34 Bonus Q&A With Brighella

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Hi everyone! Brighella here from HeR Interactive. Last week we posted a video of part 1 of myself, Indy, and Roo answering some of your Q&A about us or Mystery of the Seven Keys! I hope you had a chance to submit questions on our Instagram. We’ll be posting more videos but I wanted to answer some of your questions that we didn’t have a chance to film yet! So here are 34 extra Q&A from my perspective!

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1. @prof.hotchkiss  •  What is a mechanic in 34 that y’all were challenged by but ultimately succeeded in creating? It can be something entirely on the back-end that no one plays but is imperative for the game’s success

   • There are a lot of new mechanics that we’ve been implementing that I’d love to share about! One of the mechanics that comes to mind is our second chance. There are a lot of things to think about when you’re implementing a second chance, and we went through many stages of testing for this. Our first iteration was just your basic game-over, then we progressed with our audio / visual vision of what we want a second chance to mean for Nancy. After that, it meant testing a lot of different scenarios and figuring out what that would mean for auto-saves. We’ve had a lot of testing and bugs but it’s going to be a fun experience that I think we will all like! I’ll be sure to pass this question on to Ghost as she has a deeper perspective of the ins and outs of our game mechanics!

2. @chazzvsjazz  •  What are your favorite chocolate bars? Besides Koko Kringle of course

   • Out of all the Wickford Snacks I’d LOVE to try the Koffee Kandy, and definitely Moon Chunk cheese! I love cheese, and I’ve always assumed they’re like a crunchy cheese puff. In real life though I love extra dark chocolate, or dark chocolate peanut butter cups. 😋

3. @goobaandjetpack  •  Is the location for game 35 already decided?

   • Gooba and Jetpack, I actually don’t know the answer to this one at all! I’m going to guess that it is probably not finalized. But I have no idea. I do know that a lot of effort goes into the decision, and responses from fan input and surveys are a big factor! Market trends for top places of interest and mystery are researched. Mostly, since the mystery is key, it has to be the best location that supports the mystery Nancy is sure to solve.

4. @papenniesandbentoboxes  •  Also, what’s your favorite ND game soundtracks? I’m dying to know haha

   • Personally I’m really loving Trail of the Twister lately, especially Gooba and Jetpack’s rainy ambiance one on YouTube. It’s been so long without rain here and I’m missing the cool gloom! I do love them all (except the scary tracks in SAW and MHM that trigger a trauma response) but I’m also listening to Shadow Ranch and Stay Tuned for Danger lately.

5. @sarahbdodd73  •  What will the graphics be like?

   • To me, the graphics are absolutely gorgeous. I really really think our environment developers captured our little section of Prague perfectly. It’s a perfect match, at least from my perspective on Google Street View! 😂

6. @katie.menter  •  is it locked?

   • Always! Until Nancy shows up 😉🗝️

7. @jessieroo1995  •  who came up with the idea for the puzzle/riddle marketing strategy?

   • It truly has been a group effort among Indy, Roo, and me. We also run our ideas by and get feedback from other team members and creatives on the team, of course. But we are constantly messaging, meeting, and brainstorming about what would be cool, fun, and silly and we try to run with those ideas and make it happen with each other! I know a lot of people aren’t sure what’s been planned and what’s not, but let me assure you, it’s all been very elaborately and intentionally crafted down to the last hashtag.

8. @itsjoesantos  •  No question, but my gf Beth is a huge fan and if yall could give her a shout out she’d be super happy!

   • Shout out to Beth!! 📣💖

9. @_madihaq  •  I have an amazing idea for a future game, I would love to share it!! How can I do that? I’ve been working on it for years and I even have ideas for the puzzles! It’s not been done yet!!

   • Sadly we’re not legally allowed to hear any game ideas 😭 I know it’s sad but it’s a part of our Unsolicited Materials policy.

10. @amylucio10  •  Any plushies in the future?

    • Currently we only do print-on-demand merchandise through a third party company. They don’t offer plushies right now but if they ever do, we’ll be on that!

11. @theclueofthebrokenneedle  •  What are each of your favorite non-ND video game?

    • As a kid I loved all the Humongous Entertainment, Adventure Company, Learning Company, and Purple Moon games. Especially Carmen Sandiego, one of the original detective games. Currently I play other games on Xbox console, I love all the Bioware games, Skyrim, and Stardew Valley. I also play on Roblox with my nieces!

12. @wonderlusters  •  Will items be interactable beyond picking them up?

    • That’s such a cool thing about being in the 3D space, yes many of our items will be interactable, and necessary to progress!

13. @kamilachristine  •  Loved the marketing for G34! Will the storyline/mystery involve parts of Czech history?

    • Yes! This is one of those games rich with the Czech and Bohemian history. I love it and I’ve learned so much in my research!

14. @encaseinwire  •  How long does it take to come up with one puzzle sequence?

    • For puzzles in our game, months of development and production work go into them. In one case Roo and I had to further develop a puzzle that just wasn’t checking all the boxes it needed to. It was in the right spot for the story, and we knew what it needed to accomplish. But the puzzle needed to support the clues for specific outcomes that were just not playing out. We were given the existing needs for what it had to accomplish in the game, and we mapped out a whole puzzle scenario pretty quickly in one meeting. After playing and solving so many Nancy Drew puzzles, it was so cool using our knowledge to help make it work. Overall it takes months and months with an entire group effort of a lot of people, like all the talented people working on the many parts of the game, to make it come to life, with many versions, testing, and changes to make sure there aren’t any plot-holes or contradictions.

15. @kalex814   •  Favorite second chance?

    • My favorite second chance of all time might be below the elevator getting into the Queen’s tower in Treasure in the Royal Tower! IYKYK. In game 34 though, let’s just say get out fast or beware!

16. @domeniccarrubba  •  Any chance of some cooking in the new game? Always love cooking up some delicious food

    • If you might like whipping up some delicious beverage treats, go check out our barista puzzle we’ve released on a few different social media posts! I also wrote another recipe that can be found somewhere in the game. Nancy Drew cooking contest, here we come!

17. @sillysmiles074  •  Will there be any easter eggs and references in the new game?

    • That information is top secret! 🤫 As for references, keep your eyes peeled!

18. @ktrosefenelon  •  Who wrote the soundtrack for this game?

    • The ever-talented composer, Ryan Ricks! I’ve met Ryan and he’s such a fun, awesome guy! You can meet him in some older social media videos circa- Valentine’s day and Women’s Month!

19. @zanderson0499  •  What is the hardest thing to do when developing a game?

    • For me personally, the hardest thing is balancing delivery with deadlines. Many of the build branches have deadlines- and notes, references, and updated art or SFX are needed before a certain time. And sometimes we have asset freezes, and in those situations I have to follow priority, and be ok with it when something gets changed or doesn’t make it in-game.

20. @heatherweste  •  Who’s idea was it to make big mike sliders

    • Hahaha, if you mean the Hardy Boys from Kapu Cave sliders, I put those in the store! As for the Big Mike hat… you have Indy to thank for that one!

21. @ohmr.j  •  If Nancy Drew was a bagel, what type of bagel would she be? Would Ned still love her?

    • Okay – between sweet and savory I think Nancy is more savory. She’s definitely not plain. Of the savory bagels, she’s not an onion bagel because she wouldn’t want to leave bad breath to those around her. She’s bold but not over-the-top like an everything bagel. She’s straightforward and smart – so I think she’s your classic cheese bagel. Will Nancy be extra? Yes. She has a modest schmear of regular cream cheese added. And absolutely Ned would love her even if she was a trendy rainbow unicorn bagel or with onion breath. Can a bagel solve mysteries?

22. @uheardkelsj  •  Will you be able to choose what you wear in this game?

    • You must love Phantom of Venice! I do, too. But no, in this game we aren’t in charge of Nancy’s closet. Perhaps a future feature! I’ll pass it on.

23. @annatheharris  •  Which Nancy Drew side character do you wish was your best friend?

    • I’ve mentioned this before, I love animal characters and fun and funny characters. So Joe Hardy would be such a great best friend, or maybe J.J. or Lou Lou!

24. @youngdrewb  •  How many mini games will there be?

    • Between puzzles and other fun activities, I think there’s a lot!

25. @frankimullen  •  Will the Hardy Boys be in the new game?? Very excited that they’re getting their own game too!

    • We did reveal in a video on Nancy’s birthday some footage of the voice actors for Frank and Joe in studio for the new game! I’ve seen this other comment around elsewhere too and I will clarify. We did share a throwback video of some assets of the Boys visiting Prague in our 2009 Nintendo D.S. game, Treasure on the Tracks. That footage is from an old game, so sorry about the confusion!

26. @danavbell  •  How many explorable spaces will there be in 34? I love the games with large maps

    • Right now we’ve officially revealed 2 explorable locations. Nancy will have lots to explore in Prague, you can count on that.

27.  @space.girl.creations  •  What was your first Nancy Drew game you played?

    • Secrets Can Kill, after it came out when I was a kid! The 2-D characters were standard for PC games so I didn’t know any better. The ladle in the diner was my favorite.

28. @koko_and_chamomile  •  How did you decide which puzzle types to include in the new game?

    • We try to include a good mix of different types of puzzles like logic, arcade, slider, food prep, 3-D, and cyphers. We also try to get an even blend of other factors, like complexity, required vs. optional, and repeatability.

29. @steve_the_bard  •  Sonny Joon? Please?

    • 👽 You’ll have to wait until game release to see if we reference our iconic S.P.I.E.D. founder!

30. @kalex814  •  What’s a setting or story you would like to see explored in a future game?

    • I think it could be cool to explore somewhere in Africa or South America someday! Like I said, I love games with animals. I also love games with lots of transportation options like biking, boating, flying, or rails. Any type of mystery would do!

31. @paigealw  •  What are your priorities during this marketing campaign?

    • Our first priority is to make sure we are spending the right amount of our time dedicated to making the game great so it can be released! Other than that we are loving engaging with the Nancy Drew community and building excitement and awareness for game 34, as well as reaching people in outside or adjacent communities to join and share our love of Nancy Drew games!

32. @amycmysteries  •  How are you guys doing with having to keep secrets from the fans?

    • Sometimes it’s tough! We want to share so much with the ND community. But overall it’s a fun plan that we’ll let happen in the right timing.

33. @ashleynicole5574  •  What is your favorite Nancy quote?

    • I don’t know why because I hate sad movies and media, but I love the tearjerker quote by Miles the Magnificent Memory machine, “even bad memories have a place in a good life.” Other than that I honestly love everything said by Professor Hotchkiss on her camcorder.

34. @ndwalkthroughs  •  Not a Q, but a HUGE thank you for having much more communication with the fans!!

    • Thank you so much to everyone who has sent so many kind words. Interfacing with the community is one of the best, if not my favorite, part of my job! <3

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Hope you enjoyed my answers, please watch out for more posts on our social media like the next part of Q&A, and for more blogs by Indy, Roo, and Ghost!

—Brighella

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