By Sarah Jones
Reporter
Game Review
Nancy Drew: Midnight In Salem uses classic point-and-click mystery-solving fun to teach players an important lesson about prejudice and bigotry. Following in the footsteps of one of literature’s most recognizable teen sleuths, the player finds themselves exploring haunted Salem, Massachusetts. and racing to find the truth behind an arson case influenced by decades-old superstition and discrimination.
As the latest installment in the Family Choice Award-winning series by game developer Her Interactive, the game had a lot to prove. The game series that follows the super sleuth Nancy Drew, as she solves mysteries in locations as diverse as Italy and Egypt, spans 33 games and has a substantial fan base.
Although not all of the games have been hits (notably, The Shattered Medallion was a sore disappointment), both adults and children enjoy the wholesome and engaging series. The game is rated E10+ (for ages 10 and up) and features mild violence. The mystery and puzzle-solving aspects of the game can be raised and lowered in difficulty levels to appeal to a wide range of players, and the storylines and character development tend to be compelling and complex.
Midnight in Salem had a lot to live up to considering that it spent four years in development. Previously, Her Interactive produced an average of two to three games a year with remarkable quality and consumer appeal, and the fear among fans was that the four-year stall meant doom for our favorite company. Month after month, Her Interactive put out press releases claiming that this would be the year fans would finally get to enjoy the game.
After three long years of hype and die, the hype had officially died and any hope of getting a playable game along with it. When the game finally debuted on Dec. 3, 2019 and fans started buying, it was with a sense of trepidation. Despite our worst fears, the game is good. It is by no means the best in the series, but it is a genuinely enjoyable game to play.
Nancy arrives in a town that is entirely convinced that a young woman named Mei is guilty of arson. The towns’ people have little to no proof of this guilt but decide that Mei must have done it because as a child she was badly scarred when the shed she was playing in burned to the ground. Everyone believes that Mei is guilty not because of evidence but because she is considered to be an outcast.
Through clever uses of spooky graphics and historical fact, the developers at Her Interactive truly make the player feel like they are witnessing a modern-day witch hunt. Although the graphics and gameplay have improved from previous versions, the part of the game that impressed me the most was the way that the game pulled me into the story and made me care for Mei and feel real anger against her accusers.
Along with solving the mystery of the arson, Nancy finds herself hunting ghosts and witches down the cobbled streets and misty cemetery paths of Salem. The game features some truly yelp-worthy jump scares and does an excellent job of making the player question if what they are seeing is real or just a trick.
Nancy Drew: Midnight in Salem is a great game for all ages because it is scary without being nightmare inducing, historical without being dull, and thought-provoking without taking itself too seriously. Whether you are a puzzle-loving gamer or have never played a mystery game before, Nancy Drew: Midnight in Salem is worth your time and interest.
The game can be purchased from Her Interactive in either digital or physical formats for $21.99 and is playable on both Windows 10 and Mac OS X 10.13.4.
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