Nancy Drew: Shadow at the Water’s Edge – Review

Nancy Drew: Shadow at the Water’s Edge is another game in the long-running Nancy PC adventure games. Anyway here is my review for the game!

This game’s story I gotta say, was kinda sad and stupid. I don’t know how much I can say without giving spoilers but, let’s just say there are better Nancy drew stories out there.

Why Shadow at the Water’s Edge?

Nancy Drew: Shadow at the Water’s Edge is the 23rd game installment in the popular mystery adventure game series featuring the iconic teenage detective. In this game, Nancy travels to Japan to solve a haunting mystery at a traditional ryokan (inn) that is rumored to be haunted by a vengeful ghost.

The game features stunning visuals of Japanese landscapes and traditional architecture, immersing players in the rich cultural setting. The background music and ambient sounds further enhance the eerie atmosphere of the game, adding to the tension and suspense.

The puzzles in Shadow at the Water’s Edge are challenging and require players to think critically and use their problem-solving skills to progress in the game. Throughout the game, players must uncover clues, solve riddles, and unravel the mystery behind the ghostly occurrences at the inn.

One of the standout features of this game is the introduction of a new thing called “Avatar Maker” where you can make your own avatar that shows up when you call Bess or George.

For when it comes to “scary” parts, yes at some parts. Keep reading if you when to know where they are. I don’t think they are exactly spoilers but still, if you don’t want ANY spoilers don’t read below. Spoilers below:

At one part when you see Nancy starting towards the bathroom mirror Look away!
Another part (near the end) once you click on the sword thing and everything there while in the secret basement once you turn around the puppet will grab Nancy and try to drown her so that part is scary. Once you finished it don’t click on the puppet’s hair/head or else you will see a close up of it’s face.

Okay spoilers are over. For the game length well, for us we usually take about 2 days to finish a Nancy Drew game.

It may be 1 day if you just keep referring to a guide or if you are a speed runner. Or it could take longer if you read everything and really think and pounder about it, it just depends on your style of gaming, our style is to try it then look at a guide if need be.

How We Test Games

For testing games we use a Ryzen 7 1700x CPU, AMD RX580, running on Win 10. Tests are done with up to 5 players. We take turns playing and evaluating games.

This game is only 1-player and it’s for PC/MAC. We’ve been playing together on two computers on the Steam version for this game.

Whenever possible we play multiple players. We use a Nintendo Switch firmware version 2H. Hardware includes Joy-con and Pro controller on a large screen TV. We also use a Nintendo 2DS, DS XL.

Pros

The game is set in a traditional Japanese inn, providing players with an authentic and culturally rich experience.

The game (like most Nancy Drew games) features a variety of challenging puzzles that will keep players engaged and entertained.

Nancy drew games are games that have girl power. Nancy Drew is a smart and resourceful detective who serves as a great role model for players. But this goes for all Nancy Drew games.

And one of my favorite parts of this game, avatar maker! Avatar maker is new to this game and allows you to make an avatar that will appear on Nancy’s phone when she calls someone.

Cons

This is one of the cons of all Nancy Drew video games. Once you solve the mystery, you know what happens! although after waiting so long you might forget the story, mystery and everything. So, it might be like you’re playing it for your first time.

There are a few puzzles that feel too difficult and frustrating. Like the Bento Boxes or Sudokus. -shudder-

Summary

Overall, Nancy Drew: Shadow at the Water’s Edge is a captivating and immersive mystery adventure game that will keep players engaged and entertained from start to finish. I like the Avatar Maker and the puzzles where fun. Look out for some scary bits though read the spoilers for more info about that. The story was kinda, stupid but it was still fun overall.