Line #7 YMMV/NancyDrew


1	!!Tropes in the books include:
2
3	* AdaptationDisplacement: Zig-Zagged. Because the games were ''very'' popular amongst gamers.
4	* ArchivePanic: Over '''530''' books have been written featuring the character. Have fun!
5	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
6	** In ''The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk'', Nancy gets struck by lightning. It has nothing to do with the rest of the story, it's over in less than a page, and nobody ever mentions it again, and isn't getting struck by lightning something you'd want to brag about?
7	** In ''The Mystery of the Fire Dragon'', while Nancy is at the airport about to investigate smuggling in Hong Kong. She's tricked into getting onto a plane by a girl with the same name as the missing Chi Che Soong -- and immediately kidnapped. It amounts to nothing as Ned sees the plane take off and immediately sends the air force after them. The whole thing is resolved in about five pages, Nancy discovers nothing new about the case, none of the captors' names come up later and the ordeal isn't even mentioned again.
8	* BrokenBase: Fans of the original 30s/60s version usually hate upon the late 80s version, for the way it modernized the character.
9	** The late 80s version (specifically the ''Nancy Drew Files'' spinoff) has its fanbase, and they don't take too kindly to the new ''Girl Detective'' reboot for going the other way and being too "kiddy" (usually, they like the original 30s/60s version, but feel like a certain amount of NostalgiaFilter might [[FirstInstallmentWins make them slightly biased toward everything afterwards).]]
10	** A lot of hardcore fans dislike the 50s/60s rewrites of the first 34 volumes, finding them to be bowdlerized, sanitized, condensed, and featuring less character development, and poorer writing. The biggest complaint is that Nancy is no longer as "tough" as she once was, and that she acts far too proper, polite, and traditionally ladylike in the updated versions. These versions did remove the racist stereotypes often present in the original books, but some think they went too far in their [[RaceLift "whitewashing"]] of almost all minority characters altogether. It doesn't help that the original versions of the first 34 volumes are mostly out-of-print and difficult to find, while the revised versions are still very widely available.
11	* FairForItsDay:
12	** The original stories started back in 1927 had a lot of more offensive stereotypes, and the unfortunate habit of referring to a large number of the villains as "dark," "swarthy," and "foreign," not to mention stereotypical characters who were supposed to be the good guys. At least one scholarly article wondered whether or not it was a good thing, since rather than make minority characters more complex and three-dimensional, they just got rid of them entirely, whitewashing the entire series, leaving some scholars to say, "Sure they were offensive, but at least they were ''there''."
13	** ''The Mystery of the Fire Dragon'' does have a YellowPeril element to it, and the narration frequently refers to Grandpa Soong as "the Chinese". George also pretends to be the missing Chi Che because she's AmbiguouslyBrown enough to look like her with make-up on. On the other hand, the villains are the Americans; it's actually the white Mr Stromberg and Mrs Horace Truesdale that are the {{Hate Sink}}s (while their Chinese accomplice Mr Lung is a PunchClockVillain). Emphasis is placed on finding Chi Che, subverting MissingWhiteWomanSyndrome, and she's treated as the utmost priority. Chi Che also partly helps engineer her own rescue - slipping Aunt Eloise crucial information while she's being kidnapped. And she and Nancy escape together. There's also another Asian character Lily Alys Wu who helps Nancy by going undercover in Stromberg's book store. The book also draws a distinction between Chinese and Japanese culture when the protagonists briefly stop in Japan before visiting China.
14	* FriendlyFandoms: One of the oldest examples - further reinforced by the numerous times Nancy Drew has crossed over with the Hardy Boys.
15	* HollywoodPudgy: In the original series, Bess is described as "slightly plump". In the "Files" series, while given a "fabulous figure", she is perpetually focused on losing five pounds. Additionally, she is consistently made out to be the weakest of the group -— easily frightened, boy-crazy, somewhat ditzy, etc. As of the newest series, Girl Detective, she's over it. She's always described as curvy, but her weight is almost never addressed. Furthermore while she is still very fashion conscious, she has also become a full fledged WrenchWench whereas the Papercutz graphic novels clearly depict her showcasing her figure in poses and fashions that mark her as a MsFanservice.
16	* MemeticBadass: It's a pretty common joke among fans that "Nancy can do by herself what it takes two Hardy Boys to accomplish." Considering all the people she's put away, it's not that far off.
17	* MemeticMutation: Nancy tends to get name-dropped in regards to any female character attempting any kind of investigative work.
18	* MyRealDaddy: While Edward Stratemeyer is the actual creator of Nancy Drew, all he did was create a rough idea of the character and general outlines for stories for his ghostwriters to follow. It was Mildred Benson, the first ghostwriter, who added a lot more beyond his outline and really brought Nancy to life.
19	* NarmCharm: The old books can come off as a bit hokey and awkward to a grown-up reader, but there is a charm about them.
20	* OnceOriginalNowCommon: To modern readers, it can be hard to understand just how unusual a girl detective was when the first ''Nancy Drew'' books came out.
21	* OutOfTheGhetto: While the games ''definitely'' broke out of the GirlShowGhetto, it wasn't uncommon to see ''boys'' checking out copies in the library too, especially in TheEighties.
22	* ValuesResonance: Despite many comments of how the older volumes were FairForItsDay, Nancy Drew has aged fairly well for several reasons:
23	** The fact that Nancy Drew takes her own initiative and gets ''herself'' out of trouble is something that resonated with women of the thirties just as much as they do in the twenty-first century. If someone, such as the Hardy Boys, comes to her rescue? Nancy's doing just as much work.
24	** Nancy asks questions, states her opinions, and shows a willingness to learn things.
25	** Similarly? The fact that a lot of writers ''of'' Nancy Drew were women.
26
27	----
28	!!Tropes in the games include:
29
30	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: A truckload.
31	** The ending of "The Final Scene" shows that Maya testified on the culprit's behalf. StockholmSyndrome, or [[spoiler: is it a case of WhiteAndGreyMorality considering the theatre had all but become his home?]]
32	** Henry Bolet. Is he lonely and insecure, or does he have clinical depression?
33	** [[spoiler:Rentaro]]. Is he an arrogant saboteur with [[LackOfEmpathy total disregard]] for the lives he tries to ruin, or a fundamentally NiceGuy who's desperate to save a failing relationship? The ending allows for both interpretations.
34	** Is Harper truly insane or [[spoiler: did Clara make everyone ''think'' she was to cover up her role in Charlotte's death?]]
35	** To add to that, did Clara [[spoiler:''mean'' to kill Charlotte, or was it an accident?]]
36	** Rick Arlen. Social-climbing Casanova who enjoys loving and leaving multiple women? Or a decent guy caught up in the drama of Hollywood trying to keep his career afloat? [[spoiler: The game implies the latter during conversations with both Mattie and Rick, but it's never expanded upon.]]
37	** Ned Nickerson. Perfect boyfriend for Nancy or annoying NiceGuy who just gets in the way? The fandom is pretty divided on this one.
38	* AluminumChristmasTrees:
39	** Believe it or not, people have hidden treasures and written cryptic riddles as to [[http://altereddimensions.net/2015/forrest-fenn-hidden-treasure-millions-dollars-hidden-gold-jewels-clues-treasure how to find them.]]
40	** In ''Stay Tuned for Danger'', [[CloudCuckooLander Millie]] sometimes says "Don't take any wooden ''nickels'', young ''lady''!" This may seem like a NonSequitur, but [[https://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/tradeshow-promotions/woodennickel-extralarge-12306.jpg it actually isn't.]]
41	** Nancy's car and [[spoiler:Jane's]]. Yes, cars actually look like that. Or used to in the 30s. For those of you too young to remember, they actually didn't look the way they do ''now'' until the late 90s.
42	** Yes, keeping female Dungeness crabs ''is'' illegal!
43	** ''Danger at Deception Point'' also has a professor ask Nancy to do some online program to help with research. While an excuse for a puzzle, it also ''has'' been used in games like ''VideoGame/EVEOnline'' and ''VideoGame/Borderlands3''.
44	* AngstWhatAngst: The games aren't quite cozy mysteries, but showing realistic reactions to crime is definitely not their priority.
45	** In ''Message in a Haunted Mansion'', Nancy shows absolutely no concern when she receives a threatening note commanding her to "leave the mansion now" in ''all capital letters'' with a very exaggerated, angry script, nearly coming off as a death threat. She makes no comment to herself on it after she receives the note, nor does she tell anyone around the house or even anyone across the phone about it. Realistically, most people who receive threats like that would usually report it to the police or do ''anything'' except just act like it's a common everyday occurrence that isn't worth mentioning. Then again, this is [[NervesOfSteel Nancy Drew, who can’t be scared off of a case!]]
46	*** Also, in all fairness, threats ''are'' an everyday occurrence for her when she's on a case.
47	** In ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'', Nancy almost dies from getting trapped in a sauna. She only tells one person (who isn't in law enforcement) this happened, doesn't seek medical treatment, and her immediate priority afterwards is following up on the clues she found in there. Even worse, it's expressly part of her job to report crimes, but calling the sheriff about it yields no related dialogue.
48	* {{Anvilicious}}: ''Sea of Darkness'' is a tad preachy about [[spoiler:the repercussions of childhood bullying and petty ostracism. Maybe if you got to talk to Magnus a bit more before you hear him blaming himself in part for how Soren turned out, it wouldn't come off as such. For what it's worth, the same game also features the first openly lesbian character in the game series, Dagny, and all she gets is sympathy for recovering from a breakup with her life-partner Alicia]].
49	* ArchivePanic: Go ahead, take a little break from the franchise, don't be surprised if another 6 or 7 are cranked out by the time you get back into it.
50	** Sadly [[AvertedTrope averted]] due to Her Interactive's four-year hiatus between ''Sea of Darkness'' and ''Midnight in Salem'', and likely for future games going forward. In fairness, the company used to release two titles per year.
51	* AssPull:
52	** In the original ''Secrets Can Kill'', [[spoiler: the culprit is precisely mentioned in exactly one location before he's even introduced to the plot at all, and it's only in the form of one of the game's many decipherable messages than through an actual conversation.]] [[spoiler: And he doesn't get introduced until about five minutes before the game ends, leaving an endgame that feels rather forced and only done for the sake of staying true to the original book and pulling the "surprise, it wasn't any of the people you thought" twist.]] [[spoiler: The Remastered version fixes this by introducing him at a much earlier point in the game ''and'' demoting him to a pawn, while the ''true'' culprit is someone you've spoken to before.]]
53	** The culprits in ''Danger by Design'' [[spoiler:are only mentioned once in a newspaper article, and you only stumble upon them by total accident]].
54	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: After going about three games without using the catchy opening tune, it returns with an all-new level of awesomeness.
55	** While we're at it, why don't we mention just about every single score for the games? Kevin Manthei is a genius.
56	** Special mention needs to go to ''Shadow at the Water's Edge.'' While the majority of the music is appropriately ominous, go into the city and you hear [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFdpTDmddPA this cute little J-Pop number]]. It especially appreciated as something of a breather since most of the rest of ''Shadow'' is absolutely terrifying.
57	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMTTvy1pmdc "Mattie's house - Day"]] is one of the best themes in the franchise. Such soothing music, which is especially appreciated in a crime game.
58	*** All of the music in ''Stay Tuned For Danger'' is pretty much amazing. The use of vibraphone and upright bass creates a brilliant noir-jazz vibe throughout the game, which is especially cool to hear when sneaking at night.
59	** ''Message In A Haunted Mansion'' is home to supernatural piano music of highest quality. Some songs like "MHM", the theme, or "Attic" are downright creepy. "Abby's Room" is meanwhile one of the most beautiful in the games.
60	** ''The Final Scene's'' [[http://www.nancydrewmania.com/index2.htm 'Maya']]. A short tune, the theme for a character you only see for five minutes, and yet it sums up everything about the game.
61	** ''Treasure In The Royal Tower'' has some truly awesome wintry, baroque-like music. Also, there's harpsichord in it. What more could you want? Special mention also goes to the theme song "TRT" and the music in the library.
62	** ''The Captive Curse'' has some of the best music in the series. "Girls" is nearly perfect. Mournful piano and strings at their best. "Mystery" is also awesome for evoking the atmosphere of the game so well.
63	** ''Ransom Of The Seven Ships'' maybe didn't have the best music but "Toro" by itself is a fabulous tragic guitar piece, very fitting for the story of El Toro.
64	** The music in ''The Haunting Of Castle Malloy'' can veer into some atmospheric, seriously beautiful territory. "Fiona" in particular, which is very haunting and sad.
65	** ''Curse Of Blackmoor Manor'' is full of shadowy medieval beauty.
66	** The composer for the newest games, Thomas Regin, has contributed some gorgeous pieces of music as well. Have some [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWVA7FP8tB4 'Electric']] from ''The Deadly Device'' (unfortunately not in stereo) and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_MsEaBz3XA 'Past']] from ''Ghost of Thornton Hall''.
67	** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu4wfnhVqv0 The Word I Couldn't Keep]]", an original song composed for ''Sea Of Darkness'', is a soaring, passionate ballad. The singer is also the voice actress for Elisabet, and she sings a stanza of it within the game, before the entire song plays over the credits at the end.
68	* BizarroEpisode: ''The Haunting of Castle Malloy'', whose mundane explanation for what is apparently a supernatural occurrence is somehow even ''stranger''. [[spoiler: The "culprit" is a 70-year-old borderline feral woman flying around on a jetpack.]] ItMakesSenseInContext - but considering the particular game also involves [[spoiler: Nancy herself using a jetpack]] it makes the game feel ''quite'' strange.
69	* BrokenBase:
70	** The "GoodNewsBadNews" segments from ''The Phantom of Venice'' to ''The Deadly Device.'' Some fans liked them and thought they were [[BlackComedy funny]]. Others hated them because they felt like [[MoodDissonance it ruined the impact a death scene could have.]]
71	** ''The Silent Spy'' seems to be doing this for the games, specifically the revelation that [[spoiler: Nancy's mother's death wasn't an accident and she was actually a spy working for a secret organization.]] Some see the whole story as completely brilliant and an interesting twist, while others feel like rewriting a part of the character's history (that has been ingrained in both the character and the stories since their creation 80 years ago) was Her Interactive going a step too far.
72	** The decision to replace Lani Minella as Nancy Drew's voice actress can be considered this as well. Some fans are sad since Lani has been a part of the series from the very beginning, while others think that she sounds too old to be voicing an about-18-years-old girl anyway.
73	** ''Midnight in Salem'' is a real doozy. As the game kept getting delayed, some fans were excited for the game's eventual release while others gave up hope on the game being good because of the delays. The released trailers and screenshots did not help given the divisive response to the game's comparatively poor graphics to previous games. Once the game finally released in December 2019 after 4 total delays since 2015, fans were divided on the quality of the game, more so with a negative reception.
74	** The discontinuation of ''Ransom of the Seven Ships'' by 2020 tends to bring a lot of discussion among fans. While not many particularly miss the game as it’s considered an infamous example of {{Sequelitis}} to most fans, whether or not it should have been outright discontinued is controversial. Many considering the reasoning behind it to be well-intention-ed but misguided at best. The reasoning behind the discontinuation was the alleged use of blackface by the game’s culprit, especially considering the hot topic of BLM at the time. However, some fans don’t even consider it blackface considering said culprit never changes his skin tone or acts in a stereotypical way, only wearing a curly wig and having a fake Jamaican accent, and it’s unfair for the developers to prevent new fans from buying this game. Not to mention, he’s the villain of the game, so it’s clearly not portrayed positively if that was the actual intention of the developers. Others, even if they disagree that the game was offensive, still stand by Her Interactive’s decision and consider it the right move thinking that this kind of depiction isn't appropriate for an E rated game especially in the current climate.
75	* CantUnhearIt: As LetsPlay/{{Lucahjin}} points out, Nancy Drew sounds just like Smefanye, a model that she and LetsPlay/ProtonJon played as in the Wii Game of ''America's Next Top Model'', making it conceivable to think that Smefanye ''is'' Nancy.
76	** For that matter, hearing Lani Minella's voice in ''any'' other casual adventure game will have you thinking that Nancy ultimately grew up to become ''that'' game's heroine.
77	* ContestedSequel: Due to the very large amount of Nancy Drew games, it’s almost guaranteed that some of them won’t be universally praised by the entire fanbase. While some fall under SeasonalRot, others are just very divisive:
78	** ''Stay Tuned for Danger'', being only the second entry in the series and having come out in 1999, hasn’t aged particularly well. While it is generally seen to have held against the test of time better than the first game, Secrets Can Kill, whether it’s enjoyable still today is where the confliction lies. The best aspects for many are the story and characters, which stand out even among more modern games, including a fantastically memorable villain in [[spoiler: Dwayne Powers, who made such an impact on players that he was brought back in ''Ransom of the Seven Ships''.]] Others take a strong disliking to the game’s graphics, gameplay, and puzzles, ruining the game for them. While the game is old enough to where the plastic-looking CG characters with robotic movements are forgivable, the fact that they’re photoshopped onto real-life photos is notoriously uncanny. Most of the puzzles are also seen as bland or just plain infuriating, such as two infamous puzzles in both the bomb and end-game challenges. The gameplay is also frustratingly dated to many, as it relies heavily on clicking on easily missable spots and objects in order to progress, often making players stumped (It’s even apparently possible to break the game by discovering the bomb before you get pliers or a screwdriver, as you can’t back away to retrieve them once you encounter it, leaving you stuck in and endless loop). It also doesn’t help that many character conversations are easily missable, such as the last conversation with Rick, so many players don’t see the finer details of the story and characters.
79	** ''The Secret of the Old Clock'' is a bit of a Downplayed example compared to others listed, as it’s not especially loved ''nor'' hated by many fans, but it stands out as contentious nonetheless. It’s sometimes seen as an enjoyable entry in the Nancy Drew series that is especially unique in its setting and taking place in 1930, with old-timey music to boot. It being one of the easier and shorter games in the series also makes it a fun early entry into the franchise for some, while also being easily replayable. Others think its one of the weaker entries in the series for said short length, which isn’t helped by the fact that it's padded out by tedious segments such as delivering telegrams for money and the fetch quest to obtain Josiah’s trinket. Its story and characters are also seen as quite boring to many, with its early 20th century setting only driving home how dull it is to its detractors.
80	** ''Danger by Design'' is enjoyed by some due to taking place in Paris, having some challenging but fun puzzles, and having one of the most interesting antagonists in [[spoiler: Minette]]. To others, it’s almost, if not just as bad as its infamous successor, ''Creature of Kapu Cave'', due to its minimal story ruining an otherwise interesting premise, characters that serve very little purpose or screentime after being first introduced (In fact, the only two major characters at the end letter mentioned are Minette and Heather!), and an infamous AssPull at the end that nearly rivals the original ''Secrets Can Kill''’s culprit reveal.
81	** ''The White Wolf of Icicle Creek'' is also quite divisive. Many fans love the game for its cozy yet chilling atmosphere and setting, interesting characters and story, and having [[spoiler: one of the most scarily competent villains in Yanni]]. Others find it to be an extremely bland and slow-paced game that pads out its runtime with household chores and infamous puzzles like Fox and Geese, making it a pain to replay for some.
82	** ''The Haunting of Castle Malloy'' is certainly a BizarroEpisode, which makes it quite divisive as you might imagine. Some fans enjoy it for being a weird yet interesting entry in the series that focuses more on fun puzzles and atmosphere than a compelling mystery with complex characters. Others dislike it for the exact same reason, finding it to have little place in the Nancy Drew series, due to the utter lack of crime-solving and instead has Nancy Drew flying around on a jetpack and shearing sheep by giving them weird haircuts. [[spoiler: This also isn’t helped by the game having NoAntagonist. To those who like the game, it’s a fresh change of pace that gives us a culprit one can actually completely sympathize with compared to many of the almost one-note generic villains the series is known to have. To others, it’s a completely disappointing reveal that makes the game seem even more out of place in a mystery-solving franchise.]]
83	** ''Trail of the Twister'' is often seen as one of the weakest games in the Nancy Drew series due to its half-baked story, dull characters and setting, and focus on tedious chores and puzzles like the infamous mouse trap, which has to be done ''four'' times. Others find it to be a fun game in its own right and enjoy its focus on storm-chasing and like its country setting. [[spoiler: It also having one of the more complex antagonists that doesn’t rely on one-note motives like greed and power unlike several other culprits in the series is also a plus point for many. Others find that the ultimately incomplete story ruins said antagonist, making him come across more of an insufferable JerkAss who sabotages his own team out of greed rather than the complex, three-dimensional villain he was likely intended as]].
84	** ''Tomb of the Lost Queen'' is often seen as when the series starts to really experience SeasonalRot, due to it having many tropes associated with “modern” Nancy Drew games, like confusing dialogue, forced puzzles, and dull and/or annoying characters. Others don’t hate it as much as other modern Nancy Drew games such as the Shattered Medallion and Midnight in Salem, finding it to a fun enough game that takes advantage of its cool setting with some great puzzles.
85	** ''The Silent Spy'' is another contentious “modern” Nancy Drew game, especially since it takes place after ''The Deadly Device'' and ''Ghost of Thornton Hall'', which while not immune to criticism from some fans, are seen as great entries in the series with great pacing, a more mature tone, complex characters, and excellent writing to most. To some, the Silent Spy is a welcome entry in the series that builds upon the previous two games, making an epic story that takes advantage of Nancy being a spy to great effect. It also having to do with Kate Drew, a character fans were never told about outside of occasional references to the fact that she’s dead, gives a personal connection to the case unlike any other entry in the series, which Nancy has little personal involvement with. Others find this game as a sign of the writing going downhill for the series, with an overly complicated yet unsatisfying story, dull characters that lack any sort of personality despite being closely tied to the plot, and [[spoiler: an infamous villain that’s considered one of the worst in the entire series due to constantly hiding information most of the game and having absolutely no motive other than “because I can”, with only very vague reasoning as to why he resorted to crime being given in the end letter.]]
86	** Lastly, there’s ''Labyrinth of Lies'', which takes place before ''Sea of Darkness'', being considered a surprisingly good entry in the series despite being surrounded by divisive or outright disliked games, and then the infamous Midnight in Salem, which is considered by some to be the absolutely worst entry in the series. One side of the fanbase loves the game for being closely tied to Greek mythology, having some very interesting puzzles, and [[spoiler: involving an extremely unique plot where every suspect is involved in a art heist.]] The other side of the fanbase hates the game for having possibly the worst example of forced puzzles in the entire series, as the whole stage set is littered with them, despite there being no practical or logical reason for them being there, nor is one given. Similarly, the fact that most of the sets take place underground due to supposedly rotating into place is considered absolutely absurd even by the standards of the series. Other hated aspects include Thanos, who the game builds up as threatening and scary, despite him constantly speaking in vague terms and acting so over-the-top (at one point, growling like a dog) it comes across as Narm. [[spoiler: It also doesn’t help that the unique plot twist of every suspect being involved is considered a CaptainObviousReveal from the very start to many]].
87	* CreepyAwesome: Harper Thornton from ''Ghost of Thornton Hall''. How literal the "crazy" part is is left for debate.
88	* CrossesTheLineTwice: Some of the endings are just so hilariously-mean spirited or over the top that it's hard ''not'' to laugh.
89	* DesignatedVictim: Paula Santos from ''The Haunted Carousel'' is going through tough times with strange incidents and accidents in her park, one of which led to a lawsuit. As Nancy, you are more than willing to help solve the mystery and get things back to normal. Unfortunately, anytime you get hurt in any of the various GameOver sequences, she gets unreasonably upset with you and fires you. Does she express any sympathy for your injuries or consider that someone is doing this on purpose? Oh no, she [[UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming blames you]] and tells you that you're off the case.
90	** Admittedly, some of the second chances are the result of Nancy being careless [[spoiler: (such as trying to reach for the brass ring on the carousel and falling, turning the power on while working and getting electrocuted, leaving the iron on your room and burning the hotel down, and not wearing safety goggles while trying to make a new dowel)]]. Anything outside of that though [[spoiler: (such as Nancy's foot being trapped in the coaster track or getting hit by the falling glass pufferfish)]] is ''not'' your fault.
91	* DiagnosedByTheAudience:
92	** Rentaro in the ''Shadow at the Water's Edge'' is socially awkward, and even lampshades this by saying that he works with machines because they tolerate awkwardness.
93	** Mason from ''The Deadly Device'' shows all the symptoms of OCD, from arranging the items on his desk in a certain order to (allegedly) alphabetizing the ingredients for a sandwich before making said sandwich.
94	** Colton from ''Ghost of Thornton Hall'' appears to have issues with anxiety and depression, but again, no one specifically states what his issues are.
95	** Joseph in ''The Final Scene'' shows signs of [[spoiler:dementia at the very end]]
96	** Joy in ''Carousel'' is pessimistic as a rule, never talks about anything other than work or her (dead) parents, and rarely shows any emotion other than resigned sadness. A large part of the game's plot is helping Joy resolve her grief and move past her isolation. The possibility that she may have depression is obvious, but never made explicit.
97	*** Xenia in ''Labyrinth'' mentions that she suffered from a "vast sadness" as a child that she suspects will always return for her, which also sounds a lot like depression. [[spoiler: It's easily to see how she could be making it up, though, seeing as she's an exceptionally manipulative villain.]]
98	** Minette in ''Danger by Design'' is portrayed as simply just being eccentric - but some have pointed out that her volatile mood and unpredictable mood swings as well as periods of self destructive and impulsive behaviour [[spoiler: Such as getting her face tattooed]] could suggest Borderline Personality disorder, or possibly Bipolar Disorder.
99	** Patrick in ''Medallion'' definitely conveys the impression that he's been knocked on the head too many times during his rugby career, although nobody comes out and says it.
100	* EnsembleDarkHorse: Mel in ''Warnings at Waverly Academy'' and Dave in ''Secret of Shadow Ranch'' are some pretty popular ones.
101	** Nick from ''The Final Scene'' verges on MemeticBadass within the fandom: "Fight the power!"
102	** The fangirls seem to like Henry Bolet for his status as a StoicWoobie.
103	** Professor Hotchkiss. Even if only among the developers, she's so well-loved that they brought her back for two phone cameos. High-five, team Hotchkiss!
104	** Big Island Mike from ''Creature of Kapu Cave'' has produced some very... interesting memes. [[BrainBleach And let's]] [[MemeticMolester just leave it]] [[DontAsk at that.]]
105	* {{Fanon}}: In the first two games, there's random decipherable clues that crop up all over the place in the form of some sort of word puzzle. Usually, they make a comment on something that doesn't happen until later in the game, an obvious (and somewhat out of place in a series that usually tries to justify most of the "strange things" you see here and there) attempt at GameplayAndStorySegregation. Arglefumph (a Youtuber known for his Nancy Drew walkthroughs) took to justifying this as Nancy having a "psychic friend" that left those clues for her.
106	* FanPreferredCouple: Nancy and... take your pick between one of the Hardy boys, or one of the various single male suspects in any of the games, even if it's the culprit, [[CrackPairing or if it would be totally unlikely in the game or in real life]]. The most popular of these, though, is Nancy and Dave from ''Secret of Shadow Ranch''. Poor Ned...
107	** Nancy/Frank Hardy has been a pretty common pairing since at least 1988, when the Spin-off/Crossover ''Supermysteries'' were written featuring the pair. Bess and Joe... not so much.
108	** Of course, some people who follow his walkthroughs prefer [[TakeAThirdOption Nancy/Arglefumph]], due in part to him joking about both his jealousy of Ned ''and'' thinking Nancy would be a great girlfriend. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] now that he's married with a family.
109	** Henry Bolet from ''The Legend of the Crystal Skull'' and Mel Corbalis from ''Warnings at Waverly Academy'', who share a goth motif.
110	* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments: One of the bloopers after the end credits for ''Trail of the Twister'' features the dance club from ''Phantom of Venice.'' The one dancing? Pa. Doing the ''exact same moves.''
111	* GeniusBonus: Knowing how to read sheet music will make one of ''The Silent Spy'''s most annoying puzzles much easier. There is a sheet music translation in the bagpipes book, but having it already memorized will mean you don't have to take the book out constantly. Knowing the layout of the keys on a piano wouldn't hurt either, since that's also used in ''Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon''.
112	** If you know how to speak some of the featured foreign languages, some puzzles can go faster. For example, in ''Danger By Design,'' you won't need to buy a dictionary to translate the list of photos for Dieter if you know a bit of French. The stakeout in ''Phantom of Venice'' is also much easier if you already speak Italian.
113	* GirlShowGhetto: Averted arguably even more than the books - they were intended to be "For girls not afraid of a mouse", yet the creators have pointed out a significant chunk of their audience are male. In fact, for some it was a GatewaySeries ''to'' the franchise.
114	* GoodBadBugs: In Senior Mode on ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'', Elsa cannot be called on the phone, meaning that the mystery of her slashed tires is never solved. The clues about it are still present in the game, but her phone line is always busy.
115	* GrowingTheBeard: The series has gone through a lot of different styles over more than thirty games. After each major design change, there tends to be one game that puts it to really, really excellent use. This also means that there are a few choice examples:
116	** ''Treasure in the Royal Tower'' was where the series first found its groove, with the great setting, excellent puzzles, and some of the most memorable characters in the series. (Hotchkiss, of course!) Additionally, the voice acting started adding some more emotion, compare them to Nancy's deadpan [[https://youtu.be/8lCd1nZW-Pk?t=2m39s "Fire!"]] in ''Message in a Haunted Mansion''.
117	** Either ''Secret of Shadow Ranch'' or ''Curse of Blackmoor Manor'', which kept the excellent settings and puzzles but added a larger screen and a better user interface. These are also commonly cited as the two best games in the Nancy Drew series.
118	** ''Ghost of Thornton Hall'', and to a lesser extent, its precursor, ''The Deadly Device''. Both games were atmospheric and mature, with more cinematic pacing and new kinds of puzzles. ''Thornton Hall'' in particular is ''terrifying'', and the story is one of the best in the series.
119	** While the game is seen as the weak point of the series, "Ransom of the Seven Ships" is when the animation started to become ''notably'' more thorough, although it became much more notable around "Warnings at Waverly Academy" when speaking to the eager Leela, who moves around a bit while talking to you about her games. Just compare the last game using this engine(''Sea of Darkness'') to ''Stay Tuned for Danger'' (which is infamous for its somewhat plastic-looking people).
120	* GuideDangIt: '''SO. MANY.'''
121	** ''Secrets Can Kill'' - The original has you break into the teacher's lounge by cutting through a window with a box cutter.
122	** ''Stay Tuned for Danger'' - Where is the defusing-combination for the [[spoiler: bomb in Rick's dressing room?]] Try using the colors of highlighter used on the copy of the script you find in someone else's dressing room, clearly.
123	** ''Treasure in the Royal Tower'' - Debatably discovering the entrance to the Queen's tower. You need to [[spoiler: get trapped in the elevator, notice the vent hole above while escaping, later exit the elevator on a specific floor to enter the duct leading to the library, steal the caretaker's key, park the cab on a ''different'' floor, enter the elevator duct from the library, and then climb down the elevator duct to discover a NEW exit.]] To its credit, the game does encourage exploring the castle thoroughly, and the clues provided are logical, if vague.
124	** ''Secret of the Scarlet Hand'' - Finding the exact right triggers for all of the phone calls in the second half can be maddening without help. SequenceBreaking measures prevent just calling the numbers without being told them first.
125	** ''The Haunted Carousel'' - Ironically, the shorthand deciphering puzzles does have an in-game guide... that you can only use if you ask Bess and George for help. Even with the guide, you may still need the 'guide'.
126	** ''Curse of Blackmoor Manor'' -
127	*** The rotating rooms are particularly notorious. Unless you know the two-step trick, even the map can only do so much to prevent you from stumbling to your death.
128	*** The spinning rooms lead you to the basement alchemy lock that can explode if you do it wrong. You do have in-game help through your internet connection, though that may be unavailable when you reach this point.
129	*** Forging the final key requires you to notice a small, easy-to-dismiss clue. Many fans consider this puzzle brilliant, but you may just find it maddening.
130	** ''Danger by Design'' -
131	*** The very first puzzle, the tea puzzle, is so complicated that one pair of Nancy Drew youtubers listed it as the worst puzzle in the whole franchise. [[note]]Jamie and Jamison of [=Vote4Holt=], Specifically [[/note]]
132	*** [[BookEnds The very last puzzle]] requires using a date-shift cypher AND a World War II decoder with vague instructions.
133	** ''Creature of Kapu Cave'' - The frass puzzle. While entirely logical, it is tedious and particularly unforgiving. If one cell of the spreadsheet is wrong, you won't be told which one. Almost all the puzzles before and after are considered easier.
134	** ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'' - Fox and Geese, although [[ThatOnePuzzle a guide can only help you so far.]]
135	** ''The Hauntings of Castle Malloy'' -
136	*** The otter box in Fiona's room is a puzzle with only nine pieces. The middle piece is fastened in place. It is much, much worse than it sounds.
137	*** Gathering flowers for Kyler's bouquet takes you to extremely specific screens, some completely out of the way. Notable as every other puzzle is logic driven, but the bouquet leaves you to wander.
138	** ''Ransom of the Seven Ships'' -
139	*** You have several pages of cypher-coded journal messages you need to painstakingly translate one at a time. You do not find a key or any hints, and translating every single page is absolutely crucial.
140	*** The pirate sudoku chest. Sudoku is a common stock puzzle, but this one comes with a time limit (([[CuttingTheKnot unless you click out of the window to pause the game.]])) An easy sudoku board takes the average person around 10-15 minutes - your air limit is three minutes. You need to treck across the world map to refill your air. Two Nancy Drew Youtubers list this as one of the worst puzzles in the franchise. [[note]][=Vote4Holt=] and [=WizardKitten=][[/note]]
141	*** At the end, you need to flip '''seven''' differently-timed hourglasses so they all stop at the exact same time. A guide can only tell you roughly when to flip each one. Expect to die, constantly.
142	** ''Trail of the Twister'' - If you're colorblind, the wire-detangling on Scott's truck is torture. No accessability features are presented.
143	** ''Shadow at the Water's Edge'' - Good '''GOD'''.
144	*** Right at the beginning, you need to untangle the wire backing of a portrait so no wires intersect. Unfortunately, dozens of wires are strung to a handful of points that need to be arranged just so.
145	*** Five games of Sudoku. At once. With intersecting grids. If you don't find it monstrously difficult, you will find it monstrously boring.
146	*** You need five zen-garden rocks to function as keys. These rocks in particular are pebbles, [[PixelHunting hidden in tiny locations in a relatively large garden area.]] You will miss nothing by looking up the locations
147	*** Near the end of the game, you discover Kasumi has hidden her will behind a '''25x25 nonogram.''' On junior detective, your only relief is a ''slightly'' less difficult 25x25 nonogram.
148	** ''The Captive Curse'' - Getting proof of the monster's existence. You must consult a map of monster sightings, move to one specific screen, hide on a screen you previously could not access, and discreetly take a photo of the monster with your cell phone. Unless you check your task list, your only guidance is to "get proof."
149	** ''Tomb of the Lost Queen'' - Deciphering the names of Nefertari's children. Another entirely logical puzzle, but to this point, translation has been a [[CypherLanguage simple substitution cypher,]] not accurate translation work. This is the first time you are required to cross-check syllable across various sources and deduce the pronunciation of certain symbols. Worse, almost all other translations in the game offer a quick translate option.
150	** ''The Deadly Device'' -
151	*** Getting a fingerprint you can use on a lock requires making a microchip and melting gummy bears. Somehow.
152	*** Finding the aluminum foil for the Faraday cage can be this. It's not in the kitchen, or Nico's lab, or anywhere upstairs... but did you check [[spoiler: the wrapper for the silicon wafers that have been brushed aside all game?]]
153	*** The final puzzle to escape [[spoiler: the Faraday cage before electroction.]] It's circuit logic. Timed circuit logic. With maze-like connections and no previous puzzles to help you learn the rules. Let's hope the sight of [[spoiler: the cage falling apart around you]] doesn't distract you too much.
154	** ''Ghost of Thorton Hall'' -
155	*** THE CLOCKS. All of the clocks on Charlotte's mantle need to hit midnight at the same time, but all run with different pacing. At one point, you need to do this with [[spoiler: the mansion burning around you and all the clocks set to NEW different pacings.]] Even with all its faults, this is a ''more forgiving'' version of the hourglasses from ''Ransom.''
156	*** Charlotte's safe in the underground passage. Not just a slider puzzle, but a slider puzzle without an image to tell you where the pieces go. Charlotte was either a puzzle expert or a masochist.
157	** ''The Silent Spy'' - Finding all of Zoe's tile fragments can come down to PixelHunting with a time limit. A limit that can be reset, at least.
158	** ''The Shattered Medallion'' - The planetary gears/alien machine Grandpa Jin has lead you to requires exact gear placement, hidden-object finding in the form of Sonny's notebook, and an emotional stake in the story of Shattered Medallion. [[SeasonalRot In a title that suffers from mass fan backlash, the latter is no small ask]]. Your reward does not help encourage you along.
159	** ''Labyrinth of Lies'' - Certain documents are being hidden in one of the underworld sets in a large stone sliding puzzle. The pieces can only be moved to certain sections depending on which pieces match in a given fifth. This is much easier said than done.
160	* HarsherInHindsight: In ''Danger By Design'', model Jing Jing has a fan that's fixated on her, Zu. In order to convince Zu to help you so you can move forward in the game, you have to trick Jing Jing into writing a love note to him. While the game plays it for laughs, it's something that comes off a lot creepier nowadays.
161	** As of 2020, Silent Spy's plot about unleashing a lab-developed virus meant to bring the world to its knees is much more uncomfortable, what with the conspiracy theories about the coronavirus being exactly that.
162	* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: [[Heartwarming/NancyDrew Here.]]
163	** In ''Alibi In Ashes'' a lot of people suspect Alexei Marcovic for framing Nancy and lighting the town hall fire, because he's an ex-amateur-detective who could be understandably jealous of her success. Alexei doesn't help this accusation by being excessively grumpy all the time. So what does he do when Nancy finally gets out of jail and goes to speak with him? [[spoiler: Asks her if she's okay and tells her he'll do absolutely anything to help her out. He's been framed before too, and he's probably happier to see her freed than anyone else.]]
164	** While Nancy is conducting her investigation in ''Sea of Darkness'', she managed to forget that it was her and Ned's anniversary. During one of her conversations with Ned, he professes his love for Nancy, and not only do you get to hear a very heartfelt proclamation of love, you're also given the choice to reciprocate.
165	* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: How many view the voice acting at Treasure in the Royal Tower and beyond. While the voice acting can come off as somewhat {{Narm}}y and amateur-y, they have been praised for sounding more casual, giving the impression that these are in fact average people.
166	* HilariousInHindsight: If you fail to catch the culprit at the end of ''Secret of the Old Clock'', a SpinningPaper shows up with the headline mentioning it. Since it takes place in the 1930s, there is also a small article mentioning Pluto's discovery. Pluto's demotion happened only a year after this game came out.
167	** Also, Linda's bewildered query about what sort of adolescent girl reads books about vampires and werewolves, regarding Jane of ''Blackmoor Manor'', would receive a reply of "A trendy one" as of a year later, when ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'' took over the bestseller lists.
168	** The fact that there is an antagonist character named "Thanos" in ''Labyrinth of Lies'' might get a chuckle out of some people familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
169	* HoYay: When [[spoiler: Dwayne Powers]] explains himself to Nancy Drew in the end of ''Ransom of the Seven Ships'', he mentions a man who did voluntary work in his prison. "We got to be friends. ''Good'' friends". The way he emphasizes "good" is rather... ambiguous. Also, here's the fact that it took place in a [[NoWomansLand prison]].
170	* InferredHolocaust: Nancy can burn down an entire hotel in ''The Haunted Carousel''. Nothing is mentioned about whether or not the staff or other guests made it out okay.
171	* ItsShortSoItSucks: A common complaint leveled against ''Creature of Kapu Cave'' and ''Secret of the Old Clock''.
172	* JerkassWoobie:
173	** The Culprit of ''Sea of Darkness'', [[spoiler: Soren]]. He was [[spoiler: born only a few miles outside of the town... and everyone treated him like an outsider, no matter ''how'' much he did for the town - even helping to bring them out of financial disaster.]] Because of their treatment, they eventually decided to just get revenge on the townsfolk, and kidnapped Magnus to [[spoiler: help him find the treasure and deny the town the joy of finding the treasure.]] The player actually ''can'' sympathize with the culprit and get them a happy(ish) ending.
174	* MemeticMutation: Thanks to the tweenage fans with video cameras.
175	** "It's locked."
176	** Ladle Day [=2k14=].
177	** Courtesy of the WebVideo/GameGrumps: [[https://youtu.be/5EXC_rjs7tg?t=42 "I missed."]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUyNZaUbkY8 There's also a version]] done by Nathan Vetterlein, the voice of the [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Scout]].
178	** Attempting to replicate the food in the games in real life.
179	** Coming up with silly ways for Nancy to get fired, injured, or killed. The pettier, the better.
180	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: Older games had a victory sting that played whenever a puzzle was solved.
181	* {{Narm}}: In ''Curse of Blackmoor Manor'', one of the puzzles you must complete involves moving a giant statue across the alchemy lab (don't ask) to capture all four wind clouds which keep trying to push the statue into pits of doom and you must start over. This would be a ''little'' more frustrating...were it not for the hilarious BigNo the statue cries out.
182	** Also, in one of the Game Over scenarios for ''Creature of Kapu Cave'', if you make too much noise and wake up the grumpy professor, he growls " '''You''' young lady would appear to be in '''very. Deep. Trou-ble.''' " ''Try'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nhxBUoqfmE not cracking up]].
183	** Some of the game overs in Danger by Design are funny just to hear Minette freak out.
184	** [[https://youtu.be/8lCd1nZW-Pk?t=2m39s "Fire"]].
185	** In ''The Final Scene'', Nancy has to disarm an electrified gate. If Nancy touches it [[FailedASpotCheck without rubber gloves]], [[HighVoltageDeath she will be electrocuted]]. The death scene loses its intensity thanks to a stock scream being used for Nancy.
186	* NarmCharm: "It's ''locked''."
187	** Several minor characters, especially in the early games, have... very exaggerated accents that sound either quite silly or [[OohMeAccentsSlipping not consistent at all]]. For some this is the charm, but in "Secret of the Old Clock"? Nobody complained as it actually helped the game's atmosphere.
188	* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: While many forms of gaming journalism refuse to acknowledge this series, they have a surprisingly large PeripheryDemographic consisting of former Adventure-Game players.
189	* {{Padding}}:
190	** This is present ''especially'' with "The Secret of the Old Clock". The game itself is fairly short, but a lot of it is padded by puzzles that require a ''lot'' of precision and have very little room for error, traveling around the town, and delivering telegrams in order to have enough money for gas and to use the phone.
191	** Several of the games have ''very'' contrived puzzles - especially the early games. The contrivances of some of these puzzles is lampshaded in ''Sea of Darkness''
192	--> '''Nancy''': That was the strangest wiring ''I've'' ever seen...
193	* PeripheryDemographic: If you started playing these games in your childhood or early teens and still play them well into adulthood, you are not the only one.
194	** What if you're a boy? The original slogan "For girls who aren't afraid of a mouse" made it sound like a girl's club. (Although Her Interactive has stated that a good chunk of their audience is male.)
195	* RemadeAndImproved: "Secrets Can Kill remastered" is considered to be a pretty big improvement to the original game. While it wasn't seen as ''bad'' per se, it just didn't age well and suffered from a ''lot'' of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. One of the big improvements was the fact that the culprit has a much greater presence in the story [[spoiler: despite being DemotedToDragon]].
196	* TheScrappy: Kiri Nind is easily one of the most hated culprits of the Nancy Drew games, if not the most, for having no real motive that is explained or makes any sort of sense to the player, only mentioning revenge due to Nancy Drew’s “betrayal”, which never happened. Her dialogue is also very odd and confusing.
197	* SeasonalRot: Opinion varies on all of the games - some however get more disparaged more than others:
198	** ''Ransom of the Seven Ships'' is often the most constantly disparaged for it's lack of suspects or characters altogether. It also had a case of what some would call blackface(the culprit disguises himself as a Jamaican with a wig and nose ring), and it's actually been discontinued as of 2020 supposedly to the latter, though some suspect the bad ratings from the fanbase were the actual reason for the game's removal and HER merely used the "blackface" as a convenient excuse to pull a game disliked by the majority of the fanbase.
199	** ''Creature of Kapu Cave'' for its bizarre plot, backtracking, and its short length being padded out by constant fishing minigames. Although, it’s usually not as hated as the other three due to its unique setting and music, as well as entertaining characters like [[EnsembleDarkHorse Big Island Mike]], being seen as a guilty pleasure to some.
200	** ''Shattered Medallion'' is another top contender for the worst Nancy Drew game, mostly for its plot being extremely confusing, nonsensical, and downright incomplete, on top of its characters being very one-note and badly written. Admittedly, ''Ghost of Thornton Hall'' and ''The Silent Spy'' were quite a ToughActToFollow.
201	** ''Midnight in Salem'' due to it being a radical departure, replacing Nancy's voice actress, poor graphics compared to previous games made in much less time than ''Midnight in Salem'', and periods of long silence when people speak due to the Unity engine's real-time rendering.
202	* ScrappyMechanic: While it's worse with earlier games, the annoyance of constantly returning to an overworld or map to get from house to house varies.
203	** "Isis! Forward! Left! Down! Forward! Paw!" "... ... ... ... * whimper* " ''* Scuffle, scuffle, scuffle, scuffle, scuffle.* ''
204	** The puzzle that leads into the tower in ''Treasure in the Royal Tower''. Every time you leave, the puzzle restarts. What makes it more annoying is the fact that the puzzle changes the pattern completely. So you have to discover the new pattern and listen to the loud squeaking sounds when you get the wrong latch.
205	* SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer: Some of the minigames are insanely fun to replay on their own. Notable examples include the Scopa card game from ''The Phantom of Venice'' and the puzzles from Rentaro's book in ''Shadow at the Water's Edge.''
206	* SophomoreSlump: It's generally agreed that the series suffered a bit of one, however just ''where'' it was is up for debate:
207	** "Stay Tuned for Danger" was the first game to use full CGI instead of cartoon models. As a result, its designs and animation vary between weird, to flat out [[NightmareFuel scary]] (when CGI models are plastered ''onto real life photographs''. Her Interactive never did this again. For obvious reasons). It had plenty of growing pains, but these were [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel largely fixed]] in the next to games, especially in "Treasure in the Royal Tower" when the series officially [[GrowingTheBeard grew the beard]].
208	** 2005-2007 (Secret of the Old Clock - Legend of the Crystal Skull) can be seen as this to some, owing to several games (Secret of the Old Clock, Creature of Kapu Cave) being rather short and [[FakeLongevity padded with contrived&precise puzzles and backtracking]], as well as some genuinely disliked puzzles. Some proponents of these games cite some genuinely good intrigue with, along with [[spoiler: Yanni being one of the most competent culprits - having almost been able to get away with his actions and almost ''successfully'' framing other suspects]], something other culprits have never done.
209	** Others feel it was Haunting of Castle Malloy and Ransom of the Seven Ships, due to Castle Malloy being somewhat of a BizarroEpisode compared to the rest of the series, as well as Ransom of the Seven Ships's minimalist cast and wasted potential compared to others.
210	* SurpriseDifficulty: Often. For example, the thought process of a new ''Blackmoor Manor'' player will probably run something like this: "Wait, what's that noise? Did the walls just ''move''? And why are there [[DoorRoulette six doors out of the room]]? ''(takes another step)'' Oh, God, it's moving again! ''(looks back)'' Wait, that's not the door I entered through! Where the heck am I supposed to go?!"
211	* {{Squick}}: The sandwich puzzle. Make Nancy (or Katie) eat a sandwich with expired Mayonnaise, bad bread, jellyfish, baking soda, and the edible ingredients, and you're sure to get a GameOver sequence.
212	* ThatOnePuzzle: Almost every Nancy Drew game tends to have at least one. Some, however, stand out as significantly worse than others:
213	** ''Stay Tuned for Danger'' had one of the most infamous final puzzles in the whole series.You have a panel with eight buttons, and you must figure out which sequence of buttons is the right one. Only it's a trial-and-error puzzle, so you don't know what the combination is. If you hit a wrong button, you have to start over. Sounds straightforward, right? Wrong! It's a ''time-limited puzzle,'' and if you don't solve it in time, you have to face a rather NightmareFuel inducing death scene as the culprit slowly approaches you with an horrifyingly devilish look. Okay, just use Second Chance and start the combination where you left off, right? Wrong again! The puzzle is '''RANDOMLY GENERATED.''' The entire thing almost completely boils down to if you're lucky enough to hit the right combination with only one or two mistakes, and if you mess up on the seventh button, just forget it. What's worse is that each difficulty decreases the amount of time you have to solve this puzzle. If you're on Master Detective mode, ''good luck.'' This puzzle frustrated so many players that Her Interactive actually released a patch that removed the time limit altogether.
214	** The final code door in ''Danger by Design.'' To escape the "treasure room", you must take the message engraved above the door lock, apply a date shift cypher using the code name for the decoder you have in your pockets, set the decoder to the same set of digits, and then type the resulting string into the decoder. No other decoding puzzle requires this much extra work.
215	*** This puzzle falls somewhere between GuideDangIt and this. You do receive instructions... but only if you play on junior detective, in which case they appear on your checklist. If you play senior detective? You're expected to deduce that all on your own. Good luck!
216	** ''White Wolf'' has Fox and Geese, a board game scenario. Your opponent, Bill Kessler, moves a single fox token, with the goal of jumping your geese tokens to "eat" them. Your goal is to trap the fox so it cannot move. Doable. Then you need to use the [[ItMakesSenseInContext radioactive pig token as the fox to open the underground tunnels for the wolf.]] You need to win the game three times, trapping the fox at three specific parts of the board. Unlike most Nancy Drew puzzles, this one utilizes an AI playing as the fox, so walkthroughs only get you so far. This puzzle is particularly hated by fans, often being listed among the worst of the franchise.
217	** In ''The Legend of the Crystal Skull'', tracking down the various gravestones is notoriously tedious. Nancy receives vague riddles and has to look through a ledger (filled with several hundreds) of names, with no clear direction of what to find. Eventually, the player will realize that [[spoiler: the names being searched for are Puns, like "Constance Norring" or "Manny Kin."]] However, even knowing this, you still have to flip through hundreds of pages, run outside and find the grave, receive a new riddle, and run back inside to use the ledger again. It's not even challenging as much as it is tedious and time-consuming.
218	** The chemical sorting from ''Castle Malloy.'' Another fan punching bag, this unskippable and explosive chore will kill you constantly, and take from 10-15 minutes, depending how clumsy you happen to be. Hopefully, you can deduce the instructions.
219	** One of the final puzzles in ''Ransom of the Seven Ships'' involves seven hourglasses that must be flipped over at ''very'' specific times, and you only get two chances to do it correctly. Players will be using the Second Chance feature a ''lot'' for this challenge.
220	*** This is far from the only offender. Underwater sudoku and several pages of deciphering are widely disliked as well. However, [[GuideDangIt a guide can save you there]] - The hourglasses cannot be cheated or skipped in the same way.
221	** ''Shattered Medallion'' has the tie-breaker challenge. A machine moves a container beneath several tubes filled with tokens, with your goal being to fill each of your containers with a specific pattern of tokens. Much like fox and geese, this puzzle can only be cheated so far, as the sliding container moves on a strict timer. [[CuttingTheKnot If you're playing windowed mode, you could click out of the window to give yourself a moment to think]], but otherwise you are at the games mercy.
222	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks:
223	** Fans had this reaction to the "GoodNewsBadNews" segments being removed from ''Ghost of Thornton Hall'' onward. This was originally done to [[DarkerAndEdgier accentuate that game's frightening nature]].
224	** Some fans complained about [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRZyDixfTmo the change to the Unity engine]] not being on par with the three-dimensional setting and too much of a departure from previous games. One reason for the complaints was that a number of players are understandably uncomfortable with FPS-style mouselook controls and virtual reality, as they get motion sickness easily compared to hardcore gamers accustomed to first-person shooters. Others are supportive of the change, however, due to the series' reliance on pre-rendered graphics and the overall gameplay style getting rather stale over time. Given the popularity of VR platforms as evidenced by ''[[VideoGame/LANoire L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files]]'' and mobile platforms, one can also understand as to why Her Interactive would want to move forward with this. And while the full retail release of ''Salem'' did stick to the point-and-click setting fans are accustomed to, complaints were levied against the game's graphics, which while it may have been watered down to better cater to casual gamers with low-end machines (cough Intel "HD" Graphics cough), made it seem like it came from a bargain-bin Platform/{{Wii}} or [[Platform/PlayStation2 [=PS2=]]] title. Granted, this is coming from a studio which has recently had some internal troubles, but even kids' games like ''VideoGame/LegoCityUndercover'' use moderate to advanced graphics effects and such. It's not hard for a casual game to scale well with a wide array of [=PCs=] (see ''VideoGame/TheSims'' as an example), and recent advances in technology have allowed for integrated graphics to be reasonably powerful like the built-in Radeon Vega that came with AMD Ryzen and Athlon [=APUs=]; all ''Nancy Drew'' fans got left quite disappointed.
225	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The games' backstories are almost more interesting than the games themselves. In particular, the stories of [[TheDeterminator Rita Hallowell]] and [[TearJerker Julius Macquade]] would make stunning short stories or even novels.
226	** There's also the wartime heroics of [[LaResistance Noisette Tornade]] and the tragic romance of [[StarCrossedLovers Dirk Valentine and Frances Humber]] on this list. Jake Hurley's story is nothing to sniff at either, not to mention the ''entire'' Penvellyn family, whose six hundred years of history are so fascinating that a character in the game is already writing a book about them.
227	** Both the roller coaster and the haunted house in ''The Haunted Carousel'' look like they'd be '''epic''' themed attractions, and Nancy's got a free pass to ''all'' of the rides and activities Captain's Cove has to offer. What does she actually get the chance to experience while given the run of the park? Three midway games and a carousel.
228	** This was also one of the reasons ''Ransom of the Seven Ships'' was seen as somewhat of a weak point in the series - as the culprit not only gets away but [[spoiler: is the only ''returning'' culprit - Dwayne Powers]].
229	* ToughActToFollow:
230	** A rare instance in which two works performed this function: ''Secret of Shadow Ranch'' and ''Curse of Blackmoor Manor''. Both of these games were quite atmospheric with ''Shadow Ranch'' having a TearJerker backstory and ''Blackmoor Manor'' having an oppressive atmosphere and being one of the first games to really try and be scary and succeed. Following these two games was ''Secret of the Old Clock''. While it was atmospheric, it was ''significantly'' lighter in tone compared to ''Curse of Blackmoor Manor'' but also suffered from a lot of FakeLongevity.
231	** ''The Phantom of Venice'' was also this compared to ''The Haunting of Castle Malloy''. Some of this however is the fact that ''The Haunting of Castle Malloy'' is a BizarroEpisode, wherein ''Phantom of Venice'' involved Nancy acting as a spy and investigating a spy.
232	** One of the reasons ''The Shattered Medallion'' is considered to be one of the weaker games of the series is because it followed ''The Silent Spy'', considered to be a pretty good entry to the series. It also is a [[BreatherLevel Breather Game]] after the particularly dreary ''Ghost of Thornton Hall'' and the sad ''Silent Spy''.
233	** ''Midnight in Salem'' was in many ways doomed from the start. ''Sea of Darkness'' is considered to be one of the best Nancy Drew games, but coupled with four years of DevelopmentHell and a TroubledProduction, it's no wonder why it was considered to have been SeasonalRot.
234	* UnfortunateCharacterDesign: [[https://nancydrew.fandom.com/wiki/Taylor_Sinclair Taylor Sinclair]] from "Secret of the Scarlet Hand" is supposed to have a moustache. Unfortunately, thanks to the games' dated CGI it looks... not quite right
235	* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: While most of the culprits are usually depicted in a negative light (being greedy, murderous, vengeful, etc) there are a few games that try to paint the culprit's motivations in a sympathetic light, even when their actions have caused serious harm or damage. To give a few examples:
236	** [[spoiler: Joseph Hughes]] from ''The Final Scene.'' [[spoiler: Nancy's letter to Bess at the end of the game gives the impression we're suppose to sympathize with Joseph because he wasn't intending to kidnap Maya (he originally was going to kidnap Brady), and he treated her courteously during the whole ordeal. However, regardless of whether he was kind to Maya, the fact is he still kept Maya hostage in a theater for 3 days ''with the threat of killing her if the demolition wasn't called off.'' Meanwhile, he was doing everything he could to hinder the police and Nancy from finding Maya. Even if Joseph was suffering from SanitySlippage, it doesn't excuse that when push came to shove and the demolition was going to happen anyways, he chose to lock Nancy and Maya in the projection room (even after Nancy begged him not to), and was prepared to kill them and himself despite how it would do nothing to stop the theater from being demolished. It makes Joseph's actions look like an ugly case of IfICantHaveYou in regards to the theater rather than a misguided old man who didn't mean for things to spin out of control.]]
237	** [[spoiler: Jane Penvellyn]] from ''Curse of Blackmoor Manor.'' [[spoiler: The end of the game tries to paint her actions as a case of IWantMyMommy (more specifically, Jane's biological mom) since she's unhappy that her father is now in a relationship with Linda. However, the lengths she went to in {{Gaslighting}} Linda into believing she was turning into a monster (leaving nasty notes for Linda, slipping Mrs. Drake's allergy pills into Linda's food to make her feel unwell, sneaking her uncle's hair restorer in Linda's moisturizer) may make it hard for some players to sympathize with her motivations, especially since her behavior comes dangerously close to being psychopathic.]]
238	** [[spoiler: Aihara Rentaro]] from ''Shadow at the Water’s Edge.'' [[spoiler: The game tries to portray him as a well-intentioned culprit who only wants to make Miwako happy, with his intention lying solely within shutting down the ryokan so she can live with the city with him, as he thinks it’s what’s best for her. However, this is deeply undercut when you consider the insanely manipulative and downright evil methods he uses to shut down the ryokan. If you really think about it, [[FridgeHorror Rentaro is essentially using the (fake) ghost of his girlfriend’s dead mother to emotionally torture the entire family and run the ryokan out of business]]. The only possible justification is that he didn’t realize how harmful his actions were due to his lack of social skills and possible Autism, which is still a bit hard to swallow. The fact that you can choose to forgive the culprit with a good ending only makes this worse, although he thankfully doesn’t end up back with Miwako in the end.]]
239	** Paula Santos in ''The Haunted Carousel'' to almost [[MemeticMutation memetic]] levels. Several "Game overs" have Nancy getting fired for causing an accident at the park. Some of these are understandable in that Nancy did something very stupid (not wearing eye protection, getting electrocuted, getting injured at the carousel, burning down the hotel with an iron) but some have Paula come off as flat out heartless since she berates Nancy for things that're ''not'' her fault such as being attacked.
240	* TheUntwist: One game's twist rates as a more traditional twist ending only if you've played the previous Nancy Drew games; [[spoiler:in ''Trail of the Twister'', Scott, the suspect with the most obvious evidence and the rudest personality is the culprit.]] Whereas it's more common in the series for [[spoiler:the ''nicest'' suspect to turn out to be the culprit, while the initially suspicious suspect turns out to be the good one.]]
241	* ValuesDissonance: In ''Shadow at the Water's Edge'', Miwako's ranting about Yumi being selfish for moving out of the Ryokan and wanting to have her own career instead of taking on the one expected of her only makes sense if you understand the general Japanese attitude about independence versus doing what's expected of you.
242	** Oddly enough, it was just Miwako and her grandmother, Takae, who frowned on Yumi being her own person: [[spoiler: the girls' deceased mother, Kasumi, actually didn't mind if her daughters did what they wanted, as revealed in the letter to them found at the end of the game. Then again, Takae ''did'' describe Kasumi as being just as free-spirited as Yumi, showing that not every Japanese person holds the same attitude about a particular issue as the traditional attitude would command them to.]]
243	* ValuesResonance: Arguably moreso than the books, thanks to them being written and made in TheNineties and later.
244	** Nancy is just as capable of getting herself out of danger as she is in the book series - she may rarely fight back ''against'' the culprit, but even when she does (Notably on "Danger at Deception Point" and "Haunted Carousel") she fights smarter - not harder.
245	** Alejandro's talks of how artefacts being moved from their "home" territory manages to remain relevant into TheNewTens and beyond. Yes, there are controversies of ancient artefacts simply being displayed on other countries through their lens, or viewing of archaeologists as looting their heritage without giving their actual descendents any say in the matter.
246	** The fact that some culprits are actually portrayed somewhat sympathetically - and even the few with a [[DiagnosedByTheAudience mental disorder]] do ''not'' have their actions blamed ''on'' their mental health and are treated as having their own agency.
247	** The bit about [[spoiler: Kasumi wanting the girls to be free-spirited and follow their own ambitions]] also hits very true for many western societies.
248	* TheWoobie: [[spoiler: Alexei from ''Alibi in Ashes''. He used to be a well-known young detective like Nancy, solving mysteries and taking cases, one right after the other. His career put him in a lot of dangerous situations, something which Nancy can relate to.]] [[spoiler: However, when he entered his twenties, he was framed for a theft that he didn't commit, convicted for related charges, and lost his credibility as a detective. To make things worse, Maggie, the girl he was dating and planned on eventually marrying, left him for someone else during the trial.]] [[spoiler: [[JerkassWoobie It's no wonder why he seems so bitter as an adult]].]]
249	** Joy Trent from ''The Haunted Carousel.'' Not only has she recently lost her father, the only parent she remembers, to a situation she felt could have been prevented, but as it turns out, [[spoiler: she has repressed all memories related to her mother, including her love for both Captain's Cove amusement park and the carousel. She also cannot remember destroying all the photos of her mother after her death in her childhood grief. Worse yet, she's partially responsible for getting the park closed down because she caused the roller coaster accident as revenge against Paula for indirectly causing her father's death. Luckily, with the help of Nancy and Miles the Magnificent Memory Machine, she is able to recover her memories and come to terms with everything that happened. She is last seen riding the carousel with a huge smile on her face.]]
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253	!!Tropes in the 1938-39 movie series include:
254	* SoBadItsGood: Some fans' view of this series, given the campy tone, and Nancy's more ditzy personality. There's a scene in ''The Hidden Staircase'' where she squeals in fright at the sight of a frog.
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257	!! Tropes in the 2007 movie include:
258	* HarsherInHindsight: Dehlia Draycott was based on Creator/NatalieWood, both dying from a drowning that was suspected to be a murder. Though Wood's death was eventually filed as an accident, five years after this movie her death was reinvestigated upon the discovery of new evidence that suggested she may indeed have been murdered.
259	* HilariousInHindsight: The boutique owner fawning over and making a trend out of Nancy's vintage look can bee seen as this, due to the rise of [[{{Main/Hipster}} hipsters]] in the years after the film's release.
260	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Nancy's best friends Bess and George are only in the opening scenes, and are left behind when Nancy moves to LA.
261	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The movie was released in 2007 and a marquee Nancy and Carson pass by in the arriving in LA montage says it's showing ''Film/{{Firewall}}''—that squarely puts the year that the movie takes place in as 2006.

Context YMMV / NancyDrew