Nancy Drew® Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!

Lights, Camera, Curses! is the first of the Nancy Drew Dossier games. While the Dossier games are also made by Her Interactive and have some of the same voice cast, the gameplay is pretty different from the main Nancy Drew series. You're still solving a mystery, but the gameplay is more like a hidden object game than a point and click adventure. There are three main gameplay elements. The investigation scenes remind me of hidden object scenes combined with adventure game puzzles. You have to find clues in the hand-drawn background and combine the different elements to deal with obstacles. When a conversation with an NPC comes up, you have to use your knowledge of the story to respond correctly. You also play a few minigames. Solving puzzles correctly and doing well at the minigames allow you to earn points. If you get enough points, you can unlock an alternate ending. This game is a lot easier than a regular Nancy Drew game. The story is totally linear and the game moves you to the next scene automatically. The puzzles are fully contained within each scene and were very straightforward. You have so few options that even if you have to guess, you get to the right combination pre…

At first I didn't like it, but I got into the story and then I started to enjoy the whole game much more.

Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! takes the familiar detective formula of the long-running Nancy Drew franchise and reimagines it as a hidden object adventure that is both approachable and entertaining. Instead of following the traditional first-person exploration found in the main series, this spin-off emphasizes accessible gameplay while retaining the investigative spirit that fans expect. The result is a mystery that can be enjoyed by both dedicated followers of Nancy Drew and newcomers looking for a casual yet engaging detective experience. The story unfolds on the set of a Hollywood remake of the classic film Pharaoh!, a production plagued by unexplained accidents, strange sabotage, and rumors surrounding a decades-old curse. Nancy Drew is brought in to uncover the truth behind the chaos before the movie is forced to shut down. The narrative effectively blends glamorous filmmaking with suspense, gradually revealing secrets hidden beneath the studio lights. While the supernatural legends surrounding the production create an eerie atmosphere, the game encourages players to rely on logic and careful observation, staying true to Nancy's role as a clever investigator who…

Quite intriguing! Very entertaining!

Same as the second Dossier game, I really like the art style in this. It's a different approach to their other games. It's just a bit annyoing sometimes for the timed puzzles, like the crow one. I had to do it like 4 times before I could get it right because I couldn't see the little bead next to the fountain. If they had the hints like their second game, it would have been a lot less frustrating. I kinda wish they would release more of these type of hidden object games

Not their best, but definitely an interesting change in gameplay. Putting together what goes together makes sense in theory. That said, the story was lacking, some of the puzzles were not particularly intuitive, and I didn't like the fact that you couldn't go back to certain chapters to get more points - you just had to start over if you wanted to get the "true ending." Still, an interesting play. 5/10.