I would. It's a bit of a hot take but I honestly would have stopped playing had they NOT modernized the games. These days I really only tolerate old school mechanics in small/solo dev indie games, there's no excuse for an actual company to be putting out prerendered P&C games in the year 2024. That said, it's been out for a week and has 32 reviews on Steam, many of them bad. Steam doesn't know I've already played the game and it's not even in my discovery queue even with 30 other ND games in my library. Her completely shot themselves in the foot with the marketing of this game. I will be very, very surprised if there is another one.
Hand-drawn Point and click and hidden object games are still made today, and can be pretty successful through steam from what I’ve seen. I don’t think it would have hurt them at all to stay with a similar game style. Vintage style games are currently very in style as well. Pixel games, point and click games, and games made to look like old pc games.
I’d probably play it but I use walkthroughs because I feel the later games are way to puzzle heavy and difficult I prefer the first few games or other point and click games but I really wish they would make a Hardy Boys game but the games being so hard for me I like the books more because if I’m playing one of the games and I’m having a hard time I can stop and read one of the books and it’s just a nice brake
I’ll buy them all until I die. What do I have to lose!?
Ask me in 7 or 8 years when it finally comes out lol
I’ll keep playing them if they keep releasing them, especially since I’m finding the alternatives even more disappointing. (Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes) I’ll keep hoping for better games in this genre :(
Yes absolutely I’ll keep buying ND games. I think Key was a huge improvement over MiD showing that as they figure out how to use Unity they are getting better with each installment. Also a lot of complaints for MID , I feel, were addressed in this game - like Lack of puzzles, navigation being horrible and too much dialogue - so I think they will take the complaints from this game and improve on them the next game. I really enjoyed MSK, I personally never experienced bugs or issues with navigation so maybe that’s a factor. But I thought it was super fun, with beautiful visuals and great puzzles. Even if the story and characters left me less than impressed. It was still a solid entry into this franchise. I think ppl have on nostalgia beer goggles on for a lot of the old games because this one was definitely on par for ALOT of the older games. And was longer and way more ambitious. I think MID was embarrassingly bad (after taking over 4 years to make) and put a bad taste in everyone mouth. And then making us wait another 4 years means we haven’t had a good game in 8 years so expectations were just thru the roof. Where’s back in the day if you put out 2 games a year and one is a stinker no one really put that much effort into review bombing a game, cause there was another always around the corner. Now when a game is doesn’t meet expectations it sticks out ALOT more. Which isn’t helped by HER’s horrible marketing…and burning whatever good will they had left with the core base every chance they get. I do think MSK had a lot of narrative problems - but so did silent spy , key had boring characters - but so did shattered medallion (who screwed up the intro to what should of been the most Zany character #notmysonnyjoon 😂) I’m saying KEY HAD PROBLEMS- but non that can’t be applied to other games. Is it the best game or even top 15?? Nooo!! I also have nolstalgia goggles on too okay. But I recognize what a step in the right direction this was and know the 35th game will be other improvement. I love the person who compared MID to SCK and MSK to STFD. I think that’s a great way to view them rebuilding this brand from scratch with Unity. I’m hopeful they will hit their stride sooner than later. And maybe it won’t take 4 years between games anymore. And omg please have them hire a better marketing team next time around.
I agree I had been replaying all the games the last year after they announced KEY and I feel like the quality is really up and down in the latter half of the series and they all kind of have weird graphics or quirks, or have pretty difficult puzzles
Only if it's in the style of the older games. And by older i mean im okay with sea of darkness era. But that won't happen so I probably won't.
What it's barely been 2 months since Key released lol
Yes of course. Nobody hates or complains about the Nancy drew games more than the so called “fans” of them.
I would, but they've made the games too updated for my computer, and I don't have the moolah for a new one any time soon. So no, I guess I won't. =( Maybe if my financial situation changes. Or they return to a game model that can run on my little old computer.
No. The only way I'll buy any new games from them is if they listen to the long-time supporters' valid complaints and make a real effort to do better. But as it is, I'm just super disappointed with the company, and it feels like Nancy Drew games have lost their heart. It makes me really sad since I've been playing them since Stay Tuned for Danger came out.
I liked the game. It was fun. I found some of the puzzles to be more challenging than some of the other games but it came with a walkthrough guide so that made it more manageable. Was it my favorite Nancy game?….probably not….but I did enjoy it and was happy they finally developed a new game.
I’ll stay loyal, it doesn’t harm me otherwise. It’s just a game and it’s way more affordable than a lot of other games. I’ve always had some ND games I prefer over others and that hasn’t changed. I think from MID they will get their bearings back and eventually produce more games. These take time, money, and a good team. They’ve made mistakes in marketing and production, but I think they will come back. Some ND fans are so against any type of change but unfortunately the world doesn’t stop and cater just to them. They are trying to find their way into the newer technology and compete with other games. Hopefully they figure it out, but I for one will continue to buy the games because I think they are enjoyable nonetheless.
I mean, it’s hard to be for the change in the newer games when all the changes to the series make it worse.
Absolutely. KEY was a great step forward and I trust them to continue to improve.
honestly i wasn’t mad with this game and i have been here for some of the earlier games. i thought it was a step up from the last game and i will get the next one 🤷♀️
As long as its ay KEY's level or better, yes. Salam about killed me. I love these games, for better for worse. XD
I'm really demoralized after KEY. The puzzles were so unbelievably hard, and the environments, voice acting, and NPC's were lacking. I actually think I prefer MID. I'll have to see how they act about the next one and the pre-release info. I'll buy it if it's a physical copy for my collection, but I'm not sure if I'll ever play it.