Nancy Drew®: Message in a Haunted Mansion

I am somewhat neutral on this game, but I'll rate it a "Yes" over a "No".

Downsides:
-It's pretty low rez, so some of the "old handwritten notes" you find are extremely difficult to read now
-The navigation is pretty bad. I realize this game is almost 25 years old but it can't have been great then either. You are not consistently given arrow symbols to move around - sometimes when you think the magnifying glass has something to examine, it will move Nancy forward instead. You just have to memorize where it moves her and where it has something to look at.

Upsides:
-SUPER short. Like you can do this one in an evening, no problem
-Puzzles were pretty good. Only gripe is the tile puzzle, which was quite finicky, but otherwise I liked them
-Haunted house events were kinda cute
-Even if you can't read the "old handwritten notes" it's not that hard to piece together the general lore

Great game.

Great game, on senior it was hard!

one of the first games i have played in the nancy drew universe. has my favourite poem, great game.

It's alright. there are better games in the series, surely. It's not scary, since they kill the mystery pretty much in the beginning. There are little to no puzzles at all, plot is simple and suspect is quite predictable. It was fun either way, if you want a quick game for a night - go for it.

I absolutely adore the theming of this one! The atmosphere is great and there's lots of spooky things happening that really builds up the premise of the game. I love the design of the cast too. Everyone has unique personalities and ideas that bring so much life to the game. I really enjoy how all of the puzzle are connected together and how cohesive the story is. As one of the oldest Nancy Drew games, it's a bit on the shorter side (it only takes around 2.5 hours to finish) and is missing some quality of life features like a task list, but the game provides great hints when you call Bess and George if you need some help. Overall, it's a really solid experience for a game that's one of the oldest in the series.

so fun! i would play it any day.

Not my favorite from the ND games I've played since it felt fairly short and the dialogue and voice acting felt a bit limited, but also not ashamed to admit that it was immersive enough to scare me more than I thought it would! It was also a fun way to learn about San Francisco history and draw Chinese characters, learn the zodiac order, etc. Some of the puzzles and conversations were confusing and easy to get lost in, especially with the journal being locked in her suitcase and not having the usual checklist available - but it was fun to use an IRL notebook to keep track of things! Still a must-play in my book.

Love going back to the originals. While it takes some mental "mapping" with early Drew games to get the right point&click motions, you find yourself back where you were years ago. Dial up tones, cut off by a parent's phone call coming in, wait again for the long download times (thanks Steam! We've overcome!) and yes. In Nancy's prologue, postcards and all. Beginning in her Chinese cultural room, we find the theme and puzzle elements that set the tone for the game. Once you get used to the map, game flows nicely. I used George and Bess for some clues but as a long time Nancy Drew player I was happy to go back to this one and find it to be just as I remembered, Thank you for the nostalgia bomb, Nancy. The newer games might have more flow, but the vibes that fostered your inception remain forever untouched, Love yall "check! That's done!"

Got the "scare bundle" to finally dip my toe into the Nancy Draw game series and was surprised at how well this one held up despite it's age. Puzzles weren't convoluted, the whole clock system was explain well (being I was completely new to this) and I found the story and characters to be fun. Only a little spooky but legit enjoyed it,

I have encountered couple of technical issues: Sound didn't play, the character disappeared.
Also I had a hard time reading "hand-written" letters or clues.

Although I liked most of the puzzles and the story was quite engaging. I hope there was more to it. (Probably there was more to it, but since I couldn't really read what was written in some of the items so... it could be my issue.)

yes

Its a good, older style game. can get frustrating at times, it doesn't really give you a "next steps" direction. and having to close things before you back away from something is grating. but, all in all a good game for something to play thru.

fun!! the movement is clunky but that's to be expected from a game this old. story was good, but no checklist made it harder to remember where things were.

3.7 hours in tried many many many many times. I'm talking about the floor puzzle, the first puzzle. Still stuck, Bug apparently.

It is a short but fun game with good puzzles. However, the outdated navigation and lack of notes suck.

I've played it 3 times already. LOVE THIS GAME

Out of all the Nancy games I have played, this one is my least favorite. I love the concept but half of the notes are basically inelliglble and there is no clear guide of what to do next, i swear that is the most times I have ever called George and Bess

Mystery, intrigue, and puzzles that make you want to pull your hair out. What's not to love?

Case solved. Simple game with some dot search activity not really likely to do. But it is a good game.

Generic old point and click great for nostalgia and funny to hear the bad VA

This is the second Nancy Drew I’ve played, the other being Treasure in the Royal Tower, and I have to say that I preferred this one. I think it’s because the environment is smaller and less confusing to navigate. Don’t get me wrong: navigation is absolutely atrocious, but at least it’s quicker in this one.

I liked the story and characters. It was a beautiful environment and packed with detail. Lots of clever ideas and fun secrets to discover. I liked the puzzles for the most part too.

Things I didn’t much care for: cursive notes that border on unreadable. Microscopic text. That damn alarm. Monotonous clicking around and around the house.

I also feel like this one is over-priced at $9.99. It’s beyond ‘long in the tooth.’ Something like $3.99 would make more sense to me. Then again they’re probably assuming most will buy it on sale, and I’m sure steam takes a healthy cut.



Still, I’m glad I played it and my Nancy Drew marathon shall continue.

Finally tried this again after giving up/losing the CD in high school and won the game with some YouTube help, oh yea.

a classic

Kind of hard, but loved it and cant wait to play the next games!!

I played this when it first came out on CD-ROM and remember being legitimately spooked by the atmosphere, and I gotta say, it holds up as a really fun, cozy mystery anyone can enjoy! The resolution with the graphics does make reading notes and other material hard at times, but other than that, this is a great point-and-click game!

Growing up with the Nancy Drew series (both the books and the games), this game has always remained my absolute favorite. Even now as an adult, I still find myself both intrigued and terrified of this game--despite the "scary" parts clearly showing their age. There's just something so incredibly charming (and sometimes a little silly) about these older Nancy Drew games that I just adore, whether that be the voice acting, the scary parts that are equally just-as silly, or the unnatural way the character models move.

Of all the Nancy Drew games, I strongly feel like this is the one that defines the series as a whole. The music, the story, the setting, the characters, and all the small details really make it an incredible game. The puzzles are interesting and unique, and I feel like I can easily connect the dots with all the mystery aspects. Some Nancy Drew games I find myself hitting numerous dead-ends and eventually resorting to a guide, wondering "how was I supposed to figure that out on my own?" Maybe that's just a skill issue on my part, but I dunno. I personally don't feel like that with this game, and it's refreshing. Whether you're new to this series or you're wanting to jump back into it, this game in particular is a must-have!

fun game but abby was fr getting on my nerves

Loved the game all the way through, only felt that it was too short compared with other games. Fun characters and gorgeous setting. Pretty intuitive navigation for an earlier game in the series. Did almost rage quit on the first puzzle with the wood inlay though. Despite other reviews, the puzzle is not bugged or broken, you just have to be realllly precise about where each piece goes and its orientation (all "wood lines" must match, etc.). I played on the Steam Deck and had to turn trackpad sensitivity all the way down to finish it. Luckily none of the puzzles after that are so incredibly technically aggravating and I do think the game is worth getting through it.