Nancy Drew: Legend Of The Crystal Skull Review · 12:39pm Oct 11th, 2017
Horror doesn’t have to be just in movies and television. Horror can also be made into books which are then transferred into a movie adaptation which may or may not suck depending on how well you treat the source. But then comes the special kind of horror… video game horror.
For a while now, people have made a lot of games that are chilling, thrilling, terrifying, and horrific in all of the right ways. Some are universally well known like the Slenderman games, or the never-ending series that is Five Nights. But this kind of horror games is one that I think is worth talking about. It’s not completely horrifying, but I believe it deserves to be talked about, and it rightfully does.
You the audience may not know this, but I am a huge fan of Nancy Drew, and that accounts for the games based off her mysteries. And it should be an important note that some of her mysteries are absolutely horrifying to play… And there’s a few in particularly that I have played for myself and beaten that I think it’s worth talking about here on this channel. They are going to receive reviews, and I am going to give them my all. Today’s game, we’re stepping back to Game 17, the first horrifying Nancy Drew game that stuck with me to this day. It horrified me as a child, but ever since then, I have grown stronger and have appreciated it much more.
With all of that said… let us dive into the horrors that is:
Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull.
By the way, no, this has no connection to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
So, stepping into the shoes of Nancy Drew and Bess Marvin, you are supposed to go sight-seeing in New Orleans but unfortunately that's gonna be put on hold for Nancy since she's visiting an old friend of her boyfriend. The old friend, Henry Bolet unfortunately lost his only relative and so now its just him and the old lady Renee attending the house. But as Nancy arrives, things quickly go wrong. And now, its up to her to find a mysterious legendary crystal skull which is said can gain someone immortality...
First thing I must say is while this game isn't completely horror, it is worth the review. Why? Pros and Cons!
The game is self aware of how amazing it is because right at the beginning there is a disclaimer that says its best to play the game in a dark room. Spoooky.... 
Already this game is dripping with atmosphere and it is amazing! 
There is a great amount of somber lighting what with the lightning and thunder, the rain, and its dark backdrops. Its an amazing atmosphere and it sets the mood perfectly for the tone of the game. And it actually has some good scares in there, sort of. I think its just best from how creepy it is.
For example, you have to go get a candy bar for one of the characters by going into their room. And their room is so freaking creepy what with the voodoo junk and all of that. But then there's this... there's a rocking chair in the room that has nothing on it. Nancy gets the candy bar, and gobbles down six more because the player demands it, but as she steps away, the chair is ROCKING by itself and there's a doll who appears out of nowhere on it. No one was in the room, not a person went in the room, no door was opened. So how did that happen? Let me tell you, that is freakin terrifying. 
Not only that, the story is interesting too. We're not only diving into the research into finding this crystal skull, but we're also learning more about Henry Bolet and his history with his dead family, and its quite depressing. Its even heart wrenching just hearing what happened to this poor guy 
I just want to give him a hug.
The characters that we all follow all stand out in their own ways and they each have their own unique identities which make them interesting too. Henry Bolet who is one of our main leads is very interesting and again, its very sad to find out what happens to him and it just makes you want to hug him. Plus not to mention... he's now dubbed as the sexiest looking Nancy Drew character 
Although in my case, I think that falls more under Mel Corbalis 
Renee herself is also an interesting character and I like that she's kind enough to help Nancy the minute she's knocked out. Oh did I forget that? At the beginning of the game, Nancy arrives inside and some guy in the greatest skeleton outfit ever knocks her out. And I mean best, because that costume looks gorgeous. Her Interactive, listen to me, make real costume pieces for this! Make a real costume out of that, we need those! They look amazing!
That itself is a great costume, make it happen! 
And even the other characters are interesting. I like Lamont, the guy who runs the curio shop, and I like Gilbert Buford who we find out is the Bolet family doctor, he's an interesting man too. So for the characters, A+ for them, I like them.
The game mechanics themselves, they're alright. Its the same mechanics as some of the previous Nancy Drew games, but with a little better look. You can actually pause the game if you're talking to someone, and it has better settings to make the game more enjoyable for you. Plus not to mention, the graphics have improved from its previous games. Like before, they looked a bit like plastic dolls, but now that they have more textures and animation put into them, they're starting to look like real people.
The mystery itself is an added on plus! I think the mystery you have to solve is an interesting one, and the game takes you in just from the opening jump. The puzzles themselves are alright too, but then there comes some that are so downright insane it just drives you bonkers when you have to go through with them. I question some of their choices for different puzzles sometimes, but a lot of them work really well.
As for complaints, I can't really think of any complaints outside of my opinions towards Summer. Trust me, you'll find out who that ***** is soon enough.
But really, this is about as much as I can say. This is just a great game, and its worth playing. From its somber atmosphere, its interesting story, likable characters, and incredible mystery, this is just an interesting and fun game to play. I highly recommend picking this up, granted that your computer will be able to work.
I give this game, an 8 out of 10.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you all have a fantastic morning everyone!
Ok
I didn't know Nancy Drew had a crossover with Indiana Jones.