Shadow at the Water's Edge

Shadow at the Water's Edge is the 23rd installment in the point-and-click Nancy Drew adventure game series by Her Interactive. It is preceded by Trail of the Twister and followed by The Captive Curse. The game runs on Windows XP and Windows Vista.^[1] It is also the third game of the series that can run on Mac OS X. In the game, the player assumes the role of American teenage detective Nancy Drew, using puzzles and interrogation of non-playable characters to solve a mystery. There are two levels of gameplay, Junior and Senior detective modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints. (Neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game.) Since it contains scenes with mild violence and peril, the game is rated E for everyone 10 and up.^[2]

Plot

In the game, Nancy travels as an English teacher to Kyoto, Japan with friends Bess and George as a reward for solving the preceding mystery in the game series (Trail of the Twister). Once she arrives at her ryokan, however, she discovers that not all is as it seems. Strange events, supposedly caused by a woman who died mysteriously at the inn, are scaring away guests. One by one, the guests leave the Ryokan Hiei, until Nancy is left only with the secretive family that owns the inn. Unable to resist a mystery, she works to discover who is pretending to haunt the inn.^[3] Along the way, she uncovers tangled family relationships that play a part in solving a complicated puzzle left by the dead woman. Gameplay is not limited only to the inn. Players can navigate the complicated subway system of Kyoto to such places as a technology expo and a pachinko parlor. Nancy also has an in-game cellphone, which can be used to call other characters, receive text messages, play games, and take photos. The ending to the game varies depending on what the player decides to do when Nancy catches the culprit.

Characters

• Nancy Drew: Nancy is an eighteen-year old amateur detective from the fictional town of River Heights in the United States. She is the only playable character in the game, which means the player must solve the mystery from her perspective.

• Shimizu Kasumi: Kasumi was a member of the family who owns the Ryokan Hiei. She drowned one night in the baths at the inn, and now her ghost supposedly haunts the ryokan. She is often mentioned by other characters. Before her death, Kasumi created an elaborate puzzle hoping it would encourage her family to work together. Nancy finds letters written by Kasumi that contain clues towards solving this puzzle.

• Shimizu Yumi: Yumi is Kasumi's older daughter who runs a bento stand called Happy Bento in the inner city of Kyoto. As the eldest daughter, she is, by tradition, to inherit her family's ryokan, although she prefers to live in the city. She has a very strained relationship with her family and Rentaro, due in part to her unconventional views and over-bearing personality. Players can meet and interact with Yumi at her bento stand by the Technology Expo in Kyoto. Miwako considers her a brat, and Yumi thinks Miwako needs to have more fun. Yumi is an annoying character who loves the color pink and has an attitude. It is very likely that she will want to get Nancy to wear pink and become super girly. Therefore, it is obvious that she will be the culprit.

• Shimizu Miwako: Miwako is the receptionist at the Ryokan Hiei and is the younger daughter of Kasumi. She is devoted to the ryokan and her family heritage, although, being the younger daughter, she is not going to inherit the inn. She is a very shy, polite, and delicate person, unlike her sister Yumi. She is very upset when she hears anything about her dead mother, Kasumi. Her traditional views create tension between her and her older sister Yumi and her boyfriend Rentaro. Players can meet and interact with Miwako in the lobby of the ryokan. Looks a lot like Rentaro.

• Aihara Rentaro: Longtime friend and neighbor of the Shimizu's, Rentaro is also Miwako's boyfriend and the ryokan's handyman. He is into electronics, and bought a robotic cat, Suki, for Miwako. His goofy and quirky personality sometimes annoys the Shimizus, but for the most part, they get along well. Rentaro is a friendly but eccentric person. He dreams of one day moving to the city with Miwako, but she feels too tied to the inn to move. Players can meet Rentaro at the ryokan's baths, and interact with him at the shed in the ryokan's gardens. Looks a lot like Miwako.

• Nagai Takae: Takae is Miwako and Yumi's grandmother and the mother of Kasumi. She is very strict about Japanese tradition and believes Yumi should move back to take over the ryokan. Players can meet and interact with Takae in the "Cultural Room" of the ryokan, where she teaches lessons on Japanese culture.^[4]

• Suki: The robotic cat given to Miwako by Rentaro. She can be found standing guard over Miwako's desk in the ryokan's lobby.

• George Fayne: Nancy's athletic, tomboyish best friend and Bess's cousin. Her love of electronics leads her to spend the majority of her time in Japan at the Technology Expo. She can only be contacted through Nancy's in-game cellphone.

• Bess Marvin: Nancy's pretty, blonde best friend and George's cousin. Her time in Kyoto is spent mostly with George at the Technology Expo. She isn't quite the tomboy George is, and is more interested in Kyoto's creative fashion than the Technology Expo. Along with George, she has befriended Yumi. She can only be contacted through Nancy's in-game cellphone.

• Savannah Woodham: A former guest of the ryokan, but scared away by the supposed hauntings. Though now a journalist, she has also written a book which features the Ryokan Hiei. In the game, she is covering the Technology Expo for a technology magazine, and is thus available only as a phone character.

• Logan M.: Savannah Woodham's somewhat rude assistant who has a crush on Bess. Since he is at the Technology Expo, he is available only as a phone character. He enjoys hanging up on Nancy.

Cast

• Nancy Drew- Lani Minella

• Rentaro Aihara- Marc Biagi

• Miwako Shimizu- Mikano Fukaya

• Yumi Shimizu- Kira Lauren

• Takae Nagai- Waylayn Sharples

• Savannah Woodham- Adrienne Maclain

• Logan Mitchell- Ryan Demerick

• George Fayne- Chiara Motley

• Bess Marvin- Jennifer Pratt

• Additional Characters- Chris Maxfield, Naoko Nibu-Butler, Akika Tanaka, Adrienne Maclain, and Sana Watterson ^[5]

Minigames

Aside from game-event puzzles and challenges, Shadow at the Water's Edge incorporates several additional Japanese puzzle games and pastimes into the gameplay. While solving some of these puzzles is necessary to complete the game, optional mini-games can be accessed from Nancy's cellphone and puzzle book without affecting the overall outcome of the game.

Games Rentaro Provides:

• Sudoku
• Renogram
• Nonograms

(Game-event puzzles involving sudoku and nonograms also occur.)

Games On Nancy's Cellphone:

• Avatar creator- Create anime style characters for use as cell phone avatars. (Can only be used after downloading the program in-game off of Yumi's computer.)
• Land Rush mini-game from Trail of the Twister. (Available on pre-ordered versions of the game only.)
• Memory mini-game from Warnings at Waverly Academy.^[6] (Available on pre-ordered versions of the game only.)

Additional Games:

• Pachinko
• Bento puzzle - the player assembles bento boxes for Yumi based upon clues.

Fatal Errors

In each of the games, there are different points where Nancy can make "fatal errors." These points usually occur when she blows her cover as a detective or gets seriously injured. At such points, the game will stop and give the player the option to start again from just before the fatal error occurred.

Fatal Errors in Shadow at the Water's Edge:

• Asking Miwako about the newspaper article on Kasumi's death.
• Attempting to take the puzzle box too many times while Suki's in guard mode.
• Getting caught by Miwako when steaming open her password envelope.
• Not solving the mirror image puzzle in time and getting hit by a falling plank.
• Drowning when Nancy is pushed into the bath by the yurei.
• Letting the culprit escape.

Awards

Awards are given at the end of the game for completing special tasks that have no effect on the actual plot:

• Easter Egg: For finding an Easter egg (there are four that may be obtained; see below).
• Puzzler Pro: For completing all of Rentaro's puzzles.
• Sous Chef: For filling a lot of bento orders.
• Fashion Designer: For sending a lot of avatars to friends.
• Souvenir Searcher: For winning all the prizes at the pachinko parlor.
• Recording Artist: For recording all of the ghost sounds.
• Squeaky Clean: For taking many baths in the hot spring.
• Cat Whisperer: For giving Suki all the commands.
• Mystery Seeker: For watching the DVD from Yumi's apartment.
• Password Pilferer: For returning Miwako's password envelope to its original place.
• Teacher's Pet: For always checking the students' homework.
• Trivia Tamer: For answering the trivia question given at the end of the game correctly.
• Gaming Guru: For playing the games a lot on Nancy's cellphone. (Special edition only)

Release

The game was officially released on October 19, 2010, though pre-orders began on September 20, 2010. Special editions of the game, which included bonus avatar outfits, games, commands for Suki, and outtakes, were sent out to those who pre-ordered the game directly from Her Interactive.^[6] Leading up to the game release, Her Interactive released a demo, a fictional blog for one of the game's characters, Yumi,^[7] and a microsite featuring John Grey from Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon.^[8]

Reception

Critics and players had a generally positive response to the game. While the graphics, characters, and plot of the game were hailed as polished and intriguing, some of the puzzles were thought to be too difficult. The game is also considered one of the scariest in the series.^[9]

External links

• Official Website
• Shadow at the Water's Edge by Her Interactive.
• Yumi's Blog

References