My Rating: Cappuccino (4)
Now THIS is what I'm talking about...
In my last review about Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor, I mentioned that I was upset about the plot of Nancy Drew games. How they seem to get dry and boring. How the characters start to lose their thrill.
Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull takes my thoughts and turns them around.
I definitely have to say that of all the Nancy Drew games, this one definitely is up there with being one of my all time favorites.
Below is my review for the game:
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This Game Doesn't Get Enough Credit, It's been a while since I've finished Legend of the Crystal Skull, but whenever I hear about the series, this game always comes to mind. Rather it's the fact that this is one of the only games in the Nancy Drew series that actually involve being in a morbid place such as a cemetery, or the fact that the central plot of the game revolves around a murder, this game is probably the only game in the Nancy Drew series that comes close to solving a murder mystery. And it's really, really fun!
Plot:
Throughout Legend of the Crystal Skull, Nancy is basically going to visit a guy's house because Ned requests that she should check up on him after the death of his grandfather, I believe. Right from the beginning of the game, Nancy is greeted by a monster, something that not many Nancy Drew games usually have at the beginning (or at all for that matter) in their games. Nancy faints and soon finds herself succumbing to the house's eccentric owners, walking through endless intertwining paths of cemeteries, discovering mysterious eyeballs, and even encountering a rather keen lizard. The central plot of the game essentially revolves around Nancy's desire to find out who exactly was the monster that she encountered, which eventually leads her to the discovery of the existence of the Crystal Skull, a mysterious artifact that can give the individual who has it in their possession immortality...except if the individual was murdered. Nancy soon realizes that the monster she encountered may have some connection to the skull and the mystery begins...Overall, the central plot of the game was very fun and constantly kept me interested as I played.
Gameplay:
The puzzles in the game weren't too difficult, yet not too easy either. I did really like how each of the puzzles in the game were all different in their own way and each had a different approach to actually solving the puzzle. Nancy also has the ability to call Bess and switch characters, but there really wasn't too much gameplay involved on Bess's part, which turned out to be disappointing. I also didn't like how the game doesn't really involve too many puzzles that involve manipulating characters or utilizing a character to complete a puzzle. Most adventure games nowadays involve characters having to manipulate characters in certain ways to solve puzzles, which I find very creative. (For example: Monkey Island and Agatha Christine games.) While these gameplay issues can be annoying, the gameplay was still solid nonetheless.
Music:
The Soundtrack in Legend of the Crystal Skull was on par with the Nancy Drew game series. My favorite song would probably have to be the one that plays when Nancy walks through the cemetery. To be honest, this song should really be the trademark of the game, it's that good. The songs in this game made the tone and overall feel somewhat somber and yet mysterious, especially when playing as Nancy. When playing as Bess, the soundtrack became whimsical and relaxing which was fine, but some of the songs didn't feel like they belonged in a game that supposed to be about a mystery, not a vacation to New Orleans. In conclusion, the music was good and really set the suspenseful tone for the game.
Conclusion:
A lot of the Nancy Drew games that come out usually don't have too many changes except for a change in scenery, new puzzles and items, or characters. Never are there any changes in gameplay or graphics, which I found to be a disappointment. The graphics were very nice and definitely portrayed the suspenseful and spooky theme to the series, but everything always feels the same. HeR needs to incorporate new gameplay mechanics to the series.
Overall, Legend of the Crystal Skull was a really, really fun game that had plenty of good fun solving puzzles, exploring many mysterious locations, eccentric suspects that were memorable, and a conclusion that will make you coming back for more long after the game is completed.
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So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed the review!
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