History VideoGame / NancyDrew

* FiveManBand: The art thieves in ''The Phantom of Venice'' are a villainous version:
** TheBigBad: Il Dottore aka [[spoiler: Helena Berg]], the game's culprit whom Nancy must catch.
** TheDragon: Il Capitano aka Antonio Fango, who carries out Il Dottore's will more publicly while the latter is a HiddenVillain.
** TheEvilGenius: [[VillainousHarlequin Arlecchino]] aka Enrico Tazza, who knows a lot of valuable information and is very good at cards, and whom Nancy must beat in games of Scopa to get this intel.
** TheBrute: Brighella aka Il Fantasma aka [[spoiler: Nico Petit]], the DumbMuscle of the thieves.
** DarkChick: Scaramuccia aka Gina, the (known) woman in the group.

* SurpriseCreepy: Aw, it's a game about a teenage girl who likes to solve riddles, with pretty backgrounds and a cheerful protagonist. It's totally harmless, right? [[NightmareFuel/NancyDrew WRONG]].

* DemotedToDragon: [[spoiler: Mitch Dillon]] in ''Secrets Can Kill Remastered'', in contrast to their appearance in the original.

* EvidenceDungeon: The culprit's lair in ''Alibi in Ashes''. A bag in the room you have to inspect even prompts Nancy to say that it contains all the evidence she needs, and it really does contain ''everything''.

** Most prominent in ''Thornton Hall'' where [[spoiler: carbon monoxide]] explains everything. ''Everything.'' Except for [[spoiler:the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI4_JPPL5-o multiple]] scenes you can get where Charlotte gets pissed at you and instakills you, forcing you to restart. And the 'HELP ME' message that carves itself into the fireplace -- at a point where it would be impossible for the villain to have done so -- and then disappears. And Nancy Drew's name appearing out of nowhere on one of the crypt's gravestones, in a place where any fumes from the faulty furnace would be easily dispersed. And we never do learn what sparked the climactic fire that destroys Thornton Hall]].
*** Also, something that requires explanation: [[spoiler: the moving statue of Charlotte in the cemetery]]. No way was that [[spoiler: carbon monoxide poisoning]].
*** The game's writers claim that [[spoiler: Harper Thornton engraved Nancy's name on the gravestone, as some kind of plea]]. And that the [[spoiler:ghost-induced]] death scenes were actually you [[spoiler:hallucinating and having a heart attack, both caused by the gas]].
*** According to [[http://nancythedrew.tumblr.com/post/50969621688/gth-official-answers-to-unanswered-questions this]], the game over sequence caused by [[spoiler:Charlotte]] was not meant to be interpreted literally; it was just a dramatic way of showing that the plot would end if you made that particular choice.
--> ''Not every second chance is fatal, sometimes Nancy is simply removed from the case. At this point in the game, Nancy has [[spoiler: found Jessalyn]]. If she doesn’t work along with [[spoiler:Jessalyn]]’s plan, the entire thing falls apart.''

* StoryArc: This has begun to appear in the most recent games. After solving ''Trail of the Twister'', you are rewarded with a trip to Japan. While solving a mystery in Japan, a ghost expert mentions a frightening castle in Germany...
** ...where, after a phone spat with Ned, you make up with him by agreeing you'll work together for a mystery-solving contest when you get back to River Heights. Cue ''Alibi in Ashes''.
** Actually, this had been involved since the very beginning. At the end of ''Secrets Can Kill,'' in your letter home (the denouement of the story,) after mentioning where everybody from that game ended up, you say that Eloise mentioned something happening in New York, "something about a TV studio and death threats," setting up ''Stay Tuned for Danger.''
** In ''The Final Scene's'' epilogue, there's a shot of a magazine with a scarlet hand on it.

** The older games' previews were more of an on-the-next-episode stinger, but recent games occasionally incorporate hints about the next one into your in-game telephone conversations.
* [[spoiler: StrangerBehindTheMask:]] The original solution for the first game, ''Secrets Can Kill'', fell victim to this trope. This was fixed in the Remastered version by [[spoiler: introducing the suspect halfway through the game, and adding a second culprit]].

* OverprotectiveDad: If Carson had his way, you would never leave the house ''period''. In ''The Silent Spy'', after finding out you have sneaked off to Scotland, Carson has a meltdown.
-->'''Carson:''' YOU'RE IN SCOTLAND?!\\
'''Nancy:''' How did you know?\\
'''Carson:''' NEVER MIND HOW I KNOW!\\
'''Carson:''' You don't have my permission to be in Scotland!

* BladderOfSteel: Played straight most of the time, but subverted in ''The Final Scene:'' you must make a trip to the bathroom before the game will let you receive an important phone call. In ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek,'' going to the bathroom several times is necessary to receive an EasterEgg. In ''Danger by Design'', you can actually develop Dietrich's pictures in the dark room by simply flushing the toilet ten times (if you'd rather not try to work in the dark).

* DreamingOfThingsToCome: The beginning of [[spoiler: ''The Phantom of Venice'']]. Also, after [[EasterEgg certain manipulations]] in ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'', you get to see a bizarre dream that implies [[spoiler: the wolf]] is innocent. It is quite correct.

* ElegantGothicLolita: Yumi Shimizu in ''Shadow at the Water's Edge'', though her favoring of the color pink makes her more of a Sweet Lolita.

** ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek''. Can catch [[FishingForSole other things]] as well.
* FissionMailed: In ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'', triggering an avalanche will bury you in snow and cause a GameOver. The first time you visit Chicken Ridge, the same cutscene will play... except this time it's part of the plot, and you have to wait [[spoiler:until Isis digs you out]]. After that, the game continues as normal.

* MeaningfulName: In ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'', [[spoiler: it turns out that Guadalupe Comillo is a conservationist with a keen interest in wolves. A possible translation for Guadalupe is "Valley of the Wolf."]]
** The name of the terrorist organization in ''The Silent Spy'' is "The Revenant", which is the English and French word for "ghost". But in its language of origin, French, this word has one more shade of meaning, because there it literally means [[spoiler: "the one who comes back", from ''revenir'', "to come back". Coming back is exactly what The Revenant tries to do in this game]].

** In ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'', which came out almost two years after ''Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon'', Chantal sets Nancy up to talk with Tino Balducci through the phone. In one part Nancy reminds him of what he did ''Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon''.

* {{Ruritania}}: Only used once in the series. Yanni in ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'' comes from a land called "Fredonia", which is implied to be this based upon his accent. [[spoiler: Given that he is a spy for them, this trope was probably used to [[JustifiedTrope avoid making any unfortunate political implications]].]]

* SaunaOfDeath: One puzzle in ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'' features you being locked in a sauna and trying to get out.

* SnowMeansDeath: Staying outside in the snow for too long in ''Treasure in the Royal Tower'' or ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'' will result in you freezing to death.
** In ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'', this is taken up to eleven by the mere fact that you can sometimes freeze to death just ''before'' you reach a new area. Blame it on the very slow and long walking animations...

** In ''Icicle Creek's'' EasterEgg, Mystico says that he sees "a dark figure named Bruno" in your future. In ''Crystal Skull'', you investigates the death of Bruno Bolet.

* XanatosGambit: Heavily implied that this will be attempted by the culprit in ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek''. [[spoiler: Had Nancy told Yanni to stay? He'd disarm the bomb, then present the evidence and frame Lou for it. Had Nancy stayed? He'd blow ''her'' up and destroy the evidence - while also framing Lou for the bombings]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nd_logo_7767.png]]

* IdiotBall[=/=]TooDumbToLive[=/=]WhatAnIdiot: [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Depending on how sadistic the player is feeling]], this can be deliberately invoked in you in the many methods to get yourself killed or fired.

* TheThingThatGoesDoink: An important clue in ''Shadow at the Water's Edge'' is hidden in this.

* LighterAndSofter: The first game, ''Secrets Can Kill'', although not spooky, was actually ''much'' DarkerAndEdgier than later installments, as the crime under investigation is a cold-blooded murder and you [[spoiler: must point a handgun at the culprit to prevail; the player must even click while doing this, which ''feels'' like you're shooting him, even if it's just to confirm where you're aiming so he'll surrender]]. One instance where going LighterAndSofter for the sequels was an improvement.
** The Remastered version of it, while still keeping certain plot elements from the original, looks like it ''might'' be Lighter and Softer than the original...[[spoiler: and then this is ''massively'' subverted at the end when the culprit ''holds you up at gunpoint.'']]

** The ''Nancy Drew Dossier'' downloadable games, a spinoff subseries with a less immersive format, also allow for multiple endings, based on whom you choose to name as a prime suspect halfway through the investigation.

* NoAntagonist: [[spoiler: Haunting of Castle Malloy]] turns out to be this. The 'kidnapping' [[spoiler: was a complete accident]] and the 'villain' [[spoiler: did nothing but try to help the imprisoned victim]].

* PermanentlyMissableContent: Sometimes (thankfully rarely), if you do a particular sequence out of order, you will be unable to solve the rest of the game. One particularly bad example comes from ''Stay Tuned for Danger'': If you don't get two necessary items ''before'' going into Rick's room on the day after viewing the videotape (namely: [[spoiler:the screwdriver and the wire-cutters to defuse the bomb]]) and you've already saved ''after'' going into his room... you're screwed.

* ArtisticLicenseChemistry: In ''The Deadly Device'', doing the chemistry puzzle incorrectly results in the bottle steaming and then [StuffBlowingUp exploding]], even in cases where this shouldn't happen, such as putting pure H2O (water) into the bottle.

* AluminumChristmasTrees:
** 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 it.]]
** 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.]]
** Nancy's car and [[spoiler:Jane's]]. Yes, cars actually look like that. Or used to in the 30's. For those of you too young to remember, they actually didn't look the way they do ''now'' until the late 90's.
** Yes, keeping female Dungeness crabs ''is'' illegal!

* TalkingAnimal: Played with. Loulou and Coucou can speak, but their utterances consist of three to four word sentences and pop culture references.

** PlayedForDrama in ''Thornton Hall.'' The developers intentionally cut out several aspects of the setting and backstory (what the Thornton 'family business' was, why no one ever talks about Clara's father, [[AmbiguousDisorder why Colton went to a therapist]], what exactly happened the night Charlotte died...) to preserve the game's age rating. We get varying levels of information for each incident (for example, WordOfGod and multiple hints in-game confirm that the Thorntons were [[spoiler:slavers]]) but most of them are never explained. [[SerendipityWritesThePlot This actually works in]] [[NothingIsScarier the game's favor.]]

** In "The Final Scene", [[spoiler: Joseph treated Maya well during her kidnapping, and he wanted to just save the theatre from being demolished. He didn't ''intentionally'' put Maya in danger.]]

* GrumpyBear: An assortment of suspects are often like these. One particular example that stands out is Holt from ''Danger on Deception Island'' who pretty much holds a gruff attitude in general, and in one possible Game Over scenario he will turn you over to the police... [[FelonyMisdemeanor for catching a female crab.]] So yeah... For what it's worth, he seems to be begrudgingly admitting he has to turn you over to the police.
** Dexter Egan from ''Treasure in the Royal Tower'' is another good example, although he warms up to you. A little.
** Tex in ''Secret of Shadow Ranch''. Nicely enough, his sour character is rather subverted by the fact that [[spoiler: he and Mary Yazzie are in love and have been secretly seeing each other]].

* {{Awesome McCoolname}}: Noisette Tornade in ''Danger By Design'' translates from French as ''hazelnut tornado,'' which either sounds like a really bizarre weather phenomenon or a really awesome dessert.

* BurnTheWitch: In ''The Curse of Blackmoor Manor'', Elinor Penvellyn was burned at the stake for witchcraft in the backstory of the game.

* CaptainObvious: Nigel Mookerjee's memoirs in ''The Curse of Blackmoor Manor'', which you must transcribe, contain statements like "I was very small when I was born." Well, duh...

* ChangelingTale: In ''The Curse of Blackmoor Manor'', it's rumored that one of the Penvellyns [[spoiler:(specifically, Elinor Penvellyn)]] was a changeling.

* BritishEnglish/CockneyRhymingSlang: Makes for some confusion while ordering food from the Boar's Head in ''Curse of Blackmoor Manor''.

* CreepyChild: Jane Penvellyn in ''The Curse of Blackmoor Manor''. There's just something so damn ''creepy'' about her... [[spoiler: which proves to be not that far off when she turns out to be the culprit]].

** Ethel from ''Blackmoor Manor'' also counts. She has a habit of popping up at the most unexpected times and is seen preforming a creepy ritual with Jane, but [[spoiler: is not the culprit]] and just wants to help Jane preserve the family legacy.

* DoorRoulette: Used infamously in ''Blackmoor Manor''. Anyone who completed it on their first try either used Arglefumph's walkthrough or has a photographic memory.

* GenreSavvy: Randulf the Red, so very much. Instead of hiding his treasure behind just ''one'' puzzle, he arranged a ThanatosGambit in which [[spoiler:every branch of his family added a puzzle on top of his own, ensuring that said treasure's protection only got stronger and stronger as the generations progressed. The only reason anyone outside the Blackmoor family could find it was because of the malice of Jane, the latest Blackmoor heir, whose crimes threw a SpannerInTheWorks -- that is, Nancy.]]

* ImprobableInfantSurvival: At the end of ''The Curse of Blackmoor Manor'', [[spoiler: Jane, the pre-teen culprit, accidentally gets stuck in a potentially life-threatening trap which you must free her from... except no matter how long you take, she never dies, despite being stuck in an enclosed space that would guarantee suffocation within minutes]]. Strangely enough, if you don't [[spoiler: move out of the way of the trap in time, you get stuck in there ''with'' Jane - and you get a Game Over.]].
* InducedHypochondria: Linda is a victim of this in ''Blackmoor Manor'', being led to believe that she's been cursed and is turning into a werewolf. [[spoiler:It turns out to actually be caused by her stepdaughter slipping hair growth treatments into her lotion.]] Lampshaded in your phone conversation with Paliki, where [[spoiler:the placebo effect]] is discussed at length.

** In ''Curse of Blackmoor Manor'', young Jane Penvellyn's tutor Ethel [[spoiler:comes from a family who has served the Penvellyns since at least the ''Middle Ages.'']] Not only does she teach Jane astronomy, math, science, French, and other varied subjects, she also [[spoiler: serves as Jane's introduction into the long-standing and confusing traditions of the Penvellyn family.]] And she's completely necessary for this, because [[spoiler: the traditions are passed from grandchild to grandchild, thus making it very difficult for the Penvellyns themselves to pass on the knowledge]].

* ManEatingPlant: For some godforsaken reason, Mrs. Drake has one in ''The Curse of Blackmoor Manor''. Complete with the part about eating you. [[RuleOfFunny It did make a funny death sequence, though.]]

* NothingIsScarier: The secret passages in ''The Curse of Blackmoor Manor'' seem to invoke this -- dark, dank tunnels with ambient background music that sounds like dripping water. The only light source is a green glowstick that illuminates a small patch of the hallway at a time, leaving everything else pitch black. Even if you ''just'' checked the shadows, and you ''know'' there’s nothing there... you’ll wonder.
** You never actually ''see'' what is happening to Linda... only given two very big tantalzing hints...
** In the games that really sell themselves on being scary - like ''Haunted Mansion'', ''Water's Edge'', ''Blackmoor Manor'', ''Captive Curse'', and ''especially'' ''The Ghost of Thornton Hall'', you will spend a lot more time wandering around in the dark while spooky music plays than actually ''seeing'' ghosts or monsters. And that makes it ''so much worse.''

* SeparatedByACommonLanguage: The flashlight/torch miscommunication in ''Curse of Blackmoor Manor''.

** More likely a coincidence, but when you ask Alex Tranh why you're "here" (meaning here in Iceland) in ''Sea of Darkness'', Alex responds with "Woah. Deep. [[Machinima/RedVsBlue I gotta think about that one. I mean, what are any of us doing in this crazy, messed-up world, you know?]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: 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.
** Can also apply to Mason from ''The Deadly Device''. He 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.
** Colton from ''Ghost of Thornton Hall'' appears to have issues with anxiety and depression, but again, no one specifically states what his issues are.
** Joseph in ''The Final Scene'' shows signs of [[spoiler:dementia at the very end]]
** 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.
*** 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.]]
** 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, possibly Bipolar Disorder.
** 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.

** This is cranked UpToEleven in ''Secret of Shadow Ranch'', where if you give Shorty Thurmond unripe vegetables one too many times, you get kicked off the ranch and are told you won't be allowed to return until you gain "the proper respect for produce".

** In ''White Wolf of Icicle Creek'', this is taken UpToEleven by the mere fact that you can sometimes freeze to death just ''before'' you reach a new area. Blame it on the very slow and long walking animations...

** ''Secret of the Scarlet Hand'' if takes the tube out of the HAM radio and then puts her hand inside it.

* HighVoltageDeath: Happens to Nancy in ''The Final Scene'' if she attempts to disarm an electrified gate without rubber gloves.