Community
July 2010
REMASTERED concepts
Mon, 2010-07-26 17:07 — HerInteractiveFor Nancy Drew's 80th anniversary, we're remastering the very first game we created - Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill. It took us two years to create it, centered around a murder, and required a lot of disc switching! A lot has changed since then, especially the technology, so since we had to go into the code to make it compatible on Vista/Windows 7 and Mac, we thought the fans would love it if we were to update the game with new graphics, 3D characters, new puzzles, and a whole slew of other features!
Along with the updated game, we also had to update the packaging. We love the original packaging and that's where our first concept for the remastered version game from. It highlights the 80th anniversary and pays homage to the original art. The eyes still stare out from the box, calling you to search library of the school for more clues.
Our second concept for the packaging focused on the characters themselves and tried to tell a story about the suspects. They are all suspicious of each other and wondering if they'll be the next person killed to keep the secret safe. This particular concept would give the person looking at the box a much better feel for the updated characters. Keep in mind that this is just concept art.
And finally for our third concept, we wanted to try something completely different than anything else we've ever done to really make it stand out from the rest of our games. As you can see, we got rid of the characters completely and focused more on integrating the title into the packaging. It's still mysterious with the threats on the locker and the obscured character makes the reader think that it might be them solving the mystery. That's the beauty of this package - it really puts the fan into the shoes of Nancy Drew.
So which one is your favorite? Check back for updates on this mystery video game for PC/Mac, and you'll get to see which one we picked in the coming weeks and how the package evolved!
Getting (everyone) into the Game
Mon, 2010-07-19 22:11 — HerInteractiveWe were scheduled to blog about the character designs from Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister, but we had a lot more interesting discussions that came up over the past few days that we were wondering if our fans could help us understand. You guys think the Nancy Drew games are awesome and love playing them, but what happens when you try to get other people to play them? Some of your friends and family end up addicted to the games too, but other people don't like them. We want to know why!
What have you heard as reasons why your friends and family didn't like the Nancy Drew games? Did they think they were too hard? Did they think they were boring? Did they get lost and didn't know what to do? Or were they just into other types of games? Is there anything we could do to make them more interested in playing the games?
It's hard for us to know the answers to these questions since most everyone we talk to likes playing our games. We design games first and foremost for our fans who love our games, but we're also looking for ways to get your friends hooked on the game too. This way everyone can play together and talk about - it makes for a great twice a year tradition! So let us know in the comments section or post on the message board in the blog board, why don't your friends or family play our games?
Interviewing the Twister
Mon, 2010-07-12 16:00 — HerInteractiveYou've played Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister and now you're obsessed with it! You keep replaying the game over and over again to see what little things you missed, pick out all the references we made to our previous games, and ponder of each reference we made on our blog and facebook posts. Yes, you - you are a hardcore fan and we love you for scrutinizing each part of our game! Here's some more fire to feed your obsession! We sit down with the game designer, Cathy, today and discuss how she came up with the idea for the game and a few things we bet you never knew.
In addition to the main villain, we wanted to pit Nancy against a new kind of danger, one that she had no control over: nature. Tornadoes were the perfect fit (what’s scarier than a raging twister?) and Oklahoma an ideal setting. As for inspiration, the design phase coincided with the first year of VORTEX2, the largest tornado research project undertaken to date. Following the research teams online was a great way to get the feel of a real chase team (during both chase days and down days) and learn more about the science of meteorology. People really do put their lives on the line trying to find ways to keep the rest of us safe. I’m glad someone’s brave enough to do it!
The weather. The team (art, production, sound effects) did an amazing job of bringing the storms to life and essentially created a sixth character in the game. When the storm starts to roll in out at the antennas, I really felt like I should be high-tailing it out of there.
Crash often. Seriously. It’s a lot of fun to cause pileups, especially in the base truck, where you can hit more cars before yours is damaged beyond repair.
We had an office competition to expand the popular Koko Kringle candy line that you see in Pa’s store. Coworkers submitted their ideas (candy name and basic description) and then the entire office voted for their favorites. We had 52 options to choose from, but only the top nine made it into TOT. Runner-ups included Fudgy Pudgy Pig (dark chocolate fudge shaped like a pig), Fowl Kissers (tangy chewy candies in the shapes of lips on a chicken beak) and Llama Spit (gooey pistachio and chocolate blend).
- How did you come up with the idea for Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister? Where did you get your inspiration from?
- What is your favorite part of the game?
- A lot of players have been getting stuck on driving. Do you have any tips for driving?
- What is one factoid you bet our fans didn’t know about Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister?
- Who is your favorite character in Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister?
Pa. Though Frosty was close (I loved his enthusiasm), Pa’s practice run of his Grange performance pushed him to the top for me.
Critics on the Trail of the Twister
Tue, 2010-07-06 10:13 — HerInteractiveNancy Drew: Trail of the Twister is officially launched and we hope you found some time over your busy weekend to play the game! What did you think of it? We want to hear your honest opinion so we can make our games better, so leave your thoughts in the comments sections.
To see what other fans are saying, head over to our Message Board. There's also hints and tips on the board as well if you're stuck in a certain part of the game. Our fans are very knowledgable and quite helpful!!!
Of course with all games, come the professional reviews as well. These are respected critics in the gaming industry writing reviews to help other gamers make an informed decision about purchasing games. Here's what they've been saying about Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister so far:
"In short, Trail of the Twister is a worthy successor to the previous twenty-one adventures which have sold a total of more than eight million copies. But, in the best tradition of detective stories, Her Interactive has one more trick up its sleeve. Trail of the Twister is the first Nancy Drew game to support the Mac OS.
So, if you’re a Nancy Drew fan, a mystery fan, or just a fan of a good adventure Trail of the Twister is well worth the $19.99 price tag."
~Tech Talk for Families, full review
"In conclusion, this would be an ideal game for anyone not overly concerned with storyline but with a yen for some thoughtful puzzling and good-humoured fun. Grade: B"
~GameBoomers, full review
Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister is now available at Target and Walmart and for download EXCLUSIVELY at www.HerInteractive.com.
