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A Message from Megan on Mom 2.0 Summit
Tue, 2011-04-19 15:29 — HerInteractiveI attended the Mom 2.0 Summit for blogger’s last week in New Orleans to evangelize on behalf of our Nancy Drew Shadow Ranch gamebook app. The attendees were 400 of the savviest American Mom Bloggers. It was such a joy to meet so many of them. What an inspiration listening to everyone’s passion and creative ideas!
As a side note: Abigail Disney (niece of Walt Disney) was the keynote speaker. She just finished a groundbreaking mini-series entitled Women, War & Peace, which documents the unreported role of girls and women in the peace process in Colombia, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Liberia. It will air soon on the Independent Film channel. Abigail talked about the need to make every effort to inspire our girls at an early age to prepare them to be leaders. I would highly recommend that you take the time to watch this important mini-series.
Her Interactive sponsored the “Slumber Party” at the conference on Friday night. And I’m proud to say that the Shadow Ranch app was an absolute hit! Mom’s kept saying that there is nothing quite like it and that they are sick and tired of mindless apps for their daughters. They want their girls to have fun but also be challenged and to learn from games. They realize games are here to stay and were delighted to learn that Her Interactive is creating inspiring entertainment. Check out my Nancy Drew pajamas that I wore at the “Slumber Party.” These are the best pajamas ever!
Have fun and dare to play!
Megan
Shadow Ranch Goes LITE!
Tue, 2011-04-12 12:47 — HerInteractiveNancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch now offers a free sample of its gamebook experience! Released on April 4th Shadow Ranch LITE is a free download on the iTunes App Store for the iPad™, iPhone® and iPod touch®. This smaller version gives you a taste of what the Nancy Drew interactive gamebook offers, including its mini-games, rich graphics, sound effects, and of course, a little mystery!
Game Details:In the full version of Shadow Ranch, Nancy and best friends Bess and George travel to Arizona where they discover that Shadow Ranch hides a sinister past. A recent rash of ghost sightings and a series of accidents are driving customers away. It's only a matter of time before the ranch closes its doors for good. Play the Story™ to piece together the mysterious events and uncover the dark secret before it's too late. With all its game and mystery elements, Shadow Ranch can be read and played repeatedly to fully explore all the twists and turns.
We are super excited to have this demo out so that you can experience the Mobile Mystery adventure before you download the full version! For more details, see our product page or go directly to the App Store.
Happy Sleuthing!
Nancy Drew Cake Design Contest!
Tue, 2011-04-05 10:43 — HerInteractiveWelcome to the Nancy Drew Cake Design Contest! Please read the following instructions and rules carefully. We want to be fair, and don’t want to disqualify anyone. Here's the drill... (and if you're still not sure about something, please email us at: feedback@herinteractive.com)
Timeframe:
- Contest Starts: Tuesday, April 5, 2011.
- Contest Ends: Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 at 11:59pm PST. Entries WILL NOT be accepted after this date!
- You MAY submit AS MANY ENTRIES as you want. Go nuts!
- Submit your photos to: solved@herinteractive.com and include your name, phone number and mailing address. This information will not be revealed outside of our office.
- The Top 3 entries, as determined by the judging panel at Her Interactive, will be posted to our Facebook page by 5pm Friday, April 29th.
- The cake design with the most votes (counted in “likes”) by 10:00am on Monday, May 2nd, will win the competition.
- Participants do not need a Facebook account to enter the contest, but they do need to “Like” our Nancy Drew PC Games Facebook page in order to vote and/or see the voting results.
Cake Guidelines:
- Cakes MUST have a Nancy Drew theme. Be creative!
- Cakes must be YOUR creation. Having your friends help you is acceptable.
- You will be judged on the design and creativity of your “Nancy Drew” cake. How it tastes is up to you.
- Cakes MUST be CAKE. While you may use materials for support, the creation's decoration needs to be edible.
- Cupcakes are acceptable.
- You are responsible for all cake expenses. So if you are under 18 years of age, please ask your parents for permission before buying cake supplies.
Photo Guidelines:
- You must own the rights to ALL PHOTOS you email to us.
- The photo must clearly show you (the designer) holding your creation (the cake).
- Keep it clean. Don't email anything objectionable. (All entries are subject to approval.)
- Entering in the contest and emailing photos gives us rights to reproduce and use those images throughout our site, but also in other collateral, promotional materials, etc., as we see fit, and without compensation. Please note that we may use your photos even if you do NOT win.
- You can ONLY submit one photo per cake design.
Grand Prize:
The winner of the Nancy Drew Cake Design Contest will receive the following:
- A “Special Edition” version of our next game: The Captive Curse
- A $100.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com
- A WWNDD (What Would Nancy Drew Do) t-shirt
2nd Prize: A “Special Edition” version of: The Captive Curse
3rd Prize: A “Special Edition” version of: The Captive Curse
*Please Note: The Captive Curse is currently scheduled to release in June 2011. You will receive your copy of the game at that time.
Hands on the Ranch
Tue, 2011-03-15 09:06 — HerInteractiveWe interviewed our Executive Producer on the creation of the Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch, the new series’ first gamebook, for an inside look on how the story came together.
“For [Shadow Ranch] one of the challenges in the creation process was trying to think of what the tone would be. We decided to create separate stories, individual mysteries that you could go to when you play, like the collectables challenge for example. Each chapter was meant to have its own tone, but like the original books there was an overall larger mystery that makes up the story, and we wanted to turn that classic style into an interactive experience.” – Robert
Thanks Robert, for all of your hard work and taking the time to share your thoughts!
The Mobile Mysteries series focuses on stories where you can choose-your-own-path and interact with how the plot moves and unfolds. While Shadow Ranch was initially designed to be a book with much more text and far less animation and imagery, more elements were added to make it more game-like. Images, mini-games, and fun extras were added to help bring some of our signature puzzles into the reading experience. Many of these puzzles let the player engage with the case by find specific clues, or completing a challenge to receive necessary information or reach a new location. The Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries series may not look or feel just like the PC Adventure series many of our fans know and love, but we’re certain you’ll enjoy this game too. Even with a completely new style with a different tone, you may find that it has an uncanny resemblance to a classic Nancy Drew mystery novel. Maybe it’s time to head back to the ‘ranch.’
Have you read the story? Compare your reading experience of this new game book with the original yellow hardback and share your thoughts with us. New perspectives with fresh minds are always eye-opening!
Reviewing Shadow Ranch
Tue, 2011-03-08 10:11 — HerInteractiveThe reviews are in! Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch has reached the hands of many players and we’ve got the inside scoop on what they’re saying. Overall our fans are loving Nancy’s latest case. It’s been a surprise to many of our dedicated players, playing as Nancy in a gamebook world, but once you’ve passed your expectations, the game is a delight to even the most avid adventure fan. The ties to Secret of Shadow Ranch are undeniable, but this is definitely a new experience that many of our players seem to love!
You can read a few excerpts from the reviews on our free online gaming community. Be sure to check out the review section to read these reviews, and more, in full!
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“I found this to be a wonderful and entertaining game. It is not anything at all like the adventure game, but I think that that is a good thing. This game is a whole new experience; it is not, nor is it supposed to be, similar to the Secret of Shadow Ranch Adventure game. Overall, it exceeded all expectations that I'd had about it. The story takes some time to get into, but after the first chapter, I was hooked! The only complaints that I have are that the hidden object scenes could be a bit frustrating (a hint system would have fixed this) and that I found a spelling/grammatical errors. These did not detract from my enjoyment of the game, but I found it worth mentioning. I give the game as a whole a 9/10.” - Chocolate Girl
“We see characters we love from the games and hear their voices but at the same time there are line drawings from the original books. There are many mini games and things to try. It was fun but a whole different experience than the adventure games.” – Veja
“Alright so this was definitely not what I was expecting, but I like that. HER always surprises me with what they're coming out with. I have an Ipod and I recently bought the game. I got so addicted to it that I played it nonstop that day haha. But I really thought this game was good.” - Mysteryhelp279
“I just finished HER's first mobile mystery, and I must say it was great! I loved the easy interaction, the well thought out storyline and the fun mini-games.” - Rose14
“I have just finished the game and believe me, it was worth the wait! Yet again, HeR has pulled off a terrific game. I understand the idea of a text based game play is not a selling point for some (like me), but it is so wonderfully executed that people who dislike the game play style will adore the game just like I did. The game has a very high replay value unlike most apps. This really defines it from the millions of other apps available. The graphics are beautiful and the mini games are fun. Over all, a success from our friends at HeR. I give it a 9/10.” - Headfuzz
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What did you think of Shadow Ranch?
Launching for Mobile
Tue, 2011-03-01 11:03 — HerInteractiveNancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch is now available for purchase on the App Store! If you’ve been following the launch you’ve seen a fair share of clues dropped that this is a brand new adventure for you to experience. So we came up with a few new strategies to share this game with you as well, check out some of the great projects we ran for the launch:
The Case of the Missing iPad™ –
If we want you to get excited about a mystery on the iPad, why not have a mystery about an iPad? This was the stroke of genius that led to ‘The Case of the Missing iPad’ video and contest. Now that the contest has ended, we’ve launched the conclusion to the mystery as well. Did you miss out on this mystery? You can check out the case and its solution by using the links below.
The Case of the Missing iPad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZkVqawgGic
Closing the Case of the Missing iPad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6D4gnZbORM
Detective iPad –
Have you been following along with “The Continuing Adventures of Private Detective iPad P.I.”? He’s a detective, and also an iPad; as the saying goes. We released this mini-series detailing the accounts of two great sleuths (Detective iPad and Nancy Drew) meeting up for the first time. Plus there’s more to come! If you’re in the dark, check out the first episode, and start catching up on the mystery. You’ll be glad you listened.
Episode 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKrTZjNWw3A
Episode 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CbSjkHL16s
Episode 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7uQmhlHhSw
Twitter Feature Tweets –
We took some of our favorite features from Shadow Ranch and tweeted them to you each weekday throughout February. What better way to step into the new tech-driven age than to use Twitter to announce all the cool things you’ll be able to do in Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries. Did you follow along?
With all that information to sort though, how can you not get excited about Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries. If you’ve already downloaded Shadow Ranch for your iPad, iPhone®, or iPod Touch®, then head on over to the App Store and write a review for us! We’d love to hear what you think of Nancy’s newest mystery.
Nancy Goes Mobile
Tue, 2011-02-22 10:25 — HerInteractiveNancy Drew is about to step out of your PC and onto your mobile device. The launch of our newest series, Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch is happening tomorrow, and you can be the first of your friends to take a classic mystery adventure anywhere!
We’ve already seen trailers, contests, and old radio shows in preparation for this launch, but what do we really know about Shadow Ranch? The story is loosely based off of the best-selling book, and fan-favorite PC game, Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch. The adventure takes place at the legendary ranch, but the mystery is a new experience, unlike any you’ve played before. We’ve added familiar characters and events, but you’ll be tackling brand new cases and solving a bigger mystery than you can possibly imagine.
If you’ve been following along on Twitter, you’ll have heard more than a fair-share of features about the game, but what does “story-based game-book” really mean… Well, you’ll get to be an active participant in a Nancy Drew novel. You read the story and play fun mini-games and make important choices for Nancy along the way. But if you’re afraid that this game is too much “book” for you, rest assured that we’ve added plenty of fantastic features for you to enjoy. Check out just a few below:
· With a full musical score you’ll be in the perfect mood for mystery.
· Classic Nancy Drew images are scattered throughout the game.
· Discover and earn unlock-able content.
· Make your way through twisting mazes.
· Find all the missing pieces in the hidden-object puzzles.
· Race horses in a fast-paced mini-game.
· Multiple profiles for multiple readers, allowing everyone to bookmark their spot.
· Images play music and sounds when tapped.
· Solve the mysteries with Nancy’s besties: Bess and George.
That’s a ton of features! …And that’s not all, you’ll have to ‘Play the Story’ if you want to discover all that’s in store. Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch is available for the iPad™, iPhone®, and iPod Touch® tomorrow, only at the iTunes App Store. Be the first to download Nancy’s newest case!
Valentine
Tue, 2011-02-15 10:31 — HerInteractiveYesterday was Valentine’s Day! It’s the perfect day to tell that special someone just how you feel. Plus it is great time to send a few Valentine’s messages to friends and family. Of course sometimes there’s a secret admirer sending you love notes, and nothing creates a better mystery than romance! All along her adventures, Nancy has dealt with scary villains, creepy monsters, and spooky ghosts, but what about love?
Of course! Nancy has seen her fair share of romance and adventure during cases. The Phantom of Venice takes place in one of the most romantic cities in the world, Venice, and Nancy encounters an admirer bent on winning her affections. Love-struck Colin Baxter offers up gifts and awkward compliments while Nancy attempts to uncover a ring of daring heists. But romance doesn’t always require exotic cities and dashing English accents, in fact, a stay on a haunted ranch in Arizona can set the right mood. In The Secret of Shadow Ranch, a starlit sky was the perfect place to find a chance for love, and Dave Gregory was certainly charming enough to try. But Nancy’s heart has already been set, and her sights were on solving the mystery behind a ghostly horse.
Nancy has the undying adoration of Ned Nickerson. And while Ned may never take the forefront in any PC adventure, he’s always been there to provide just the right support for a clue-less detective. And through it all, Nancy remains steadfast and true to her hometown sweetheart even after the flirtations of a few not-so-secret admirers. Ned was even sweet enough to make her a special Valentine’s Day card for yesterday.
Love is all around, especially for super-sleuths! If you missed your chance to send Valentine’s wishes yesterday, don’t forget that you can always tell someone that you care, any day of the year. I guarantee they’ll love you for it. <3
Ga-ga for Games
Tue, 2011-02-08 11:28 — HerInteractiveNancy Drew Mobile Mysteries is launching at the end of the month and Nancy will be making her debut on some of the latest-and-greatest technology available. You could say this has made us a little crazy for fancy gadgets. So we’ve been thinking about how new technology can be a big help in solving really tough cases. Nancy has met quite a few characters that were all too happy to share their love of technology, and have been a huge help in cracking tough cases. We’ve come up with a short-list of some extra helpful techno-crazed people that Nancy’s encountered over the years.
Rentaro Aihara from Shadow at the Water’s Edge is a quirky, lovable technophile who’s always building something or trying out the latest gadget. He’s more than happy to let Nancy barrow his digital recorder or give her the scoop on his current ‘Do-It-Yourself’ projects. Unfortunately Rentaro’s relationship with technology seems a bit rocky, as it always seems to be breaking or malfunctioning when he’s around.
In Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting to Danger, George is more than happy to provide Nancy with a bomb-sniffing device to help her track down a mischievous prank-bomber. But this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding George’s fascination with cool gadgets. Nancy’s bestie is always finding an excuse to try out, check out, or use the latest inventions. More than once, George’s techno-obsession has helped lead to a break in the case.
Some jobs require you to stay up-to-date with the newest technology, take John Grey, Paranormal Investigator from Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon. His ghost hunting equipment represents some of the most recent innovations in tech, and he’ll need it if he’s going to get some tangible proof of ghosts! Nancy may be a skeptic, but she’s more than happy to use these fancy gadgets to help her track down the most elusive of criminals.
And who could forget Krolmeister! This technology giant has appeared in too many games to count. With gadgets, gizmos, and thingamajigs for every walk of life, Krolmeister tech can be found around the globe and doing everything from shooting salads at high velocity, to large-format printers for fashion designers, or even bat detectors for the avid cave explorer. If it exists, there’s probably a Krolmeister version available for purchase.
With all these technophiles and all the help they’ve given Nancy over the years, who wouldn’t be excited to embrace the newest gadgets and gizmos. We certain Nancy’s going to be right at home on the newest technology. Are you excited to experience a Nancy Drew mystery on your mobile device?
Going Mobile
Tue, 2011-02-01 10:54 — HerInteractiveThe Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch launch is almost here, and we’re excited to be bringing our favorite super-sleuth to the mobile movement! We’ve been making PC/Mac Adventure games for over 10 years now, and while there have been a few forays into the unknown (Wii, DS, etc.) we’ve never staked our claim like we are now, with a whole new series. Our games have been traditionally only been played in homes, schools, and libraries around the world, but soon you’ll be able to experience a great Nancy Drew mystery no matter where you are; on the bus to school, sitting in the park, or even relaxing on the couch at home! With an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch you’ll be able to play as Nancy anywhere!
But what is it?
Well, Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries is a story-based gamebook that lets players choose their own path through an epic mystery all while solving puzzles and playing addicting minigames. You’ll be reading a Nancy Drew mystery and choosing what the super-sleuth does and says at critical points in the story; all while interacting with images, words, puzzles and more! And for this first game we’ve used the setting from one of our most popular games, Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch! Though it may have a similar title, this game is a whole new mystery for you to experience in the majestic and haunting desert ranch, plus you might just run into a few familiar and much-loved characters. We’ll be releasing new gameplay information and little content tidbits all month long on our Twitter page and via Facebook. We’ve also updated the product page for Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch with the latest information. Check it out now!
What could be better than Nancy-on-the-go?
