Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Drew's first game holds mystery with more mature themes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill! (Remastered)
What's It About?
NANCY DREW: SECRETS CAN KILL (REMASTERED) is an updated remake of the first Nancy Drew computer game from Her Interactive, originally released in 1998. With new, upgraded graphics, this game follows the same general plot as the original: Nancy goes undercover as a new student at a high school where a teen football player has just been murdered. As she investigates, she discovers secrets held by several of the students (including some interaction with illegal steroids). The ending -- and the culprit -- have been changed from the original game.
Is It Any Good?
The Nancy Drew games have come a long way in the past twelve years, with major improvements in sound and graphics. The first one ever, Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill!, had one of the best stories, though. And at this point in time, many fans of the series have probably never played the original. So this new remastered version was a great way for Her Interactive to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Nancy Drew character. There are aspects of this new Secrets Can Kill! that still seem a bit old, like the very flat looking map used to travel between destinations. But the upgraded 3-D characters definitely look great. For all the technical improvements, though, the selling point here is still the really, really great story. There are tons of coded messages to find and decipher in this mystery, which makes playing a blast for fans of brainy puzzle games. Plus, for anyone who did play the original, there's whole new killer this time around, which is as good a reason as any to play it again.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the dangers of steroids. Why should they be avoided, especially by teens? When you hear about a professional athlete in real life who has taken steroids, how does that change your opinion of him or her?
One of the characters in the story is suffering from burnout as a result of too much pressure to get into a good college. Do you know anybody who has felt similar academic pressure? How can teens deal with such pressures without risking burnout themselves?
Nancy Drew may be one of the most famous female protagonists in history, but does that necessarily make this a "girl game?" Can boys enjoy this game just as much?
Game Details
- Platforms : Mac , Windows
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Her Interactive
- Release date : August 24, 2010
- Genre : Girl
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : August 30, 2016
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