Meet one of the women behind Nancy Drew: Amy McPoland

As we welcome Nancy Drew to MSN Games, we sat down with one of the people responsible for bringing the mystery heroine to a new series of games. Amy McPoland, VP of Marketing for Her Interactive, talks about Nancy Drew, adventure games, and even offers a few tips for up-and-coming digital detectives.

Tell us about the Nancy Drew series of games on MSN Games.
There are two Nancy Drew game series on MSN Games: the original Adventure game series and our newest series, Nancy Drew Dossier. Both offer an immersive mystery experience with rich storylines, interesting characters and suspects, and hidden clues that the player needs to find and decipher. In both series, the player is Nancy Drew, so it’s up to you to crack the case!

What type of gamer will enjoy playing these games the most?
Our Nancy Drew games primarily appeal to girls of all ages, particularly teen girls and adult women. Since the Nancy Drew legacy is 79 years old, we’ve found that our games have created a multi-generational phenomenon in that girls, moms, and even grandmothers are playing these games together.

We get feedback from moms and grandmothers all the time thanking us for giving them such a fun, quality, and wholesome experience they can share with their kids – and one where they can spend quality time together. We also have many boys and men who enjoy our games.

There is a Nancy Drew game for everyone. If you want a traditional, point-and-click adventure game, try our Adventure series. If you prefer hidden object games, try the new “Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses” game.

Tell us about the newest game, “Lights, Camera, Curses.”
“Lights, Camera, Curses!” takes you to a Hollywood movie set, where you, as Nancy Drew, seek the source of sabotage and solve secrets to save an epic movie remake.

It combines hidden object play with logic, so the player needs to find clues and use them together correctly to solve the mystery.  “Lights, Camera, Curses!” takes the hidden object mystery to a whole new level by requiring players to find objects related to the mystery and immersing them in a nail-biting plot full of twists and turns.  In addition to hidden objects, the player must also solve mind-bending riddles and puzzles.

How is the Dossier series different than the Adventure series?
The original (Adventure) series is a classic point-and-click adventure with complex problem solving and lots of exploration, animated characters and two levels (Jr. and Sr. Detective) for all skill sets.  The Adventure games take a lot of thinking, so get ready to put on your sleuthing cap and get out your magnifying glass!

The Nancy Drew Dossier (Casual) series is more linear and, in keeping with a casual game, is easier to pick up and play. This series features a hidden object style but takes it up a notch by also requiring the player to make the objects they find fit together correctly.  It also has an arcade mode for replayable mini-games and a bonus level, so players can earn extra points to unlock the alternate ending. The game is broken into chapters, so that players can get a quick Nancy Drew mystery fix by playing just one chapter in 15-20 minutes.

What's your favorite game of the series?
“The Phantom of Venice.” Nancy gets to work with the Italian police to capture a masked thief during Carnevale.

Do you have a favorite Nancy Drew book?
“The Hidden Staircase” (the second book in the series) is my favorite.

Why did Her Interactive choose to build a series around Nancy Drew? How did you make it happen?
We chose Nancy Drew because she is an icon and a positive role model for girls.  Girls who read her books are taken to world where they can solve mysteries, find ill-gotten treasures and capture culprits.  Debuting in 1930, she was one of the first female heroes; her gutsy, resourceful and intelligent nature makes her a great heroine for the adventure game genre.  She’s also our personal hero.

These games are very story driven. Who comes up with the stories and what’s their approach?
The lead designer comes up with storylines with input from the rest of the team. In terms of approach, they are always looking to create a compelling story that immerses the player in the game by including details such as relevant history, cultural influences, and organic puzzle activities. 

Are any of the storylines lifted directly from the books or are the stories created specifically for the games?
None of the game storylines are lifted directly from the books, but rather are original storylines based loosely on a few key book elements and then developed to offer a new and different mystery experience - so that players are playing a new story rather than a book storyline which they may already know the ending to.

Are there any elements about Nancy and the series that you found essential to add to the games?
Yes, we make sure that we are true to the Nancy Drew character in several ways. One is that Nancy is always helping out someone in need. She is also always traveling, and her cases take her to new places both inside and outside of the U.S. Lastly, we make sure that we include Nancy’s friends in lots of our games, since Bess, George, and even the Hardy Boys are a big part of Nancy’s world.

Will the Hardy Boys, who appear in a couple of the Nancy Drew games, get a bunch of games, too?
We are releasing a Hardy Boys Nintendo DS game this September called “Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks” which we are very excited about. As for a series of Hardy Boys games, we will see if Nancy has to compete with Frank and Joe for the long term. But in the meantime, players can play as the Hardy Boys in the Nancy Drew games “Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon” and “The Creature of Kapu Cave.”

Any tips you can give your fans playing the Nancy Drew games?
For the Adventure series, make sure you explore every environment and talk to all the suspects. It’s also helpful to have a pad and paper to write down notes, which will help when you get to deciphering clues and cracking codes.  Remember, everything you see will probably play a role in the mystery later on.

For the Dossier series, read the pop-ups carefully when you click on a clue. They contain hints about what the clue matches and where to find other clues. If you get stuck, check the number in the lower-right-hand corner to see how many clues you have left to find.  If there are still clues left to find, then try moving your mouse all over the screen to see if any sparkles appear.  Otherwise, you have found all the clues and just need to figure out which clues go together. 

This is the first series of Large File games on MSN Games. Can you tell us why these games are larger? What can they offer that normal file size games don’t have?
The Nancy Drew Adventure games are large file games because they are traditional adventure games, meaning they are  longer, deeper and more complex than the typical casual game – and offer richer graphics and more exploration and puzzle solving than most casual games distributed digitally.  We’re excited that MSN Games players will get to experience gaming on a whole new level with Nancy Drew.

Is there anything else you’d like to let MSN Games players know about?
All of our Adventure games have won Parents’ Choice awards, and are E-rated and family friendly. In fact, the original Nancy Drew series has been the #1 Adventure game series (in units) for the past five years. Our newer series, Nancy Drew Dossier, has also been a resounding success. Gamers are looking for more than just the same old hidden object game with different graphics, and the Nancy Drew Dossier series offers a familiar style of gameplay with an interesting new twist.

We hear from our fans all the time and really listen to their feedback to help us make quality games, so I encourage you to try our games and let us know what you think!

Looking for more Nancy Drew adventures? Try “Haunting of Castle Malloy,” “Legend of the Crystal Skull,” “Danger by Design” and “White Wolf of Icicle Creek.”