Community
August 2010
Fan Reviews for Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED
Mon, 2010-08-30 15:42 — HerInteractiveWe made Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED for the fans. We wanted them to be able to play the very first game in the series so they could see where we started 12 years ago. In the remastered version of the game, we stayed true to the plot and overall experience of the game, but we added a few "modern amenities" such as updated graphics, 3D characters, the new UI, and no more disc switching. Of course, the real reason to replay the game is to see the new ending!!! We also threw in references to some of our older games and a lot of 80s for Nancy Drew's 80th anniversary. We believe the game we created is Secrets Can Kill if it had been made this year and we're quite proud of it and think that our fans will love our game too.
So what do the fans think? Here are a few reviews from our message board:
"I just LOVED SCK re-mastered! It was pretty much a perfect Nancy Drew game. I totally recommend this game for new ND players and older ones. This game was classic Nancy Drew through and through which was awesome. " ~mermaid979
"This game was relatively short. In a 5 hour span I beat it both on JR and SR. I really liked it because of the memories it brought back for me. I think this would be a good starting game for people new to ND because it is far simpler than most of the others. If you are debating buying it than I say go ahead. If you liked the first then you will like this one. One more thing.... NO CHANGING DISKS! That was one of the best parts!" ~Lizzpuff
"wow. This game is remarkable. I love the original SCK, and this is a splendid tribute to it. It is a wonderful game, that pays homage to the amazing original that started the spectacular series we know and love. It has it all; a delicious murder mystery plot, a setting nothing short of perfect, intriguing characters, and that classic feeling that is Nancy Drew. So, do I recommend it? How many times can I say yes before running out of characters? well, anyway, yes. Go, go get lost in the web of murder, secrets, and mystery that is; Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED ♥" ~winky1307
What are your thoughts on the new Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED game?
Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED Released!
Mon, 2010-08-23 17:10 — HerInteractiveThis game has been 12 years in the making - the remastered version of Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill! When we first released it in 1998, most of us had never created a game before. We didn't know what we were doing, but we were able to get a lot of help from girls and women who came particpated in our Advisory Board. They came in to test the game and tell us about what they thought about Nancy Drew. As it turns out, she's a little to perfect, according to them. So we gave her always two types of responses to every question - a very polite and well mannered reply and a snarky one. We also give her Second Chances.
But what a difference 12 years makes! In 1998, people still thought that girls didn't play computer games, but now girls are a growing segment of gamers that developers are focusing on. Of course, we KNEW from the very beginning that girls like to play games. Technology has also come a long way, so in the remastered version of Secrets Can Kill, you no longer have to switch between discs! We also reprogrammed the entire game in a different scripting language that's much more powerful and efficient (for programming geeks, we now us LUA).
You guys already know that the game has a new ending, but did you know that we also added Sassy Detective awards? And the coke machine works! There's also a lot of references to our past games hidden throughout the game as well a few references to the number 80 in honor of Nancy Drew's 80th anniversary. Notice that Hulk now wears the #80 jersey and you start with 8 lives in Barnacle Blast. There's a quite a few references - can you find them all or take your best shot a putting together a list?
We made this game for the fans, so we tried to put in all the things that you say you love about our games while keeping the story similar to the original. Go to Target, Walmart, Fred Meyer, or Best Buy and pick up the game today! Or, if you'd rather stay in your pajamas and avoid traffic, download Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED exclusively from Her Interactive.
Meet Detective Beech
Mon, 2010-08-16 17:50 — HerInteractiveIn addition to the new ending, extra puzzles, and updated graphics, we also added a new animated character to the remastered version of Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill (PC/Mac). Please meet, Detective Beech!
We included a new character in the game because we felt Daryl didn't make a very convincing "police" contact in the game. The name "Detective Beech" come from the end of the original version of Secrets Can Kill which shows a billboard for a TV show called "Detective Beech." The show can also be seen on TV in #22 Trail of the Twister.
Detective Beech is undercover so he's not wearing the police uniform. The character is based on Steve Landesberg from Barnie Miller.

Here's the first concept sketch the artist created for him.

Once we had his facial features figured out, we dressed him a short sleeve polo shirt and a chinos which fit his somewhat frumpy demeanor. He's middle aged, middle weight, average height. Here's the final rendering in 3D of the new character.

So what's his role in the story? Well, that's a different post for a different day. In the meantime, you can keep checking the website for more updates on Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED. The game is currently available for puchase on our website and will be in stores on August 24.
Secrets (REMASTERED) Revealed!
Tue, 2010-08-10 11:51 — HerInteractivePreorders for the newly remastered version of Secrets Can Kill have already started! In fact, preordered boxed physical games will ship later on this week. To get more information about the game, we interviewed Robert, producer, on Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED for some juicy secrets.
1) What is the the biggest improvement in the remastered version?
Haha - having sound! My computer was running Vista so the original game didn't have sound when I played through it.
2) What do you think the fans will love the most about Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED?
The new ending - you get to go back down memory lane by playing a game that you experienced long ago, but there's still new surprises for you to discover. When we remade the game, we thought about all the things a player would have liked to do in the original game and tried to make them happen here in the new version.
3) If you watched the comparison trailer for the new game, you'll noticed Barnacle Blast is featured as one of the new puzzles. Can you tell us why you chose to use this arcade game?
Barnacle Blast is from The Haunted Carousel and I can spend soooo many hours playing this mini-game! Technology has changed so much since we first made Barnacle Blast, so it was a lot of fun recreating it using the new scripting tools that we have. The keyboard and mouse controls are all still the same, but we added A LOT more levels!
4) The jukebox from Maxine's Diner works in Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED! What songs are on it?
I'm not going to spoil the entire track list, but here are a few selections:
Catherine
Dance Dance
Harvest
w00t!
DJ Double R contributed a few new tracks.
5) So how exactly does this jukebox work?
You have to find quarters hidden in the environments much like the coins in Phantom of Venice and the Pa Pennies in the special edition of Trail of the Twister. Use those coins to listen to the songs. It's a challenge to find all the coins hidden in the game. I wonder how many intrepid sleuths will find them all...
6) Is there anything else you'd like to tell our fans?
I think our fans will appreciate the fact that the remastered version remains true to the spirit of the original. We didn't change much of the dialogue so the characters still don't give the player any hints about what to do next. Fortunately, we added a task list and journal to make it a little easier. Enjoy wandering the halls at your leisure and we hope that you love the new Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill!
And there you have it - this new version of our very first game that started this award winning mystery series, remastered in celebration of Nancy Drew's 80th anniversary, is a must have for new and old fans alike!
REMASTERing the Cover
Mon, 2010-08-02 18:15 — HerInteractiveSo last week, we showed you the 3 concepts that we started off with for Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED. It sounds like a lot of our fans liked the first concept the best, and that was also our initial choice, but upon further examination, we thought it might be too boring and plain on the store shelves. We wanted something that would pop more. By 'pop' we mean stand out from the rest of the games and grab your attention. While the first concept does a great job paying homage to the original cover, we chose the second one to go with something completely new.
Once we chose the second concept, we mocked it up for the illustrator. It uses the 3D model of Connie from the game as the focal point. Hal and Hector are in the background and we added an extra girl so both genders were evenly represented. This is what we gave him to work from:

The illustrator came back with the below image. While we liked it, Connie didn't really look like Connie anymore. She was too 'mousey' and meek - a far cry from her judo champion stature. Her pale skin and red hair didn't make her a compelling character on the box.

So for round 2 from the illustrator, we gave directions to make her look stronger with a little bit more of an ethnic look. We also changed her shirt to magenta to more closely match the outfit she wears in the game and add more color to the box.

We were quite pleased with the way Connie looked by this point and just added a few small tweaks. Her eyes are blue, the light around her is brighter, she has more defined freckles. We debated adding her necklace, but that would have cluttered up the "Nancy Drew" logo on the bottom of the package. Hector is moved further into the background so he doesn't distract from the 80th anniversary messaging. So, without further ado, here's the final packaging:

So that's how packaging evolves - very slowly, tweak by tweak until we find the perfect combination. What do you think of the final packaging for Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED?
You can preorder this mystery adventure game (boxed and download) today or you can find it in retail stores on August 24.