Product Details
 | Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy |
| List Price: | $19.99 |
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Product Description
Touted as the most romantic event to grace the ruined halls of Ireland's Castle Malloy, the Simmons-Mallory wedding was supposed to be a fairytale beginning, but now the groom is missing! Did a banshee crash the wedding or is this a case of cold feet? Can you, as Nancy Drew, unravel the knot of scattered clues and scary superstitions? You'll to catch more than a bridal bouquet to make this is a happily ever after! Meet The Suspects Kyler Mallory A stock broker in London who lived with Nancy's family as an exchange student four years ago. She is now engaged to Matt Simmons and is excited to hold her wedding at Castle Malloy. Her grandfather, Edmund Mallory, recently passed away and named her as the sole beneficiary. He never spoke about his childhood and Kyle is just now learning about her true family history Matt Simmons A travel and sailing free-lance writer for magazines. Known for his dry wit, Matt loves to play pranks on others. Friendly and likeable, he had planned on getting married in the Bahamas, but agreed to change his plans to make his fiancée, Kyler Mallory, happy. Kit Foley Matt's best friend and accomplice on sailing trips. Kit was born in the US and is the son of a Krolmeister Inc. VP. The company transferred the family to London when Kit was young, but he never picked up the British accent. He currently works as a land developer, and he arrived early to help Matter and Kyler prepare for their wedding Donal Delany As Castle Malloy's ever-present caretaker, he's been watching the grounds for too many years to count. This Irish born gentleman isn't particularly fond of foreigners and he's the first to admit it. He is however the resident expert on Irish mythology and lore, which might explain his overly superstitious nature.Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1869 in Video Games
- Brand: Her Interactive
- Model: 767861000692
- Released on: 2008-10-06
- ESRB Rating: Everyone
- Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
- Format: CD-ROM
- Dimensions: .7 pounds
Features
- Explore the castle grounds, but beware of ghostly surprises.
- Plan an Irish wedding, including seating and flowers.
- Visit the Inn to play arcade games and make smoothies.
- Immerse yourself in Irish culture.
Customer Reviews
Enjoyable Game, But It Does Not Live Up To It's True Potential
Nancy Drew 19: The Haunting Of Castle Malloy
-Before I Begin...
My review will be spilt up into sections and have a in-depth look at
that topic. If you hate reading medium/long reviews or just don't have
the patience I would not continue reading, but if you want to learn the
most about the product before you buy it you'll continue.
-Interface
The interface is the same as always, point in the direction you want
to go in a and click. However, moving around the castle grounds is
through a third person view which offsets the whole "I'm Nancy Drew!"
feel. But don't worry it's only when your outside in the dark so you
never see Nancy, just a figure pretty much. What stupifies me is that
Nancy talks on her cellphone in the opening scene but she loses it
somehow and we have to use a payphone, so there is no cell phone icon in
the interface. This interface is great, the only thing that bugged me
was the third person affect when outside the Castle of Malloy.
****
-Plot
In this adventure, Nancy is off to Ireland as the maid of honor to
Kyler Malloy, who is getting married to Matt Simmons in a couple days.
But when Nancy arrives, Kyler says that Matt has vanished! It is up to
Nancy Drew to find Matt and save the wedding. The plot is good but they
could have emphasized different parts more. Like the fact that Kyler and
Kit Foley (Matt's best friend) were a couple before. Sadly, there is
very little drama about this love triangle (maybe because all the Nancy
Drew games are quite modest). Very little of the castle history is
revealed as well. The fact that half the castle is blown to pieces is
interesting but not much more information is given on why it is blown
up. I think the basics of the plot are there, but more development could
have gone into it.
***
-Characters
There are four characters, each with different personalities, in
this game. However, since one is missing, there are really only three
characters. The character development and interaction was dissapointing.
The backgrounds of each character are very briefly revealed and only
one character stood out. Your bride to be is Kyler Malloy, who recently
found out her family heritage. She is sweet and kind but not much else
to her, she believes that Matt's dissapearence is a prank. Then there is
Kit Foley, who is Matt's best friend. Kit is in the real estate
business, and unfortunately even more boring than Kyler. He doesn't have
much personality and simply believes that Matt has walked out on Kyler.
Finally there is Donal, an old Irishman who is stubborn and quite a
hoot to listen to. He is the caretaker and believes that "faeries" have
taken Matt because he is not Irish. I would talk about Matt, but you
don't see him until the end of the game, which is rather dissapointing.
It would have been nice to at least meet Matt in the begining before
mysteriously vanishing. Overall, the characters seemed to be irrelevant
to the game at all because you hardly talked to them. The game could
have been outstanding if they just developed the characters more.
***
-Setting & Graphics
First off, the graphis were amazing. However, everything else was
completely wrong. I found it completely crazy that the game took place
in ONE NIGHT! I thought Nancy was supposed to be there for a week or so,
but no. This time constraint really affected the game. It was so dark
and gloomy the whole game that you could not see Ireland's beautiful
landscape when outside. There was a lot of places to go, but it was
completely barren! The castle had only three rooms for you to explore:
the Great room, the Library, and the Nursery. And each of those rooms
had very little to read, touch or look at. It would have been nice if
Nancy had her own room (It is a castle for heaven's sake! It should be
pretty big inside, am I right?), but apparently everyone sleeps in cots
in the Great room. Did I mention the Great room has a huge hole in it
from the explosion years ago? The outside grounds and the Screaming
Banshee Inn are also pretty barren as well. There is virtually nothing
to snoop in, no historical documents about the castle, no artwork to
admire, nothing. Extremely dissapointing, I would give this section two
stars but the graphics are so amazing that it gets that extra star.
***
-Puzzles/Activities
The puzzles were outstanding! Most of the puzzles were original,
challenging and thought provoking. This is the highlight of the game. If
you liked Crystal Skull's puzzles you'll like these ones a lot. I
really enjoyed the fact that there was always something for you to do.
If you ever needed a break form the puzzles, you can go to the Inn and
play minigames. None of the puzzles were randomly thrown in, they all
made sense. There are chores, but you don't have to repeat them everyday
(Mainly because the game is all in one night). And the chores are easy,
fun, and make sense in the game. Overall, the puzzles made this game,
without them, I would not reccomend this game.
*****
-Scare Factor
This is a new section that covers the scariness of the game. The
mood was dark and gloomy, and you would always here an erie wailing
(from an alleged Banshee). The Nursery in the castle was downright
creepy to be in. There were one or two startling moments, especially as
the game climaxed. I think the scariness was on a good level, not to
scary but not too mild.
****
-Ending
Unfortunatley, the ending was abrupt like some previous games, but
what was refreshing was that there was no timed puzzles or racing
through mazes. You could take your time at the end, find/question Matt
and finish the game peacefully. In fact, the ending puzzles were some of
the easiest in the whole game, which was a let down after all you have
been doing throughout the game to win. But you might be dissapointed
with how Matt vanished, I was pretty dissapointed. Since the plot wasn't
brilliantly detailed or anything, the resolution could be explained
without leaving any facts or problems hanging in the air.
***
-Overall
I'm not going to lie I did enjoy the game, and I will be seeing
myself playing it again and again. But it doesn't give you that "wow"
factor that Phantom Of Venice gave me. It seemed like it wasn't all the
way developed. Potentially, it could have been the best game in the
series if they just developed the plot, characters, and setting more.
Hardcore Nancy Drew fans may find that something is missing, but there
is plenty good in this game to buy it. I would recommend this for its
puzzles and its scare factor (Perfect for Halloween night). Nancy's next
adventure is Ransom Of The Seven Ships, which includes Bess &
George! Sounds promising!
Add all these up and divide by 7...
4 *'s (Interface)
3 *'s (Plot)
3 *'s (Characters)
3 *'s (Setting & Graphics)
5 *'s (Puzzles/Activites)
4 *'s (Scare Factor)
3 *'s (Ending)
= 25 Stars Divide By 7 (Categories) = 3.5 = Rounded to 3 Stars
-Other Recommended Nancy Drew Games
The Phantom Of Venice
Danger On Deception Island
Last Train To Blue Moon Canyon
Legend Of The Crystal Skull
Thanks for reading my review!
A fun game
The puzzles (gears, puppet figures, colored animal box) in this ND
game can be done without using cheats. They are challenging, but if you
take the time, you can figure them out. Younger children might need a
couple of hints.
I did find myself making some mistakes in the bog and drowning a few
times, but with perseverance, finally made it to the other side. Again,
not easy, but do-able.
There are lots of interesting places to explore on the grounds and
the 'jobs' you are given are not tedious.
The characters are complex and you have more control over the
questions than in some past games.
However, some of the things that you must figure out (how to work
the booster pack and turning the stone tower block) require a fair
amount of reading/sleuthing, which is difficult.
A very important point for parents is that, although the game is for
ages 10 and up, Nancy is required to work as a drink mixer in a pub
early in the game. True, the drinks are mostly fruit and non-alcoholic
beers, but since they are being poured into cocktail glasses and mugs,
obviously, it's a bar and Nancy is mixing drinks. Kids aren't idiots.
Just as in the last game's 'dancing for money' job, herinteractive is
definitely in a gray area here. If you're an adult and you like these
games, then no big deal.
All in all, it was fun and worth the money. I would recommend this
game.
I love Nancy Drew!
I have played all of the ND games and loved them all. Some more
then others, but this is a good one. A bit spookier then the others,
but the ending was not what I had expected. I guess that is a good
thing, they keep you guessing. Some of the puzzles were difficult to
understand what to do, but nothing impossible. Lots of places to
explore: castle, huge grounds, and a pub. Hints are there, but handled a
bit different. ;)
Can't wait for the next one.
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