Secret of the Scarlet Hand

Secret of the Scarlet Hand

Location

Washington D.C.

Based on

Secret of the Scarlet Hand

Developer(s)

Her Interactive

Publisher(s)

DreamCatcher

Platform(s)

Microsoft Windows

Release date

12 August 2002

Genre(s)

Adventure

Mode

Single player

Preceded by

The Final Scene

Followed by

Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake

Secret of the Scarlet Hand is the 6^th installment in the Nancy Drew video game series by Her Interactive.

Plot[]

Between cases, Nancy Drew has taken an internship as Deputy Curator at the Beech Hill Museum in Washington, D.C. Nancy soon discovers she will be doing more than learning about ancient Maya artifacts–there have been a series of thefts and the only clue left behind in a mysterious scarlet handprint! Will Nancy be able to put the pieces of this ancient puzzle together? Or will the mystery remain entombed forever?

Characters[]

Joanna Riggs -- Joanna is the curator of Beech Hill Museum. Her eagerness to obtain rare Mayan artifacts have gotten her into financial trouble with the Beech Hill Board of Directors before. She knows a few Latin phrases and is usually all-business. Halfway through the game she is suspended by the Board of Directors, and Nancy Drew must take over her curator duties until the stolen artifact is found. She doesn't get along well with the Mexican Consulate due to artifacts that the museum has acquired under shady circumstances.

Henrik van der Hune -- Henrik is the epigrapher of Beech Hill Museum. He was hired by Joanna from the Chaco Canyon Cultural Center where he worked previously. He is later hospitalized after an incident that causes him to suffer from amnesia. He is accomplished in his career field, but he has suspicious coincidences in his past.

Taylor Sinclair -- Taylor is an art dealer with an office in Washington, D.C. He believes something shady is going on at Beech Hill, and fears for the future of the museum. He dislikes Alejandro del Rio due to mutual distrust. He is also concerned about the robberies of Prudence Rutherford and a museum in New Mexico. Is he just pretending to be concerned so he can be off of Nancy's suspect list?

Alejandro del Rio -- Alejandro is an ambassador to the Mexican Consulate in Washington, D.C, and knows several languages, including Spanish, English, and Nahuatl. Would he take the artifact from the museum in order to repatriate them to Mexico?

Sonny Joon -- The assistant curator prior to Nancy, who was rather lazy and sloppy at his job, and eventually left. His desk is full of useful things for the case. He is also mentioned in future games.

Franklin Rose -- A member of Beech Hill's Board of Directors, and a friend of Carson Drew. He relays the activities of the Board to Nancy, and is partially responsible for Joanna's suspension. He is an unseen phone character.

Prudence Rutherford -- Prudence is a wealthy Kansas socialite who owned one of the Pacal jade carvings. She is an unseen phone character and appears in a few subsequent games.

Poppy Dada - She is an artist represented by Taylor Sinclair, and her work is on display in his office. She is an unseen phone character that is also referred to from time to time in future Nancy Drew games.

Nurse Bluefoot -- A male nurse at the hospital where Henrik van der Hune is taken after his fall. Nurse Bluefoot is an unseen phone and voice character.

Bess Marvin, George Fayne, and Ned Nickerson -- Nancy's best friends and boyfriend who help her with the case via telephone.

Frank and Joe Hardy -- Nancy's friends who work for a secret organization called ATAC. They are undercover detectives. Like Bess and George, they can be called for hints.

Character Gallery[]

Cast[]

Nancy Drew - Lani Minella
Joanna Riggs - Laurie Jerger
Taylor Sinclair - Jake Perrine
Henrik van der Hune - David S. Hogan
Alejandro del Rio - Gary Hoffman
Bess Marvin - Alisa Murray
George Fayne - Maureen Nelson
Frank Hardy - Joshua Silwa
Joe Hardy - Rob Jones
Franklin Rose / Silvio Jr. - Wayne Rawley
Gordon Bluefoot / Mack / Dr. Bob Bobson - Scott Plusquellec
Prudence Rutherford - Simone Choule
Poppy Dada - Julie Rawley
Henry Albert Daddle - Scott Carty
Sheila Schultz - Amy Broomhall

Gallery[]

Gameplay[]

Second Chances[]

As with all Nancy Drew games, there are many fatal accidents, however, if the player makes a mistake, they may click on "Second Chance" at the main menu and it will take them back to the place before they made that mistake. Such mistakes are:

Getting electrocuted by the HAM radio.
Dropping the Mayan calendar stones.
Failing to use the glow stick when exiting the temple corridor.
Not escaping the monolith in time and suffocating.

References to Previous Games[]

References to previous games in the series include:

The Koko Kringle candy bars are "Wickford" brand, possibly made at Wickford Castle. (Treasure in the Royal Tower)
When talking to Henrik about the Mayan Pot, one of the choices is to say, "In the words of Nicholas Falcone, come on, spill it!" (The Final Scene)
During her conversations with Franklin Rose, Nancy talks about two of her past cases: a kidnapping at the Royal Palladium (The Final Scene) and an attempt at a ski vacation in Wisconsin (Treasure in the Royal Tower).

Trivia[]

This is the first game in the series to feature:
- a trailer for the next game at the end.
- the Hardy Boys, albeit, only as voices over the phone.
- the chocolate bar "Koko Kringles".
- "Krolmeister" as a brand name.
Punchy LaRue is one of the names listed on the plaques in the lobby of Beech Hill Museum (near Joanna's office). Punchy LaRue did the voice of Bess Marvin in The Final Scene.
In Sonny Joon's notebook, he mentions a website where you can get walkthroughs for Nancy Drew Games (Just Adventure).
All the metro stops Nancy can get off at are actual metro stops in Washington, D.C.
Nancy's wallpaper on her laptop is a picture of her dog, Togo.
Joanna sometimes says goodbye with the Latin phrase "semper ubi sub ubi". This translates as "Always where under where".
The Dada movement, starting at the beginning of WWI, was composed of artists who wanted to randomize their selection of mediums (materials; pencil, crayon, etc.) on canvas. They also wanted to use new mediums that no one had ever used before.
Poppy Dada records amusing outgoing messages on her answering machine. To hear them, call Poppy (1-605-555-3197) before getting her number from her father. Also call her back after speaking with her about the jade carving.

Trailer[]

Source[]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_of_the_Scarlet_Hand
Secret of the Scarlet Hand by Her Interactive

Nancy Drew Games

Nancy Drew Games: