Stay Tuned for Color

Hello fellow sleuths! I want to bring y'all back to the turn of the century in today's post and talk about the second Nancy Drew game!

How many of you have been following HeR since 1999? I personally wasn't introduced to the company until six years later, but with the power of the internet, I'm able to travel back in time to see what things were like way back then! Whether it's using the Wayback Machine or purchasing games off eBay, I've got a pretty solid understanding of the visual evolution of the box art for the Nancy Drew games. One of the most interesting things to me is how the first two games underwent multiple box art iterations before landing on the versions still being used today.

Below are the three versions of the box art for Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill from 1998, 1999, and 2000 when HeR Interactive started working with cover designer Mark Tolleshaug to create all future box and cover art.

Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger didn't have three different styles, but it did have two versions of one style. Below are all three styles (in the best quality I have in my archive).

You'll notice the two versions on the right are almost identical. Almost. There are a few differences here and there, but the most glaring difference is the color. I've had the pink version in my archive for some time now, but the red one is one that's always been a little more difficult to track down. I've tried recreating the color for it in the past to no avail (see my failed attempts below hahaha)!

Turns out, my little 18-year-old brain was far less superior than my nearly fully-developed 24 year old brain. And as of today, I'm proud to announce that I've FINALLY recreated the coloring as best as I can! I'm incredibly proud of this feat and I can't wait to use it in some projects I've been planning! Check out an official release from DreamCatcher on the left and my color treatment on the right.

Now, I know mine isn't a PERFECT recreation. I know there are some slight lighting and color differences, but I'm happy with what I've got, and if I decide to make any adjustments later, I'll just pop open the Photoshop file. Maybe one day I'll try and perfect it (I often do), but for now, I'm happy. EDIT: I did end up making some more changes to make it look a bit more like it's supposed to and now I'm even more pleased with the result than before.

Do you have a favorite version of the cover art for either Secrets Can Kill or Stay Tuned for Danger? My preferences are the 1998 release of SCK and the red version of STFD. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for both of them.

Also! HeR Interactive is having a winter sale on right now! You can go to their website and use code HOLIDAY24 for 50% off all games (except Mystery of the Seven Keys and the game bundles). If you want to get Mystery of the Seven Keys on sale, you can use a separate code to get 20% off! At checkout, use KEY24 only on HeR Interactive's website! This isn't an ad, it's just a great sale and I think I'll be grabbing a few games to add to my digital collection before the new year!

Will you be picking up any games from HeR this holiday?

That about wraps up today's post. Until next time, detectives!

Huw