Introduction
I can't say I enjoyed this episode of Nancy Drew. I
had my doubts when I started up the game and read that Nancy would be
competing in a “reality” TV show. Unfortunately nothing in the game
changed my initial impression. I'd taken a break from playing Nancy Drew
games before playing Nancy Drew #28 (Thornton Hall) and #29 (The Silent
Spy), and either of those games would make a great introduction (or
re-introduction) to the Nancy Drew series. Unfortunately #30 (Shattered
Medallion) might well be the last Nancy Drew game a person plays if it
happens to be their first. IMO it's the worst since #20 Ransom of the
Seven Ships, with Ransom's abysmal dexterity-oriented Monkey games.
Story
In the opening scene, Nancy learns that her best
friend Bess Marvin has volunteered her for a reality TV show (called
“Pacific Run”), partnering Nancy with her other best friend, George
Fayne (who for some reason is a fan of the show). Personally, I would
have been horrified, but Nancy is more spunky and good-natured than I
am. Poor George is taken out of action early on, and Bess gets her
comeuppance by having to take George's place. Bess foresees her own
imminent demise, though since she is Bess, her fears are greatly
exaggerated. Although George is no longer a contestant, she continues to
be helpful as a researcher.
There are originally 10 different teams, each named
after a New Zealand bird. Nancy and George/Bess are “Team Tui” and other
important teams are “Team Kea” (Patrick Dowsett and Leena Patel) and
“Team Tawaki” (Kiri Nind and the soon-to-be-taken-out Erin). Team Tui is
mysteriously rescued from elimination early on by Sonny Joon, who is the
show's producer for this episode (though no one is sure how he got to be
producer). Poor Erin is injured when trying to help George, and Sonny
allows her teammate Kiri to continue as the solo member of “Team Tawaki.”
That's the setup, but what about the story? It's
mostly about Sonny Joon's intentions, which you don't figure out until
late in the game and which I won't go into because it would be a
spoiler. There is also the mystery of whether George's “accident” was an
accident -- and if it was intentional, who was responsible.
Characters
You get to actually see Nancy's friends George and
Bess instead of just talking to them on the phone. You talk to some of
the other contestants, including Leena and Patrick (Team Kea) and Kiri
(of Team Tawaki). And you have quite a bit of interaction with Sonny
Joon. Apparently he's a recurring character in the Nancy Drew series,
though he made only small appearances before now (according to the Nancy
Drew Wiki at
http://nancydrewpc.wikia.com/wiki/Sonny_Joon ). I don't remember him
because of the Nancy Drew games I've played, he only had a small mention
or bit part in the earlier ones and I have a gap in playing the Nancy
Drew games immediately preceding #28 (Thornton Hall). But Sonny, or
mention of Sonny, seems to be a recurring feature in the series. If
there are Sonny Joon fans out there, getting to see and talk to Sonny
may be enough reason to play Shattered Medallion. He certainly has
interesting blue hair.
Game Environment/Graphics
The game takes place on an island of New Zealand.
New Zealand is a beautiful part of the world, with interesting features
like geysers, hot springs, mud volcanos and other geothermal activity.
Unfortunately we don't see any of these in the game. Nor are the scenic
areas well depicted. The graphics are pre-rendered and not real time,
but they often look like they've been rendered with a real time 3D
engine from the late 1990's or early 2000's. For example, tree branches
can be oddly flattened and sticking out at strange angles. Rocks often
look bizarre and unrocklike. Tree trunks and other objects look like
cardboard cutouts pasted on a background. The same tree is often
duplicated more than once. I don't remember naturalistic backgrounds
ever looking this shoddy in a Nancy Drew game. I guess it was done as a
cost-saving measure and they thought no one would notice. What could
have been beautiful New Zealand landscapes turned out looking pre-fab,
generic, and like something out of an old FPS – without the free-roaming
aspect.
There were the usual token “educational” features
that have to do with whatever part of the world Nancy is visiting. For
example, you read information on posters and in books about different
sheep breeds, different aquatic creatures, how to pan for gold, etc. At
one point, you have to shear a sheep, and you leave the poor sheep
standing there with a large swath of wool missing from its side and the
rest unshorn. Apparently the other players don't bother shearing the
sheep, because the partially shorn sheep remains this way until the end
of the game – patiently waiting for someone to complete the job.
Interface
The interface is the same point-and-click as other
Nancy Drew games. At times you can type in passwords either by clicking
on letters or typing them in using the keys of your keyboard. During the
canoe race, you have to mouse around and click on arrows to maneuver
between the buoys you're supposed to tag.
The interface includes the usual list of tasks, its
completeness depending on whether you are playing as “Amateur” or
“Master” Sleuth. You can either display two items at a time or expand
the list upwards to display more items. Checking off a task will
automatic move it to the bottom of the list – an improvement over having
completed and incomplete tasks mixed together.
Puzzles
As with all Nancy Drew games, you are given a
choice of playing either as an “Amateur Sleuth” or a “Master Sleuth.”
“Amateur Sleuth” has “regular puzzles,” hints available, and a detailed
tasklist. “Master Sleuth” has “more challenging puzzles,” no hints, and
a “basic” tasklist. I played on “Amateur” because I like having the
complete tasklist, even though I generally prefer the more challenging
puzzles (except for those that are dexterity-based or timed). It's too
bad the Nancy Drew games don't allow separate selections for the
different categories.
Puzzles were varied, though some of them were not
original (for example, a “patchwork” type puzzle where you have to fill
in outlined areas with colors so no area touches another of the same
color) and some were timed or dexterity-oriented (for example, the canoe
race, a marble drop puzzle, at one point your submarine has an
emergency...). Some puzzles involve deciphering or extracting clues from
various comics created for Sonny Joon by his grandfather, Jin.
There are optional “Raid” and “Monster” games in
the “Puzzle Plaza.” It isn't necessary to play these to finish the game
(after reading the rules I had no interest). But if you want to win all
the “Achievements,” you have to play them.
There are a couple of “sudden death” areas where
Nancy can be flattened by a rock or other large thing that falls due to
an earthquake. Although there is an automatic restore, I think being
flattened by at least one of these events ruins your chance of getting
one of the “Achievements.” Just be warned, there is only one direction
you can go to avoid being squished, so you'd better find it quickly and
not mouse around too much. In real life you could run in several
different directions to avoid pancakehood – but not here.
Voice Acting/Dialogue
The voice acting was OK, considering the lines that
were given. But the dialogue was often annoying. I think it tried too
hard to be cute, and maybe witty, but ended up being baffling instead.
There were times when some characters seemed to want to tear your head
off after a question. Ask another question and they'd be back to their
normal, semi-friendly selves.
Music
The music did not suit a Nancy Drew game. It wasn't
horrible music, but it would have been more appropriate for an epic
movie. Maybe they hoped it would match majestic New Zealand scenery, but
since the scenery was so imperfectly depicted in the game it didn't
work. I ended up turning it off, which meant that the credits at the end
of the game rolled by in silence.
Extras
The “Collector's” version has the usual phone
charms hidden around the game. In addition you can earn “Achievements”
for things like taking the canoe out more times than necessary, using
the submersible more than necessary, playing the “Raid” or “Monster”
games in the “Puzzle Palace” building, visiting the injured George many
times, buying all the items in the “Auction House,” and other things
that aren't necessary to complete the game. There was one “Achievement”
called “Spoiler Free” which was sort of interesting because of its
detection mechanism. I'm guessing that the game determines whether or
not you used a walkthrough or hints by whether you solve a puzzle
without having first found the relevant clue(s).
Miscellaneous
I had a low opinion of “reality” TV shows to start
with, and this game did nothing to improve it. The amount of cheating
was disgusting. Nancy frequently had her prizes stolen despite there
being rules against it. In one case the perp pointed out that the rules
said that other contestants must not remove a contestant's award – and
claimed she had only “moved” it and not “re”-moved it. Just disgusting –
and from a character who should really behave better considering her
real life job.
One thing that seemed rather odd was how Nancy
never saw other contestants while trying to complete any of the show's
tasks. She never saw anyone else in the wool-shearing shack, while
canoeing, while using the little submarine, in the “Puzzle Palace,” etc.
A couple of times she overheard a conversation while wandering in the
woods or mines, but for the most part she was alone. The only time she
saw someone was when they were hanging around their appointed position
in the base camp or field. It seemed strange, especially at first when
there were 10 teams competing, that she wouldn't meet other contestants
in the course of completing her tasks.
The person responsible for cutting the rope bridge
– something that could have had fatal consequences for Nancy's friend
George – apparently gets clean away with it. And this was not the only
murderous thing she tried to get away with. Is this considered allowable
behavior in so-called “reality” TV shows? If so, it's one more reason
not to watch them. I'd consider such a thing to be attempted murder. At
the very least, the perp should have been banned from competition
instead of being given her own “Redemption of” show, which is what I
understood to happen in the end.
Recommendations
Ardent Sonny Joon fans and Nancy Drew completists
only.
If you've never played a Nancy Drew game before, do
not start with this one.
Grade: C-
Minimum System requirements for
PC:
-
Windows XP/Vista/7/8
-
1.5 GHZ or greater Pentium 4
CPU or equivalent class
-
512 MB of RAM
-
3GB or more hard drive space
-
128 MB DirectX 9.0 compatible
video card
-
16 bit DirectX compatible sound
card
-
4x DVD drive
-
Mouse and speakers
Minimum System requirements for
Mac:
-
OS X: 10.6.8 Snow Leopard/10.7
Lion/10.8 Mountain Lion/10.9 Mavericks or higher
-
Intel processor
-
512 MB RAM
-
3 GB or more hard drive space
-
Intel GMA X3100, ATI X1600,
NVIDIA 7300 graphics card or better
-
4x DVD drive
-
Keyboard and mouse
-
Internet connection the first
time the game is launched
-
This game will NOT run on
PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac systems (PowerMac)
I played the game on a computer
with:
-
Windows 8.1 Professional
-
AMD Phenom II x4 905e processor
2.51 GHz
-
8 GB of RAM
-
3 GB or more hard drive space
-
AMD Radeon HD 7770 with 2 GB
VRAM
-
ATI High Definition Audio
Device (onboard sound)
