Software:Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill

From HandWiki
Short description: 1998 video game
Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill
Developer(s)HeR Interactive
Publisher(s)DreamCatcher Games
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseNovember 5, 1998
Genre(s)
Mode(s)Single player

Secrets Can Kill is the first of many installments in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series, launched in 1998 by HeR Interactive.[1][2] Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. The game features pre-rendered 3D environments, but unlike later games, the characters are animated in 2D. There are three levels of gameplay: Junior, Senior, and Master detective modes. Each mode offers a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however, none of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a The Nancy Drew Files book of the same name, Secrets Can Kill (1986).[3]

An enhanced remake of the game, subtitled Remastered, was released on August 24, 2010. Sales of the original Secrets Can Kill were discontinued on August 1, 2010.[4]

Plot

Nancy Drew takes a semester off of school to visit her Aunt Eloise in Florida. A student named Jake Rogers is murdered at the local high school, where Eloise works as a librarian. Eloise asks Nancy to investigate, so Nancy goes undercover as a new student and attempts to solve the mystery. Throughout the game, Nancy discovers that Jake Rogers was blackmailing several of the other characters by videotaping their misdeeds:

  • Hal Tanaka took on additional coursework to be approved for a scholarship. He knew that if he didn't get the scholarship, his family would send him back to Japan. He slowly became overwhelmed and buried in work, so he decided to plagiarize an English essay from a school library book, which Jake caught on camera. Jake blackmailed Hal into doing his homework for the remainder of the semester, otherwise Jake would reveal the plagiarism to Hal's family.
  • Connie Watson was struggling to get enough money for college tuition, so she decided to use her Judo expertise to compete secretly in a men's tournament (the prize money was significantly better than the women's tournament), which Connie easily won. Jake caught her removing her mask on camera and subsequently forced her to date him.
  • Hulk Sanchez was badly injured while playing football, so to continue playing and impress the college scouts, he decided to break into the local pharmaceutical plant to steal some steroids. After filming Hulk leaving the plant, Jake forces him to be his lackey.
  • Daryl Gray's father was former U.S. senator Eugene Gray, who went bankrupt after some poor business deals. Daryl got involved in a drug smuggling deal with Mitch Dillon. Jake caught video footage of the transaction and thus demanded a cut of the profits that Daryl was receiving.
  • Mitch Dillon was running a drug transport ring from the local pharmaceutical plant. When Jake caught video footage of a transaction between him and Daryl Gray, he attempted to blackmail Mitch.

Upon talking to Daryl, Nancy realizes that it was Mitch who killed Jake and Daryl tells Nancy to stay away from him and the case. Nancy however has a plan to get Mitch arrested with Daryl and Connie’s help, together the two can hold Mitch off long enough until the cops arrive and arrest him. With Jake’s killer behind bars, everyone resumes their normal lives while Nancy goes to New York City to solve the mysterious death threats of a rising star named Rick Arlen which leads to the events of the next game.

Development

Characters

  • Nancy Drew - Nancy is an 18-year-old amateur detective from the fictional town of River Heights in the United States. She is the only playable character in the game, which means the player must solve the mystery from her perspective.
  • Daryl Gray – Daryl is the one who found the victim's body. He works part-time as a short-order cook at Maxine's Diner, and he is the school's student council president (taking the position after his father who was a Florida state senator). He is known as a rich, popular, pretty boy who drives a Porsche 911. He tends to be a bit of a flirt, but is he as wholesome as he seems?
  • Connie Watson – Connie is a strong girl with an attitude and a dark secret. The player can always find her in the Student Lounge. She seems like a nice normal, if not tough, teenage girl... or is she?
  • Hal Tanaka – Hal is a foreign exchange student from Japan. He's very focused on getting a scholarship to go to college and become a doctor. He is always in the study dome at the school. He seems intelligent, but is he smart enough to plan the death of the devious blackmailer known as Jake Rogers?
  • Hector "Hulk" Sanchez – Hulk Sanchez is a stereotypical jock who hopes to play college football, and then go on to play for the Miami Dolphins. However, Hulk needs an athletic scholarship to reach that dream. Are his plans as stable as he says?
  • Mitch Dillon – Mitch is the school's boiler serviceman and is not seen much in the game. He's as shady as they come.... did Jake get mixed up with him?

Cast

  • Nancy Drew - Lani Minella
  • Hal Tanaka - John Truong
  • Hector 'Hulk' Sanchez - Rick Calvert
  • Daryl Gray - Bill Corkery
  • Mitch Dillon - Kenton Leach
  • Connie Watson - Donna Rowry[5]

Release

Secrets Can Kill was one of the first mystery computer games to be released that targeted the young female demographic.[6]

Reception

In 2001, Secrets Can Kill sold 28,050 units in North America, according to PC Data.[7] Its jewel case re-release sold 41,455 copies in the region during 2003.[8] In the United States alone, the game's computer version sold between 100,000 and 300,000 units by August, 2006.[9] Combined sales of the Nancy Drew adventure game series reached 500,000 copies in North America by early 2003,[10] and the computer entries reached 2.1 million sales in the United States alone by August 2006. Remarking upon this success, Edge called Nancy Drew a "powerful franchise".[9]

Critical reception for Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill has been mixed.[11] The Washington Post panned Secrets Can Kill, criticizing it for not giving the player a good sense of the character of Nancy Drew and stating "this sanitized game could get old pretty quick; I'd stick with the books".[12] Adventure Gamers gave the game two stars.[13] The New York Times has dubbed the game the "Un-Barbie of computer games".[14] The Sun Sentinel praised the game, writing "Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill is a wonderful game for readers of Nancy Drew mysteries and even past readers. It helps bring the characters alive, while injecting a bit of the player into the role."[15] Millie Benson, a journalist who wrote many of the original Nancy Drew mysteries under the Carolyn Keene pseudonym, praised the game in the Toledo Blade, commending it for "retain(ing) the flavor of the early Nancy Drew books" and for the developers' 'care in developing scenes and characters.'"[6]

Remake

Cover art for Secrets Can Kill Remastered

Secrets Can Kill was officially discontinued on August 1, 2010 due to compatibility issues with sound cards in newer computers. On August 24, 2010, HeR Interactive released a remastered version of Secrets Can Kill with a new ending and pre-rendered 3D characters.[16][17]

Common Sense Media reviewed the remastered game and gave it a favorable review, rating it five stars.[18]

References

  1. ↑ Wells, Audrey (September 6, 2012). "Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill". https://www.justadventure.com/2012/09/06/nancy-drew-secrets-can-kill2/. 
  2. ↑ Benson, Millie (April 3, 1999). "Computer game lets girls play at Nancy Drew". Toledo Blade (Block Communications). https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19990403&id=EQ4wAAAAIBAJ&pg=1886,891695. 
  3. ↑ "Nancy Drew Secrets Can Kill". http://www.herinteractive.com/Mystery_Games/Nancy_Drew/Secrets_Can_Kill/pc. 
  4. ↑ New York Post staff (July 12, 2010). "The un-Barbie of gaming". News Corp. https://nypost.com/2010/07/12/the-un-barbie-of-gaming/. 
  5. ↑ "Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill IMDb". https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0929778/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Benson, Millie (April 3, 1999). "Computer game lets girls play at being Nancy Drew". Toledo Blade. pp. 30–31. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19990403&id=EQ4wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5gMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1886,891695. 
  7. ↑ Sluganski, Randy (March 2002). "State of Adventure Gaming - March 2002 - 2001 Sales Table". Just Adventure. http://www.justadventure.com:80/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/Mar-02/sales2001.shtm. 
  8. ↑ Sluganski, Randy (March 2004). "Sales December 2003 - The State of Adventure Gaming". Just Adventure. http://www.justadventure.com:80/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/March2004/Dec03ret_gam.shtm. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Edge Staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century". Edge. http://www.edge-online.com/features/top-100-pc-games-21st-century/. 
  10. ↑ Sluganski, Randy (April 2003). "The State of Adventure Gaming". Just Adventure. http://www.justadventure.com/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/March2003/SOAG_March2003.shtm. 
  11. ↑ "Kidsday: Toys and games for the holidays". Newsday. December 15, 2010. http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/kidsday-toys-and-games-for-the-holidays-1.2544923. 
  12. ↑ "Screen Shots". The Washington Post. April 16, 1999. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-585100.html. 
  13. ↑ "Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill (review)". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/games/view/15731. 
  14. ↑ Sachs, Zoey (July 12, 2010). "The un-Barbie of gaming". New York Post. https://nypost.com/2010/07/12/the-un-barbie-of-gaming/. 
  15. ↑ Ku, Lien-Fong. "With A Computer, You, Too, Can Be Nancy Drew". Sun Sentinel. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1999-06-08/lifestyle/9906070616_1_role-playing-clues-del. 
  16. ↑ "Nancy Drew Secrets Can Kill Remastered | Girl Games Online". Her Interactive. http://www.herinteractive.com/Mystery_Games/Nancy_Drew/Secrets_Can_Kill_Remastered/pc. 
  17. ↑ "Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED Released!". http://www.herinteractive.com/cms/blog/node/724. 
  18. ↑ "Review: Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill! (Remastered)". Commonsensemedia. 21 August 2010. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/nancy-drew-secrets-can-kill-remastered. 
  • Toledo Blade
  • The Nation
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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