Nancy Drew: Shadow at the Water's Edge

Nancy Drew 23: Shadow At The Water's Edge

-Before I Begin...
My review will be spilt up into sections and have a in-depth look at that topic. Then at the end of the review I round up the stars and give an overall rating.

-Interface
The interface is very simple, intuitive, and has not been changed from the latest release. Nancy's cell phone is a key element in the game: you use it to call off-screen characters, receive text messages, call for clues, and send pictures. Having the cell phone is very fun and a great addition to the overall gameplay. You can make avatars for your characters and even add phone charms to the side. Other than the cell phone, nothing of the interface has been substantially changed. Take a look at your checklist and journal for help during the case.
*****

-Plot
The plot of this game is simply phenomenal and well thought out. Nancy Drew, is staying at the Ryokan Hiei, a traditional Japanese inn where a ghost is haunting guests and making things very difficult for the family running it. I won't go too much into the plot because you have to see it for yourself. There were lots of times during the game where I was wondering if the ghost was fake or actually real. There is plenty of evidence, but also some unexplainable events that can sway you to believing or not. I really liked how the plot developed and got even more dangerous as you continued on throughout the game. There were plenty of red herrings and twists that kept you on your toes, I was surprised when the game ended.
*****

-Characters
There are only four characters that you see face-to-face in this game but they are absolutely great and well-developed. I was happy to see that each character had its own quirks and different relationships in the family. The fact that the whole cast of characters was basically a family lead to some very interesting conversations. There was even a bit of romance between two characters, Miwako Shimizu and Rentaro Aihara, which was entertaining to analyze from both perspectives of the relationship. There are also the other characters of: older sister Yumi Shimizu, and grandma Takae Nagai. Yumi, the rebellious older sister to Miwako, runs her own bento stand in the bustling city of Matsue and wants nothing to do with the Ryokan Hiei that her family has owned for generations. Miwako is a stressed and overworked younger sister who fell in love with her childhood friend Rentaro. Rentaro is the unofficial handyman of the Ryokan and is very goofy and geeky. Finally the grandma Takae is very serious about Japenese tradition and loves the Ryokan with all her heart. As you play the game you will find that some characters have stronger motives than others, but all have secrets to hide.
*****

-Setting & Graphics
The graphics are just outstanding this time around. Every scene is so beautifully detailed, I found myself walking very slowly through the environments just to take in all the eye candy. I really imagined myself in Japan from the bustling, bright cities, to the quaint and picturesque (oh and creepy) gardens of the Ryokan Hiei. Her Interactive really outdid themselves with the graphics in this game, even the characters have such a lifelike quality to them. There were so many environments to explore. The game includes the main location of the Ryokan (which is huge), and three city locations: the Technology Expo/Bento Stand, Yumi's apartment, and the Pachinko Parlor. I felt like there was plenty to see and do without having to get lost in all the different locations.
*****

-Puzzles/Activities
Gone are the chores that we saw in the last release Trail of the Twister, this game has all organic puzzles that make sense to the game and aren't just busy work assigned to do by others. There were a lot of puzzles that I found pretty challenging but fun at the same time. You also play some traditional Japenese brain games like sodoku and renograms, and nonograms. I would say that this game is somewhat puzzle heavy, but it doesn't take away from the mystery. The only thing I sort of didn't like was there was a bit of repetition of puzzles, like doing a nonogram & sodoku in the beginning and ending up having to do bigger, harder, versions later. But still, even the repetition made sense in the context of the game. Also if some of the puzzles are taxing on your brain you can go play some pachinko or make some Bento with Yumi for a phone charm. There was always something for the player to do if you just wanted to take a break from the mystery which I thought was great. Another thing I loved was the amount of snooping. You get to do PLENTY of snooping, mostly at the middle of the night. It was so much fun to explore every nook and cranny and get new evidence on your own when nobody is watching.
*****

-Ending
The ending was split into to two parts, similarly to Trail of the Twister. It was scary and heart pounding for sure. The "catching of the culprit" was logical yet pretty simple, and you get two options that affect the end scene, which was nice. I felt like the second part of the ending could have been just a bit more dramatic and a level scarier. But the conclusion/wrap-up of the mystery was all worth it, especially since everything was explained. A great way to end the game though, I felt happy and that I accomplished something.
*****

-Scare Factor
So this game is probably the scariest Nancy Drew game to date. I don't want to spoil your scare but be prepared for spooky music, eerie locations, and hauntings from a very "Grudge" like ghost. There are multiple scary moments in this game that keep your heart racing, which I just loved. There are also a lot of bad Japenese omens that Nancy gets. I was definitely freaked out during the course of the game. I would definitely recommend playing this game in the dark, at night, or on Halloween for the ultimate scariness. Everything from the ghost to the actual story behind it brought shivers down my spine. Granted this is only an E-10+ game, so there is no blood, gore, or intense violence. So if you are worried about kids being scarred for life, it won't happen with this game. But I would definitely recommend this game to the recommended 10+ age range so they can actually understand what the back-story is, and not get extremely frightened by this game.
*****

-Overall
I can honestly say that this Nancy Drew game has to be the best one out there. Everything about it was exceptional. The characters, plot, setting, graphics were all very well-developed and intricate. I was impressed by all the different aspects and how it was all pulled together in one nicely organized mystery. Her Interactive really brought back all the elements of a great game that fans have been missing. If you are already a fan of these games, I recommend this game with no question that you will enjoy it (unless for some reason you hate Japan or are very easily scared). If you are mystery game fan, than this is a great game to get you started on the Nancy Drew game series. I just loved this game because: it was really long (12+ hours of gameplay), the setting was beautiful, the puzzles were challenging but fun, it was pretty scary, the characters' personalities were multi-dimensional, and the plot was involved yet focused. This game is literally my most favorite of the whole series, they put every different thing I liked about all of the Nancy Drew games and melded it together to make an all around great mystery. This is the first Nancy Drew game that I have given 5 stars in each category, and it rightfully deserves it. I am so excited for the next installment of the series: Nancy Drew 24: The Captive Curse, taking place in a castle in Germany!

Add all these up and divide by 7...
5 *'s (Interface)
5 *'s (Plot)
5 *'s (Characters)
5 *'s (Setting & Graphics)
5 *'s (Puzzles/Activites)
5 *'s (Scare Factor)
5 *'s (Ending)
= 35 Stars Divide By 7 (Categories) = 5 Stars

-Recommended Games
Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED (See my review of this game)
Warnings At Waverly Academy (See my review of this game)
The Phantom Of Venice (See my review of this game)
Danger On Deception Island

Thanks for reading my review!

Shadow at the Water's Edge (SAW) is Nancy Drew's 23rd mystery with Her Interactive, and it's one of the most impressive in terms of story, puzzles, and spooky ambience. Nancy is taking a well-deserved vacation at the Ryokan Hiei, a traditional inn in Kyoto, Japan. From the moment Nancy arrives, there are spooky omens, and the Shimizu family isn't very talkative about the family tragedy that hangs over the ryokan. Part of Nancy's job is to teach English through the Japan Teacher Exchange program, so you'll have various homework assignments to grade in the evenings. Because you're teaching all day, the game takes place at night, adding to the creepy atmosphere.

Shadow at the Water's Edge is one of the scariest games next to Curse of Blackmoor Manor (note that the game is rated E (10+), so there's no gore or violence, but there are some heart-stopping moments). Various paranormal phenomena follow Nancy as she attempts to discover the secrets hiding inside the ryokan, and these were genuinely scary, since several were still unexplained after the finale. This is also one of the longest Nancy Drew games, with ample opportunity for sleuthing, snooping, and interviewing. You'll have the opportunity to hop on the subway as well as conduct phone interviews in your quest for the truth behind the hauntings.

The game designers did a good job on incorporating Japanese culture into the game. You'll find Harajuku-inspired fashion, traditional Japanese gardens, cute cell phone charms, and customizable cell phone avatars that you can assign to your cell contacts (design enough, and you can win an award at the end of the game). I loved the little authentic touches, like the very Japanese hot water heater perched over Yumi's apartment sink. Nancy also has a Japanese-English dictionary to help her translate written items. The in-game music ranges from soothing, traditional Japanese instrumentals to ominous taiko drumming and sudden, eerie starts and stops that will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck.

Gameplay is nonlinear. You can advance the game by setting your cell phone alarm; some actions can only be accomplished at certain times. There are numerous logic puzzles based on Japanese favorites like sudoku, renograms, and nonograms, along with several Japanese cultural lessons offered. If you're not a fan of sudoku and math puzzles, consider yourself warned, as you'll spend most of the game solving a variety of them. This is also one of the more difficult Nancy Drew games; I played the game on the Junior level, and ended up resorting to a walkthrough. Because of the two difficulty levels (Junior and Senior Detective), length of the game and the many opportunities for exploration (including at least three Easter eggs), the replay value is high.

The team at Her Interactive obviously listened to fan feedback; gone are the endless list of chores and filler puzzles (you have the option to complete additional puzzles, but aren't required to do so). Nancy actually gets to snoop around...at night. There's a definite sense of danger; you can die, but there's a handy second chance feature. All of the suspects have something to hide; you'll find your opinion constantly changing based on what you unearth in your explorations. The finale (there are two possible endings based on how you react) was satisfying, as was the trailer for the next game in the series. This is the perfect game to play on Halloween and a fine return to form for Her Interactive.

I've played more than a few of the previous 20+ games in the Drew series. At best, they've been thoroughly entertaining titles (Royal Tower, Crystal Skull, and Castle Malloy) and, at worst, slightly amusing diversions (Danger by Design). Sadly, Shadow at the Water's Edge is easily the worst Drew title since Danger by Design.

As usual, the graphics are quite nice for a budget title, though a bump from an 800*600 resolution would be greatly appreciated; I've seen ten-year-old monitors that can do better than that, so I really think it's time for Her Interactive to upgrade the engine to 1024*768. Kevin Manthei's score is good, but could have been implemented better if the creepier tunes had been reserved for more tense moments instead of constantly playing as background music.

The story has promise, but the execution leaves something to be desired. The game's driving mystery doesn't develop much until over halfway through the games. The characters are fairly entertaining and somewhat interesting. Sadly, your dialogue with them is oddly stilted, and even casual conversations take on the tone of a third-degree interrogation.

Speaking of dialogue, Water's Edge resurrects the long-dead mechanic of being careful in your interactions with the characters, which hasn't been seen since its rather unsatisfactory implementation in the first game. Some dialogue options will make the characters react to you more negatively. This sounds like a good idea on paper, but gradually you end up with a half-dozen insensitive dialogue options ("O hai! Want to talk about how your mom died?") that never disappear over the course of the game.

Disappointingly, the game continues the series' recent tradition of dropping the "adventure" part of an adventure game. You don't really get to explore the areas or pursue a goal; largely, you just wander around and search for seemingly unrelated tasks that will take you slightly farther towards the end of the game.

The puzzles in this entry are absolutely atrocious. I appreciate the idea of incorporating traditional Japanese puzzles such as sudoku into the game, but there were simply too many of the number puzzles, particularly a five-cube "master sudoku" puzzle which felt unnecessary and only served to draw me out of the story. One of the final puzzles is a massive 25*25 renogram; it easily ranks among the most tedious puzzles ever featured in the series. There's also a ridiculous timed puzzle towards the end of the game that's nearly impossible with a cheat-sheet and seems completely unfeasible without one.

Finally, as for the scare factor, if you've played a Jonathan Boakes or Silent Hill title, nothing here will affect you in the least. I won't knock the game for that, as it is marketed to young children instead of the adult audiences that those games target. The title carries an E10+ rating, unlike most of its predecessors, but I honestly can't say that it deserves it any more than Crystal Skull or Castle Malloy did.

I can't say that I completely hated this game, though some of the puzzles made me rage. It's not hard to recommend it over most adventure titles these days, but I'd advise waiting until the price drops before buying it.

Story: 3/5
-Atmosphere: 3/5
-Characters: 4/5
-Plot: 2/5

Presentation: 4/5
-Graphics (Artistic): 4/5
-Graphics (Technical): 3/5
-Music: 4/5
-Voice Acting: 4/5

Gameplay: 2/5
-Exploration: 2/5
-Puzzles: 2/5

Overall: 3/5

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