Nancy Drew Curse of the Blackmoor Manor is a popular video game in the Nancy Drew series. The game follows Nancy as she investigates strange occurrences at Blackmoor Manor, an old English estate. The main idea of the game is to solve puzzles and uncover the secrets of the manor. One of the standout features of Curse of the Blackmoor Manor is its atmospheric setting. The game beautifully portrays the creepy and mysterious atmosphere of the manor, immersing the player into the story. The graphics and sound design are top-notch, creating a truly immersive experience.
2) Who sent Jane and Nancy those threatening notes? I guess it must have been Jane, but she didn't confess to it at the end, and it just doesn't make sense for her to send a threatening note to herself anyway (it's not as if she was trying to trick Nancy into blaming Linda for it or anything.) This part just seemed out of place.
1 First and foremost is the excellent Second Chance function, which allows a gamer to automatically reload the game from a point just before making a fatal error. Ok, maybe some players might feel that way, but in my book they were a bunch of creepy megalomaniacal fanatics who isolate and brainwash children and put them through potentially deadly trials by fire.
The graphics and sound design are top-notch, creating a truly immersive experience. The puzzles in Curse of the Blackmoor Manor are challenging and engaging. They require players to think outside the box and pay attention to detail.
Review on Blackmoor Manor and Shadow at the Water's Edge (Spoilers)
I finished these two games after a very long (about 10 year) hiatus from Nancy Drew games. Crazy how fast time flies by! I played both on senior detective and required some online assistance for Blackmoor manor but was able to beat Shadow solely by myself (first time!).
I'll start with Blackmoor Manor:
Overall, I didn't love it but it was okay. I'll start with the positivies: I loved the fact that the game was difficult! Its kind of crazy that this game was made primarily for people around 10 years younger than me as I can't even imagine my 13 year old self trying to solve this game! However, as an almost 23 year old I did appreciate the fact that the game did require me to strain my mind on several occasions. I also enjoyed the fact that the characters would sometimes pop up at random times, that was a cool twist to the game. The graphics aren't all that great by 2021 standards but I was surprised to find out how old the game was given the quality of the graphics as they aren't terrible by any means.
The biggest negative I have is that I think the character development of this game is well, terrible! I feel like Nancy doesn't form any type of relationship with any of the characters like she does with other games, other than Jane. And even Jane isn't all that thrilling of a character IMO. In many ways the characters don't even seem to show any interest (or genuine annoyance with Nancy). There are little tidbits of it but they're not consistent. Mrs. Drake at first seems like she'll be the rude, brash one but that doesn't go anywhere and she ends up kind of just being dull with no real personality. Same with Linda, I don't feel like her character goes anywhere beyond just this crazy woman who hides behind a curtain. The guy in the library (can't remember his name atm) also is a pretty static character. I wouldn't be surprised if others liked Lulu, the parrot, but to me, she was kind of just annoying. Jane's tutor, Isabel I believe was her name, also at first seemed like she could've been interesting but she didn't develop at all. Beyond the physical characters, the phone characters in this game are also very dull and really provide no interesting storyline.
This was a very "lonely" game in that I feel that Nancy was pretty much all alone in her sleuthing. No real direction was given by any characters and Nancy had to make all the discoveries on her own. I think this made the game difficult, which was nice, but also kind of dull in the storyline department. The difficulty of the puzzles did make most of them enjoyable. Although it was also kind of tedious how to enter some of the secret passages you had to solve the same puzzle over and over again. With the exception of Jane's board games though (which I found kind of dumb) I didn't dislike any of the puzzles/ mini games though. I did find it frustrating that the only purpose that Mrs. Drake's room and the venus flytrap played in the game was causing a possible second chance. I kept wanting something more to happen with those.
One funny thing I did find with the phone contacts of this game is how much they kept on yelling at Nancy for not trying to solving the mystery. I kind of felt that way too with this game, it didn't seem like the mystery was the focus of the game.
Shadows at the Waters Edge I enjoyed MUCH more and was probably my favorite ND game I've played. At first, I was a little cautious as thought the mystery seemed kind of silly, and the robotic cat made me nervous this would be a really far-fetched game. But it wasn't too bad. I loved how in this game you seemed to form a relationship with the characters and the phone conversations were a lot of fun in this game (I loved the Logan storyline lol). The characters as a whole were very dynamic and fun in this game.
I think the thing I loved the most about this game is the fact you were allowed to explore the ENTIRE hotel. When I first started the game, I was positive that, as in most ND games where you're in a building with a ton of rooms, that you'd be able to go into like four of the rooms. All the other doors would remain permanently locked. I was so happy to find this was not the case and you could go into literally every single room in the hotel. Granted many of them were more or less the same except like one object, but I still absolutely loved it.
Despite being around 10 years old, I also found the graphics of this game great. I also loved the scenery, especially in the garden. Yumi's apartment was also a very fun little location and love how they decorated it. I also think they did a great job with the hot springs/shower area!
The puzzles were decently difficult but nothing too ridiculous. I think my biggest drawback from this game was the fact that it seemed like a lot of the progression in the game was by complete chance and not really Nancy doing anything. As such, some of the things were really hard to "trigger." I was stuck for hours before realizing that you had to try to open all the doors that weren't checked into in the hotel recently (and find they were all locked) in order for the older woman to forget the key card in the tea room. Also, the game really didn't make it clear how to mail things to George and Logan and that took me a LONG time to figure out.
I will say one last big compliment that I will give Blackmoor Manor though is that it didn't have this issue that many ND games have in that you have to do something very arbitrary to "trigger" or progress the game.
Edit: Apparently you don't need to knock on all the doors of the unoccupied rooms in order to trigger the older woman forgetting the key card. I have no clue what randomly triggered it than!
This is the addendum to my Nancy Drew Game Review in which I put all my opinions that contain spoilers. If you haven't finished playing Curse of Blackmoor Manor yet, you don't want to read this page. Please go back to the regular review site, where I promise to tell you everything you need to decide whether or not to play this game without giving away any of its plot.
The game also features a variety of puzzle types, ranging from logic puzzles to hidden object challenges. This variety keeps the gameplay fresh and interesting. The story of Curse of the Blackmoor Manor is intriguing and keeps players hooked from beginning to end. As Nancy delves deeper into the secrets of the manor, she uncovers a dark history involving ancient rituals and family curses. The story is well-written and has a satisfying conclusion. The characters in Curse of the Blackmoor Manor are well-developed and interesting. Each character has their own unique personality and motivations, adding depth to the story. Interacting with the characters and uncovering their secrets is an integral part of the gameplay experience. Overall, Nancy Drew Curse of the Blackmoor Manor is a fantastic addition to the series. Its atmospheric setting, challenging puzzles, intriguing story, and well-developed characters make it a must-play for fans of the Nancy Drew franchise. Whether you're a fan of mystery games or just enjoy a good puzzle, this game is sure to keep you entertained for hours..
Reviews for "Nancy Drew Curse of the Blackmoor Manor: A Vintage Adventure Review"
1. Sarah - 1 star
I found "Nancy Drew: Curse of the Blackmoor Manor" to be an extremely frustrating and underwhelming gaming experience. The storyline was confusing and lacked cohesion, making it difficult to stay engaged. The character development was also severely lacking, as the main character, Nancy, felt flat and uninteresting.
Additionally, the puzzles and challenges throughout the game were excessively difficult and often felt arbitrary. There were multiple instances where I found myself stuck for hours, unable to progress without resorting to online walkthroughs. This resulted in immense frustration and significantly detracted from my overall enjoyment of the game.
Overall, "Nancy Drew: Curse of the Blackmoor Manor" failed to deliver a captivating and enjoyable gaming experience. I would not recommend it to anyone seeking a well-crafted and immersive mystery adventure.
2. Mark - 2 stars
While "Nancy Drew: Curse of the Blackmoor Manor" had potential, it ultimately fell short in several aspects. Firstly, the graphics and animation were disappointingly outdated, making it difficult to feel fully immersed in the game world. The lack of attention to visual detail was a major drawback.
Furthermore, the game's plot failed to maintain a consistent level of intrigue. The puzzles and challenges felt repetitive after some time, and the overall mystery lacked depth. Additionally, the character interactions felt forced and lacking in realism, leaving me uninvested in the outcome.
Although "Nancy Drew: Curse of the Blackmoor Manor" may appeal to die-hard fans of the Nancy Drew series, I would caution others to explore different mystery adventure games that offer a more immersive and engaging experience.