Secrets Can Kill

Secrets Can Kill was the first of the many Nancy Drew computer games developed by DreamCatcher Games and Her Interactive was releasd in 1998.

Secrets Can Kill is a first-person whodunit from the viewpoint of Nancy. The game is cartoonish 3D, but unlike later games, the characters are 2D.

The game is based on the book "Secrets Can Kill", the first book in the Nancy Drew Files Series. It is set in first person view of Nancy Drew and takes place in the fictional town of Paseo Del Mar, Florida. This game is also the first and so far, only, Nancy Drew Game where someone dies.

Secrets Can Kill Remastered, a remastered version of the game was released on August 24, 2010.

Characters
Jake Rogers -- A very unpopular student who was found murdered at the bottom of a set of stairs at the high school. He's not liked by anyone and seems to have an affinity for blackmailing people. Could one of his victims have turned the table on him?

Daryl Gray -- Daryl is an informant. He can be found at Maxine's Diner, where he works. He found the victim's body. His father is former US Senator Eugene Gray and as such his family was once considered rich. He tends to be a bit of a flirt, but is he as wholesome as he seems?

Hal Tanaka -- Hal is a foreign exchange student from Japan. He's very focused on getting a scholarship so he can go to college and become a doctor. He is always in the study dome at the school. He seems intelligent, but is he smart enough to plan the death of the devious blackmailer known as Jake Rogers?

Connie Watson -- Connie is a tough girl who secretly very adept at judo. You can always find her in the Student Lounge. She seems like a nice normal teenage girl...or is she?

Hector "Hulk" Sanchez -- Hulk Sanchez is a stereotypical jock who hopes to play college ball and eventually for the Miami Dolphins one day. However, Hulk needs an athletic scholarship to reach that dream. Are his future plans as stable as he says?

Mitch Dillon -- Mitch is the school's boiler serviceman (but only in the book) and is not seen much in the game. He's as shady as they come....did Jake get mixed up with him?

Plot
In the first ever Nancy Drew game, Nancy goes to Florida to visit her Aunt Eloise. Though it isn't clear when it happens, a student at the high school where Eloise works as a librarian is murdered. Eloise asks Nancy to investigate, and Nancy goes undercover as a new student. She then meets the characters of the game (as seen above).

Phone friends
The characters are familiar to those who've read the books. In the game, Nancy calls them for hints and fun. These are:
 * Bess Marvin - one of Nancy's best friends.
 * George Fayne - Nancy's other best friend and Bess's cousin.
 * Ned Nickerson - Nancy's boyfriend.

Jake and Aunt Eloise are two characters you hear of but never meet. You can hear Jake's voice when you call 555-JAKE and Jake says "You have reached Jake's locker." You can hear Eloise's voice by calling the number on the phone card.

Phone numbers
Throughout the game you will find phone numbers on various things. Bess, George, and Ned all can give Nancy hints. Their helpfulness depends on the level of difficulty that is played; hints in Junior mode may provide some insight while hints on Master mode are pretty much useless, if not non-existent. The others are merely for fun, and none necessary to complete the game. These are:
 * Ned Nickerson - 1-523-555-4357
 * Aunt Eloise (The number on the phone card) - 555-1204
 * Drug Depot - 555-3784 (555-DRUG)
 * The Pizza Place - 555-8669 (Tony's Pizza - 555-TONY)
 * Judo Club - 555-JUDO
 * Police - 555-4855 (555-HULK) Even though Hulk has nothing to do with the police, this is just a cute coincidence.
 * Maxine's - 555-2700
 * Save the Manatees Club - 1-800-432-JOIN
 * Jake's Locker - 555-JAKE

Accidents
Within Secrets Can Kill and other Nancy Drew computer games, there are a number of fatal mistakes you can make, such as falling down stairs or setting something on fire. The "Second Chance" option can be used to correct these mistakes. Here is a list of the mistakes you can make:


 * Fail to replace the bolt cutters with a ladle and create a gas leak at the diner and start an explosion.
 * Not fixing the boiler in time and explode Paseo Del Mar High.
 * Not pointing the weapon at the culprit in time.

Cast

 * Nancy Drew/George Fayne -- Lani Minella
 * Voices -- Rick Calvert, Bill Corkery, Kenton Leach, Donna Rowry, and John Truong

Hidden Messages
There are many hidden messages in Secrets Can Kill. Here are some examples:


 * In the book left of the TV in Aunt Eloise's house, there is a map with Morse code around the border, the Morse code says 'Blade up on glass gets you in class'
 * In the room were Connie is, on the vending machine the it says 'Popsi' instead of Pepsi
 * In the diner on one of the booths there is a mustard bottle and its a 'Ned's' brand
 * In Jake's locker, the magazine has an article about a Judo tournament winner: Nineco, an anagram of "Connie."
 * At Aunt Eloise's house, in her gardening book, the capital letters spell "MITCH."
 * A cutting board at the diner says "WATCH OUT."
 * The jukebox in the diner says "werdycnan," Nancy Drew spelled backwards.
 * The book right of the TV in Aunt Eloise's house is called Secrets Can Kill, and it mentions two characters fighting at night near a warehouse, as well as a character named Connie.
 * At the diner, the menu has two messages; the left one says "soup ladle," and the right one says "bolt cutters."
 * The songs on the jukebox at the diner reference Nancy in their titles, such as 'Look Behind You.'
 * At the diner in the kitchen, the schedule says at the bottom: "Jake's fate happened deliberately, gravity was not his worst enemy."
 * The menu on one of the tables says "danger" and "sabotage."
 * The eye chart in the gym read backwards says: "If you can read this, then make no mistake, a genuine first class detective you'll make."
 * In the yearbook and on one of the bulletin boards, the hidden message is "Search below danger sign in kitchen."
 * On the bulletin boards: (these are decoded)
 * Find the morning edition, and discover another crime, the answer is in black and white, to who will do the time.
 * There's more than one way to remove a chain so thick. Aside from the combination, Mel's bolt cutters can do the trick."
 * In the face of danger, a killer if you dare, a very unlikely couple, could be a helpful pair.
 * A symbol of Kanji, worn with great pride, reflects a great secret, that someone must hide.
 * No where to turn, no where to hide, let the books in the library be your guide.
 * Even if it meant cheating, to keep up his charade, he did what it took, to make the grade.
 * When things go astray, tonight at Vandelay, it will not help to run, so you must grab the gun!
 * There are many references to Her Interactive's first games called "The Vampire Diaries" and "McKenzie & Co.", like the following:
 * On the bulletin boards, there are posters of The Vampire Diaries and McKenzie & Co.
 * There is a CD of The Vampire Diaries on a desk in the library.
 * Some of the songs on the jukebox in Maxine's Diner are from The Vampire Diaries.
 * In the library, there is a book called "Vampire Diaries: Behind the Scenes."
 * If you listen very closely, you can hear Morse code in the teachers' lounge.
 * If you look on the whiteboard about absences in the teachers' lounge, the first letters of each name spell "Tanaka cheats."
 * The Periodic Table of Elements in the teachers' lounge says: "Search Behind Boiler."
 * In the teachers' lounge, the world map says: "A trophy was not the only prize, but also money of a greater size."
 * In the teachers' lounge, the memo on the desk says: "Before you see the enemy, examine the elevator."
 * In one of the books in the teachers' lounge there is a paper with sign language that spells out "O was innocent", an anagram for "Connie Watson".
 * In the library, there is one book called "The Story of Her Interactive and the Making of Nancy Drew" by Megan Gaiser and Barbary Brunner. Her Interactive is the development company behind the game. Megan Gaiser is the President and CEO, and Barbary Brunner is the Director of Product Development.
 * One of the books in the library is by Carolyn Keene, author of the Nancy Drew books.
 * The blue sheet on the main desk in the library says: "Sabotage should cause concern, but with the gloves you will not burn."
 * In the map drawer, there's a word-find where you can find: Mitch, murder, Jake, Hulk, Kanji, Connie, pharmacy, Maxine's, diner, case, boiler, and other words related to the plot.
 * In another map drawer, the blue and green letter puzzle says: "The bolt cutters you must take or you could be the next Jake!"
 * A book on dreams in the lower level of the library says: "Don't run Nancy."
 * There is a book on Zodiac symbols in the library called "The Zodiac and You". In Message in a Haunted Mansion, this book was also in Abby's room.
 * A jukebox at Maxine's spells out 'Jake.'
 * The letters on the keypad that locks the maintenance room can be shuffled to form "Unjam the lock," although this is not the proper code.
 * In the library, the green M book has a code which anagrams to "Find VCR Tape".
 * Also in the library, the red B book has a code which anagrams to "Mitch drops gun".