Nancy Drew: Labyrinth of Lies

Nancy Drew is one of the most famous fictional detectives out there, probably on par with Sherlock Holmes. She has been at the center of many books and stories, and she tackled countless mysteries that never seem to have an explanation at first. Naturally, there are a couple of video games celebrating her passion for mysteries, most of which are point-and-click.

Nancy Drew: Labyrinth of Lies is a point-and-click adventure game in which you have to investigate clues and figure out how to tie them together in order to reach a conclusion and pinpoint the one responsible. The mechanics are a tad more intricate than in your typical puzzle game, in the sense that there is a bit of exploration involved as well, not just static screens with hidden objects.

The story is pretty classic as well, which means that there is a mystery that needs to be solved and Nancy is the one in charge of coming up with an answer. Thus, you are hired by a museum curator to investigate the disappearance of some artifacts. At the same time, a play is being prepared at a nearby amphitheater, so you must investigate whether the two events are linked somehow.

Dialog is pretty important as well, because there are many characters you have to interrogate along the way. Some are not exactly suspects, but they can provide you with useful information on the case. You have the liberty to choose what to ask people, although it is obviously recommended that you do not skip over any questions, lest you find yourself lacking the proper information.

As far as the technical aspects are concerned, the graphics are actually quite nice, at least when you consider what else is out there in the genre. The characters are three-dimensional and nicely modeled, as are the environments. You might notice some low-resolution textures every now and again, but they are not that much of a bother. There is voice acting for every dialog line, so it’s not even necessary to read all that much.

In the end, Nancy Drew: Labyrinth of Lies is definitely one class above most casual adventure games, especially when it comes to content and the freedom to approach the investigation as you wish. The voice acting is a bit forced and disappointing sometimes, but other than that, the game gets your brain going from the first few minutes.