Happy Halloween 2011!

It's Halloween! This is the day where we have the opportunity to dress up in any sort of outfit or costume for fun. Today, several of us silly and imaginative workers dressed up and together the entire office enjoyed a delicious assortment of foods and goodies. Yum...every once in a while I like to sneak back into the kitchen to steal a few left-overs.

Today's the last day that three of the scariest games are available for 50% off! Get the digital download of Shadow at the Water's Edge, Legend of the Crystal Skull, or Curse of Blackmoor Manor for a spooky night of mystery-solving. You have until midnight before the clock strikes, your time runs out, the opportunity to be brave passes you by and...you will have to just wait until another awesome sale comes around.

Looks like no one's taken a whack at last weekend's puzzle..? I suppose it's time for hint. ;) A=Alphabet. You are not subtracting letters.

Have a go at it! (And good luck!)
~Little Jackalope~

Ready for Halloween? (And Weekend Puzzle #127)

It's the weekend before Halloween! This means parties and last-minute decorating for many of you. We are decked out with a few hints of the spooky season (see below). There are pumpkin lights hung along cubicles, blinking eyes posters, a rock wall wallpaper, giant spiders and a poor flier who crashed into a cubicle wall.
What are you planning to do this weekend? We are having a weekend sale on a few of our scary titles. You can get the digital download versions of Shadow at the Water's Edge, Legend of the Crystal Skull, and Curse of Blackmoor Manor for 50% off! Now is the season to turn out the lights, close the doors and windows, and play a spooky game. o.O

If you already have the games that are on sale, there are some other options. Message in a Haunted Mansion, Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake, The Haunting of Castle Malloy, and The Captive Curse are great for playing in the dark as well. (I felt pretty brave playing these games the first time, except for my most embarrassing moment when I played The Captive Curse for the first time in the office. I really did jump and squeal at one scene.)

On to the weekend puzzle!

Directions: -->4x6^
A=T-B and N=L-R
Combine the I and J. No X.

Puzzle:
9-1-9-14-18-17-23-10-3-4-6-17-12-1-3

Have good one!
~Little Jackalope~

Shelved Game Cover Art

Before you get all excited, we are currently not bringing back the legendary 3rd Dossier game: Ship of Shadows. It has been "shelved" and is not in production. Our CEO touched on this subject in a recent interview (read it here).

Due to a big request and desire from you all on the message boards (that's right, we hear and read what you have to say) ;) I present you the art to the unpublished game: Nancy Drew: Ship of Shadows:

Check this out! Our Designer, Cathy, was interviewed by Wild Tangent! Hear what she has to say about herself and Shadow at the Water's Edge.

~Little Jackalope~

Parlez-vous... mystère?

Ok, so maybe my French isn't perfect, and maybe I didn't pay too close attention to Professor Hotchkiss's French words in Treasure in the Royal Tower, but I thought it would be a nice lead-in to this image:

Check out the French packaging for Secrets Can Kill Remastered that we just viewed yesterday!I find it rather interesting how the localized (creating for different countries) versions of the box art look different. Notice how the text on the spine is backwards from how we read, and the little magnifying glasses are silver and are differently shaped.

Speaking about cover art, word has come to my ear that some of you (particularly on the Her Interactive message board) desire to see a closer-up image of the legendary (or not so legendary) un-published third game to the Dossier series. While this game is not in production and has been "shelved" (see our CEO's interview response to this), we still have the pretty cover art. Do you really want to see it? Shall I pull it out of the dark to show you?

~Little Jackalope~

Giving (or receiving) Gifts

Take a look at this! A fan of ours attended a silent auction where she offered a Nancy Drew-themed basket for people to bid on. Looks like she has a few desirable items in there. ;)

The gift-giving season is nearing, might one of the games be on your list? I've been looking around, and it looks like our site is the only site to sell every single game we've made. So if you are missing any, you know where to look. ;)

Speaking of gifts and the nearing season, I wonder if anyone likes the gift of getting scared? Someone put a fake spider in the fruit basket...and also on the floor at the entrance to the kitchen. It nearly scared one of the workers! I like this reaction. Hm, I wonder what antics I could come up with for this weekend. Do you have any trick or treat ideas to share?


~Little Jackalope~

A Great Story

Every once in a while I like to stop and think about what makes a good story. Perhaps it's the mystery, adventure, drama, suspense, or interesting history? I know I like a little of all of that perfectly balanced in every book. What makes a great Nancy Drew read? I find that a few hidden passages, secret compartments, puzzles, riddles or codes, villains, treasure, a person in need, some help from Bess and George, and a date or two with Ned makes for great way to sit quietly and enjoy a good mystery. What is it that keeps you coming back for more?

How about a fairy tale or a Charleena Purcell novel?

For those few of you who have played several, if not all, of the Nancy Drew games, you might have found last weekend's puzzle to be rather easy (I hope not, because I love making them hard or tricky) ;)

Here are the game titles where the items are found:
[Mushroom = CRY
Toasty Pack = ICE
Barette/Bow = WAC
Sea Urchin = RAN
Bunny Doll = HAU
Soldering Gun = CAR
Coconut monkey = CRE
Lava Lamp = DAN
Iron = MHM
Lighter = TRT
Metal Polish = ASH
Gold/Ruby Charm = CAP
Telescope Eye Piece = CUR
Arcade Card = SAW
Catnip Mouse Toy = CLK
Popcorn Slide = FIN
Three Cranks = SHA
Ranger Pin = DOG
Pa Penny = TOT
Yellow Bank Card = VEN
Sandwich = DDI
Special Screw driver = TRN
Jade Mayan Cube = SSH]
Now put them in order of the game release and your letters should spell this: [Nancy I lied, I'm freaking out!] A quote from [Bess] in [Alibi in Ashes].

New wallpapers have gone up for Alibi in Ashes! Check out the Desktop and Mobile version of the old Town Hall!
~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle #126

Hey howdy hey! It's Friday again! That means a few of us get to attend another top-secret meeting and try out puzzle prototypes (below are the pieces I used to try out our designer's latest game). Any ideas what this puzzle might be like?


So you don't get left out on some fun, I've attached below this weekend's puzzle. I'm curious to see how fast this one will be solved...
~Little Jackalope~

Games and Puzzle Thursday

Today we had a company meeting to get updated an all that's happening. We enjoyed pizza and salad while playing board games with each other. It's worth the effort and patience to learn a new game! Several of us tried a new one called Dice Town, which had a cowboy and western theme. If the board had sound effects, it would probably sound like the pachinko game in the Museum in Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon.

Another puzzle we tried was one a fan created. A while ago she sent us a package: Inside was a note and several envelopes with cut-up letters. It took a couple of us a bit of time to piece the letters together, and when we got stumped we gave it over to our puzzle wizard. It took her almost no time at all to finish it. (The answer was a web site address to some Christmas music. Gathered by the clues we have, it almost sounds like we will be getting a Christmas card from her later....yay!) We really enjoy it when we get letters and cards from fans. ^.^

Weekend puzzle tomorrow! (Will not be a contest this time).
~Little Jackalope~

Chocolate Wednesday

Like the title states, it has been a chocolate Wednesday! Well...for me at least. After sneaking a piece of chocolate from the production department (if you are quiet, they won't notice), I visited the kitchen. One of our hard workers brought in some Italian chocolate treats in from her trip to Italy, seen here:
I don't really know what it says or what it is that I ate, but it was really good! The thought of Italian chocolate reminded me of The Phantom of Venice, where two boxes of chocolates can be found...and one box can be eaten.

(You can eat the entire box!)

What made this day even better is when our CCSO and CEO brought it fancy chocolates not too much later!! It's like stepping into the game, only this time, instead of Nancy always having the pleasure of devouring the treats, we get to enjoy them.

...I think I've had enough sugar for today. >.<
Do you Tweet? Check out our Twitter page and participate in today's Quote Contest! The prize is a digital download copy of The Curse of Blackmoor Manor, and I'm sure many of you would be able to identify whose quote is posted. ;)
~Little Jackalope~

Alibi in Ashes Officially Released!

October 18th has finally come! We are excited and pleased to present Alibi in Ashes, the special 25th game of the series, one that has been long awaited by fans! It's finally time for Nancy to return home to River Heights, where this time she has become the prime suspect. This is the first time you get to play as Nancy and all three of her friends (Ned, Bess and George) in one story. You can read the official press release here.In addition to today's excitement, have you tried the Number Punch mini-game on our site? If you have, you are not only well practiced for the real game, but also for the newly added Facebook app! If you have a Facebook account, you can play and compete with your friends' top speeds. This is what we've been testing over the last few weeks, and here in the Her Interactive office it has been a fierce competition between the players to see who can get the fastest score. (I walked past an artist's desk not too long ago and noticed he was back on, trying to beat the reigning champs). It's really fun to play!

How fast are you?
~Little Jackalope~

ASH and SAW in October

Alibi in Ashes comes out in stores tomorrow! And today we have two new ASH wallpapers for you: check out the desktop version or the mobile version.

We have a winner! Last Friday was the weekend puzzle #125 contest, here's the solution: the puzzle is a [keyword] cipher. Using the keyword provided (quick) you take the alphabet and [insert the word "quick" at the beginning, taking out all repetitive letters.] Here's the alphabet you should get: [quickabdefghjlmnoprstvwxyz]. Take the real alphabet and place above the fake alphabet. Now take a look at the crazy puzzle letters and find them in the fake alphabet, look at the above letter. For example: [s=t, m=o, and n=p]. In the end, you should get this final answer: [Top your friends at Number Punch!]
Of all the correct entries submitted, one random person was selected to win the digital guide to Alibi in Ashes. Congratulations to Jennifer D. who will receive her prize when the game is officially released!

It's been October for a while, and most attention has been on ASH, of course. I'd like to take a moment to consider the monthly special: Shadow at the Water's Edge. With Halloween coming, this is a great game to play in the dark, especially for the first time! I was looking at the art for this game, and thought how beautiful it was.
Sometimes it's really nice to take a good close-up look at one area and I favored this. Love the colors!
~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle #125 = Contest!

Hooray for Friday! Here's the news for today:
--The winner for the CEO-4-A-Day Contest was announced on our site. Check it out! Looks like we will be bringing in a new CEO sometime in the future ;) and of course I will be ready to share pictures with you when the time comes.
--Stuart, (our CEO)'s interview has gone up today for you to read.
--Monday there will be a free Alibi in Ashes wallpaper download for you, I promise.
--This weekend puzzle below is a contest!

Here are the rules, read carefully!
1. Solve the weekend puzzle below.
2. When you think you have the right answer, email it to solved@herinteractive.com with the subject line "Weekend Puzzle".
3. The prize? A digital copy of the Alibi in Ashes strategy guide!
4. The time? Contest begins now and ends at 10am PST on Monday, October 17th.
5. One winner will be randomly drawn from all of the correct entries by 5pm, Monday, October 17th. (We want to be fair and give everyone a chance.) :) Each contestant may only enter once.
6. This contest is open to everyone.


Here is the puzzle, good luck!

Keyword: Quick

SMN YMTP APEKLCR QS LTJUKPNTLID

~Little Jackalope~

Halloween Preparation

A couple of us took a short trip to our storage shed (more like a closet) to fetch some old Halloween and Christmas decorations. When we brought them back, we sort of left a mess in the kitchen, and then sent out an email to the office saying "Please take anything you like, and feel free to decorate!" I rummaged through and found some awesome plastic glasses with a nose and eyebrows. I'm also planning on putting up the rock-wall wallpaper (to help make the place look more like a castle).
Halloween is only a few weeks away! Now is a great time to prepare, get decorations and choose a costume. Our Production department is always prepared with candy:
I have a few games in mind that would be great for this season. Can you guess which two I'm thinking? ;)

I'm thinking tomorrow's weekend puzzle might involve a digital strategy guide...
~Little Jackalope~

Last Day of Pre-Orders

Today is the last day to pre-order Alibi in Ashes! Anyone who purchases the game tomorrow will be receiving the standard edition. (All boxed games ever made will say Special Edition because it's the 25th game, yet only the pre-orders will have an additional starburst that says "BONUS Edition" which has the additional content).

Just a reminder: If you ordered the boxed game, overnight shipments and early orders will ship out Alibi in Ashes first, then the 3-day, and finally the 5-7 day regulars. Depending on how close you live to Seattle, you might be getting your game earlier. Just keep an eye out your window! The game will arrive soon and you will get to play and see all that we've been working on the past year. ;)

Oh my, I believe I have forgotten to post the solution to last weekend's puzzle! It looks like many of you are well experienced in solving Nonograms from Shadow at the Water's Edge and have solved this one fast. To solve, ignore all of the letters in the grid. Then fill in the boxes according to the numbers above and to the right. Those numbers mean that there are X-amount of consecutive boxes filled in (don't forget that there needs to be a blank space in between each set of filled boxes). Once you fill in all the spaces, read the remaining letters left-to-right, top-to-bottom. You should get this answer: [A clue to ND26 is found in Trail of the Twister].
*If you like surprises, do not, I repeat do not click on this link or read any emails about our YouTube Channel: HerInteractiveGames.

Take a look at this odd trophy!
Megan Gaiser, our CCSO, won an award at IndieCade this year! Congrats for winning the coolest, oddest, most creative trophy ever! (It's a teapot with old binoculars on top, sitting on knobs of some sort, attached to a picture frame with old Clue game cards --with Miss Scarlet face up-- at the base.)

~Little Jackalope~

A Digital Tuesday

A new update on the Alibi in Ashes digital download was posted on the Dare to Play Blog. Check it out if you pre-ordered and are having troubles. If you ordered the boxed version of the ASH, just know that there is no delay on these, all you have to worry about is how often you need to peek out the window for it to arrive. ;)

And all I have to worry about at the moment is which tiny screenshot to create a new wallpaper...I have one in particular I'm leaning towards. ^.^ Any preference?
~Little Jackalope~

A Rough Monday...

Hey all, if you haven't heard...we have been experiencing some awful technical issues with the Alibi in Ashes digital download, ugh. We apologize for this and it frustrates us as much as it does you. :( We are working hard to get this working properly and hope to share the game with you soon. If you have any further questions, please check out the Tech Support page.

Until then, some people were successful at downloading the game and are now playing it (enjoy!). If you are currently playing, please keep in mind when writing about it that others have not gotten their chance and would like to be just as surprised as you were when you first played the game. ^.^ Thanks!

(If you are anxiously awaiting your turn and like surprises, I suggest avoiding the message boards and reading others' posts so as not to spoil your fun.) I also suggest avoiding YouTube as some people are likely to post the Preview to the next game (ND#26). ;)

We will let you know as soon as everything is ready to try downloading again. Thanks in advance for your patience!

~Little Jackalope~

Temorary Delay: Alibi in Ashes Download

Unfortunately, we find it necessary at this time to suspend all downloads of Nancy Drew: Alibi in Ashes until we solve the download issues surrounding the game. As soon as this issue is resolved we will notify you immediately. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you in advance for your patience.

--The Her Interactive Team

Extra! Extra! New Mini Game!

I had to create a special extra post today just to let you know (and I'm super excited) that we have a new mini-game up from Alibi in Ashes! Check out Number Punch on our site. Enjoy!

~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle #124

Yay Friday! And only 3 more days until the digital pre-orders get to play Alibi in Ashes!

Just to clarify all the pre-order dates:
*October 10th = Digital Download pre-orders that purchased before the 10th may now begin downloading and playing the game.
*October 10th = Pre-ordered boxed games will begin the shipping process.
*October 12th = Pre-orders officially end. The regular game (no bonus content) will now be for sale.
*October 18th = Alibi in Ashes is out in stores!!

Oh, boy, we are super excited! It's so close!
To add to our Friday excitement here at the office, a few artists brought in doughnuts:
And later we are planning a "study" group involving board games:
Another day for another puzzle, aye? This one's a little bit more important than last week's answer.
Good luck!
~Little Jackalope~

Letter From A Fan

Hey all! We received an awesome email from a fan the other day, and we loved it so much we wanted to share it with you. :)

"Dear Her Interactive,

When I was in the second grade I was presented with a book order form and on the back was a small advertisement for Treasure In the Royal Tower. Since the name Nancy Drew was tagged on to it, my curiosity was piqued. I begged my mother to buy me the game and I returned the next day with my book order form. I remember waiting the four weeks for the order to come in, and it felt like ages. I also remember receiving the box, along with a magnifying glass necklace, and I was stoked. I played through the game as fast as I could. I can now close my eyes and relive the sweaty palms and fast heart rate I experienced when breaking into the castle's library. I learned so much from that first game I played, and I was addicted. I purchased the earlier games and played through them as well, and over the years my cousin has blessed me every Christmas with two new games. It has been about ten years since my first Nancy Drew experience, but I can't even begin to explain how much the games impacted me.

I am now studying interactive entertainment at the University of Southern California, a dream school for video game design. I never thought I would end up in a field such as this, or a school unite as good, but looking back it makes sense through my avid love of the Nancy Drew games. Now as the rain pours down outside in an uncharacteristically rainy day, I will pick one of my favorite ND games and enjoy my afternoon. Thank you so much for continuing making these wonderful games, and someday I do hope to make it out to the Her Interactive studio!

Warmly from a huge fan,
M. D."

Glad to hear more girls are going into game design!
~Little Jackalope~

I'm Getting Excited for ASH!

There are only six days left (including today) until pre-orders for Alibi in Ashes begin shipping out and the digital download becomes available! I had to open up the game today to take a peek at the ending (again), and watch the teaser trailer to the game after ASH. Do you like learning about the next game as soon as possible, or do want to find out yourself by playing the game and watching the teaser first?

Take a look here! This is going to be the icon for Alibi in Ashes (the one that shows up on your desktop, in the My Computer folder... etc.)

~A Flaming Match~

Twitter contest is today!
~Little Jackalope~

Professional Auditions

Not too long ago the design and production team held voice auditions for our next game (the one after Alibi in Ashes). This is when professional actors and actresses come in for a chance to read a script. After they are given a brief summary of the character, it's up to them to bring that character to life with only their skilled voice. (I was lucky enough to sit in on a few few auditions for a couple female characters).

We record their voices with this little device here:

After auditions, the team then listens to all of the recordings to determine the cast. Once they have been chosen, the real recording begins! We'll have to wait and see what happens next.

Oh and just a note, we *might* have something exciting this week.
~Little Jackalope~

Monday Download

Ok, based on what the favorite screenshot votes were, I picked the Drew Home as the next wallpaper (now you can see it a little bit closer, and larger). There is also a mobile wallpaper option. All of the Alibi in Ashes wallpapers can be found on the downloads page.

Today our designer brought in a Peach Cinnamon coffee cake, seen below (yum).
Which reminds me of the weekend puzzle...
All you have to do is [place all of the letters from all 4 grids into one box], then you read the message top to bottom, left to right. You should get this: [Try a bowl of Peachy Keen]. I wonder how vanilla ice cream would taste with peach cinnamon coffee cake..

~Little Jackalope~