Once upon a time in a small village, there lived a young girl named Lily. She was a curious and adventurous girl, always searching for magical things in the enchanted forest near her home. One day, while exploring the forest, Lily stumbled upon a hidden pond. The water in the pond shimmered and sparkled, beckoning her closer. As she approached, she noticed a glimmering object at the bottom of the pond. It was a pendant, beautifully crafted with a silver chain and a magical blue gemstone.
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.
It was a pendant, beautifully crafted with a silver chain and a magical blue gemstone. Lily's eyes widened with astonishment as she reached down and grabbed the pendant. As soon as she touched it, a warm, tingling sensation rushed through her body, and she felt a surge of energy.
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.
Little did she know that this pendant held special powers that were waiting to be unlocked. As Lily wore the pendant around her neck, she realized that it could grant her wishes. Whenever she held the pendant and closed her eyes, she could make any wish she desired, and it would come true. The pendant seemed to have a mind of its own, fulfilling her deepest desires. At first, Lily used the pendant for simple things, like summoning her favorite toys or creating a feast of delicious treats. But as time went on, she realized that the pendant's powers were not to be taken lightly. She began to use it for more meaningful purposes, like healing the sick, bringing rain to drought-stricken lands, and spreading happiness among the villagers. Word of Lily's pendant spread throughout the kingdom, and soon people from far and wide came to seek her help. They brought their most desperate wishes and desires, hoping that her pendant could bring them happiness or solve their problems. As the requests grew more and more complicated, Lily found herself overwhelmed and uncertain. She realized that the pendant, though powerful, had its limitations. It could not bring back the dead or change the course of destiny. She wondered if she should continue using the pendant or if it was better left untouched. After much contemplation, Lily decided that the pendant was a tool to be used wisely and carefully. She knew that with great power came great responsibility. From that day forward, she used the pendant sparingly, only for selfless wishes that brought joy and love to others. As time passed, the pendant became a symbol of hope and compassion in the village. People admired Lily's courage and kindness, and they learned from her example. In their hearts, they carried the spirit of the pendant, spreading love and helping one another whenever they could. Lily grew older, and as she did, the pendant's powers faded. But its magic remained in the hearts of the people, forever reminding them of the incredible power of a wish granted and the importance of using it for the greater good. The magical pendant, once a source of endless possibilities, had become a timeless tale of wisdom and goodness - a reminder that true magic lies not in the object itself, but in the intentions and actions of those who possess it..
Reviews for "The Charms and Spells of the Magical Pendant"
1. Emma - 2/5
I found "The magical pendant" to be quite disappointing. The writing style was amateurish, with many grammatical errors and awkward sentence structures. The characters were poorly developed, lacking depth and relatability. The plot was predictable and cliché, offering nothing new or exciting. Overall, I was unimpressed with this book and would not recommend it to others.
2. Michael - 1/5
"The magical pendant" was a complete waste of my time. The story was incredibly dull and uninspiring. The author failed to create a believable and engaging world, and the magical elements felt forced and out of place. The dialogue was wooden and unnatural, making it difficult to connect with the characters. I struggled to finish this book and was left feeling unsatisfied and regretful for even picking it up.
3. Sarah - 2/5
I had high hopes for "The magical pendant," but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The writing lacked polish and finesse, with numerous spelling and grammar mistakes throughout. The pacing was sluggish, and the plot felt disjointed and poorly executed. The romance subplot was contrived and lacked chemistry. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and would advise others to choose something else to read.
4. John - 1/5
I found "The magical pendant" to be a complete bore. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked any sort of growth or development. The dialogue was stilted and unrealistic, making it difficult to engage with the story. The plot was overly simplistic and predictable, offering no surprises or twists. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating and well-written fantasy read.
5. Megan - 2/5
I was not impressed with "The magical pendant." The writing style was lackluster and unimaginative, and the descriptions were often vague and uninspiring. The characters felt flat and uninteresting, and the story lacked a clear direction. The magical elements were underdeveloped and felt like an afterthought. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and would not recommend this book to others.