Danger On Deception Island
I have a real fondness for Ghost
Dogs of Moon Lake, which figures in as number seven in the acclaimed
Nancy Drew game series. I thought that everything came together so
well in that game and wondered if it could get any better.
Well, it could and it did. After
playing Danger On Deception Island, I think it is a tough contender
for that coveted top spot and may well be the best one yet. With the
gauntlet thrown, let's see how they did.
A vacation from all those
pesky mysteries – yeah right!
Deception Island begins with
Nancy talking about her scheduled trip to an isolated area off the
Washington state coast. For once, Nancy has plans for nothing more
than a relaxing vacation on a wayward Island and hopefully some
whale watching. However, she expresses some initial unease about
this vacation. Of course, trouble never seems too far away from our
fair-haired detective and Deception Island proves aptly named. So
is it because her gal pals organized this trip, the constant fog,
her inability to embrace the concept of relaxation or is it just
that she is a danger magnet? Hard to say. But before you can say
Carson Drew, Nancy is once again in the thick of it. Bare seconds
after arriving on the Island, Nancy learns that her hosts’ boat has
been badly vandalized and torn apart. Nancy also learns that a local
controversy over a “displaced Orca” may have prompted this violent
attack. The fishermen and many locals want it towed out to a pod,
out of the way of the fishing fleet. The federal agency wants it
monitored to make sure it is healthy and to have time to investigate
and figure out what pod the friendly killer whale belongs. Katie
Firestone, our host and local whale watching tour guide, fears it
could be sick and might need treatment. And of course there’s more.
There have been a series of mysterious town burglaries, an ancient
mystery of lost ships, stolen booty, shanghaied sailors, a
mysterious reclusive resident and other odd events. There is even a
mysterious sea creature, first mentioned in ancient tribal lore. It
is reputed to be the source of unexplained disappearances and lost
ships. Perhaps Nancy can find out whether Caddy, as the locals call
it affectionately, is a mere tall tale or the real deal. What about
Nancy’s ever-elusive vacation time? Well no time to waste, clues
and suspects abound. Yep, once again, we find ourselves on the trail
with Nancy Drew.
So many people – so little time
Past Nancy Drew games have had
their fair share of interesting suspects and side characters. I had
to stroll through memory lane to be sure, but Deception Island
seemed to have more characters than prior games. First you have the
entire Nancy Drew crew available through e-mail and/or phone.
George, Bess, Frank and Joe Hardy all play their part. As in past
games, you can contact them for in-game hints or just a “how am I
doing” gut check. Hannah, the long time Drew housekeeper, keeps our
laptop mailbox busy with news from home. Then there are the main
characters and key suspects. Katie Firestone, our host, owns a whale
watching business and is the out spoken protector of the Orca.
Questions are raised about her motives and even she is not free from
suspicion. Andy Jason, her competitor and owner of Whale World, has
been actively trying to buy her out. Could he have gotten tired of
her refusals? What is his role in all this? Then there is Holt
Scotto, a salty fisherman and newly declared candidate for
Harbormaster. A Fisherman by trade, he resents the wide berth
mandated by the federal agency for the Orca. Ships must give the
Killer Whale plenty of distance in their travels out of the Bay –
which means added travel time and costs. How far would his
resentment push him? We have the affable owner of the town
restaurant, Jenna Deblin. She not only inherited the restaurant,
built in 1866, but its role in a fascinating history linked to the
towns past. Were there smugglers and those who would shanghai
unsuspecting men and what role did her ancestors play in these
uncertain times? Could she be hiding something behind her agreeable
façade and endless bowls of clam chowder? There is a mysterious
recluse who communicates only through odd messages in bottles that
find their way onto shore. What are her secrets and why did she
leave the main island for her refuge on nearby Scraeb Island, so
long ago? There are also several experts Nancy deals with through
her laptop and cell phone.
What is new to this game and
wonderfully done, are the added animal interactions in the game. The
lost Orca of course takes center stage, but there are crabs and
other marine life as well. I highly recommend that this added level
of immersion and interactive fun is repeated in future games. The
subtle improvements in character animation that surfaced in Haunted
Carousel are notable in Deception. The voice talent, never a weak
spot in any of the games, satisfies here as well. I don’t want to
give away much more about the characters and their roles in the
game, as it would be a shame to ruin the many surprises in store for
the gamer. Best to just say that the characters are once again
solidly integrated into the game, both graphically and plot wise.
Puzzles, Paradoxes and game
fun.
As soon as you start the game,
you will encounter several puzzles, clues and hints of what lies
ahead. None were brain breaking, but they weren’t simplistic
either. This game has so many varied puzzles, that it is difficult
to catalog them all. In fact, I cannot think of another series title
that had such a great blend of challenges. There are hands on
practical challenges, like get into a locked door or reconstruct a
broken water pipe. The game environments lend themselves to this
eclectic mix, as you will find yourself above ground, in buildings,
underground and on the water. As in Scarlet Hand, there is an
educational component to the game, where attention to research, in
game history and facts will fare you well. At one point, you will
need to listen to information about Orcas to succeed with a series
of related puzzles to get an important item needed to advance in the
game. Other historical items should be read or noted, as they
provide valuable clues and added plot depth. There is also an arcade
type puzzle in the game. But, unlike the Barnacle Blaster in Haunted
Carousel, this one has an in-game auto cheat. Try your hand several
times and if you can’t succeed, the game considers it won. I
appreciated this accommodation for those gamers who would rather
pass something like this up, even if it were on the easier side.
There are also standard stand-alone mechanisms that will need to be
solved in the game. I believe with so many types of puzzles
programmed into Deception Island, that there is something for
everyone in this game. One of the games unexpected charms, were some
in-game diversions, built into the gameplay just for fun. No
giveaways in this review, just get ready for some cute side trips in
your puzzling interactions.
There is one puzzling moment
that warrants special mention. The end challenge in this game was a
little tricky and more intricate than such end games in past titles.
Be prepared to save liberally at this point, for Nancy’s demise can
occur at any false step. I know there are those who will be happy to
hear there were no timed puzzles in the game. However in this last
challenge, you must make the right decision with each step or “uh
oh! Lights out for Nancy”
Keep your eyes peeled sharp for
other side items. The later games in the series started containing
item references to past Nancy Drew games and had some Easter eggs as
well. It is possible that I missed some references in those games,
but it seemed to me, that Deception Island had more of these
imbedded goodies. For those unfamiliar with the term “Easter Egg”,
these are items that pop up or will reveal themselves when a player
interacts with the game in certain ways. Typically, constant
clicking in one place will cause one to pop up. In game references
are not eggs per se, but are fun rewards for series fans. In
addition to nods to Haunted Carousel, Scarlet Hand, Final Scene, and
Royal Tower, I spotted one for Ghost Dogs, that I missed the first
time around. SO be sure and push the limits of your interactions and
click on anything that has a highlight and see how many you can
spot. Some are accessed by clicking on an additional arrow in close
up that may be at the top or side of your screen shot. There are at
least two Easter eggs that I found so far, though there may be more.
Praise goes out to Herinteractive for crafting all these fun tidbits
for the adventurer who wants to do more than just beat the game.
Pretty Pictures and all that jazz
The music has a distinctly
nautical feel and is well done. Of course you can’t mess with the
Nancy Drew theme music at the menu opening and start up of the game.
Always feels like old home week every time I install a new Nancy
Drew game and wait for those familiar refrains to kick in. I did
enjoy the sea chantey tune that cropped up in many game locales. It
was a great song, with the traditional tabor, fife and fiddle and a
rollicking beat. It can get a bit tiresome after a while, but there
did seem to be variations of the key theme in different spots to mix
it up a bit.
The graphics are similar to
Ghost Dogs, which I thought had the best graphics to date. Lots to
examine visit and wander through in this game. Deception Island had
the widest variety of in game environments to date. I really enjoyed
this after the oddly static feel to Haunted Carousel. Here, Nancy
will stroll along beaches, rocky shores and across ocean expanses.
You will visit a wide variety of indoor locales as well. The map
feature used well in Ghost Dogs is replicated here for Nancy’s many
bike trips to and from locations on the island. It’s use as a
shortcut made sense for these trips and was well integrated.
Ambient sounds and other factors
were very nicely done. Whether it was the sounds of revelry from an
adjacent room, seagulls and waves on the shore, the creaking of the
boat as it rolled in the tide and of course the mournful call of the
foghorn. The atmosphere was never neglected. I particularly liked
the little items you could examine or interact with that had little
to do with advancing the game, but add a point of history or detail
to the story line.
Interface
Not much really to be said here.
The game is point and click, utilizing a “smart” cursor that reacts
to hot spots in the game. What deserves special mention is the
diversity of conveyances you access in your gameplay. You will walk,
bike and kayak through this game. There is even a boat trip that
occurs just for fun. The addition of the kayak to this game provides
one of the more exceptional interactive environments. First used
heavily in Haunted Carousel, there are also many moments where you
better heed safety concerns. Disregard them at your peril!
Bottom Line and a nod to the Future
There will always be gentle
debates between fans of this series as to the “best” Nancy Drew game
yet. I will have to pick Deception Island, with Ghost Dogs of Moon
Lake running a very close second. Deception Island to me has it all;
a wide range of game environments, a host of credible characters,
well crafted graphics and ambiance, and a great plot that weaves the
curiosities of the past with the present day mysteries into one
entertaining package. Then they threw in some diverting side events
just for fun’s sake. Toss it all together and you have one charming
game, sure to give adventure players their moneys worth and more.
I give Danger On Deception
Island an unreserved “A”
And the future of this series
looks bright indeed. Herinteractive has licensing rights to produce
three additional titles, bringing the total of Nancy Drew games to
12. Their fan base gives no signs of letting up and in fact has
swelled to ever increasing numbers with each new title. They have
recently started a joint marketing campaign with Simon and Schuster,
the publishers of and license holders for everything Nancy. Package
deals combing Nancy Drew games with the books have been announced
and are currently available for retail purchase. So the possibility
of extending the game series past the original licensed 12 game
series looks promising. As for the immediate future, we have the
Mystery of Shadow Ranch scheduled for release in mid 2004. I will be
waiting for its release with happy anticipation of another mystery
with Nancy Drew and her chums.
J
I played this game on the
following system:
Pent 4 - 2.6 GHz
XP home edition
512 RAM
Nvidia Ge Force 5200
128 Mb video
SB Live sound card
design copyright © 2003
GameBoomers
Group
