Nancy Drew: Alibi in Ashes

Alibi in Ashes is the twenty-fifth game in the series and the second to release in 2011.

Game Description

Escape the Smoky Intrigue of a Hometown Inferno!
A local contest turns into an arson scene and now deceit smolders among the charred ruins of the River Heights Town Hall. Police have several suspects, but well-placed incriminating evidence and poisonous local gossip compelled authorities to make only one arrest: Nancy Drew. Can you, as the teenage detective and her closest friends, catch the real arsonist and extinguish the accusations among the embers?

Game Information

Available on: Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10. OS X 10.5.8 Leopard/10.6.6 Snow Leopard/10.7 Lion/10.8 Mountain Lion or higher but will not run on Mojave or Catalina.
ESRB: E for Everyone
PC/Mac Release Date: October 18, 2011
Release MSRP: $19.99 USD
Current MSRP: $19.99 USD
Number of Discs: 1
Game Abbreviation: ASH
Game Color Code: 7B84B7
Inspired by/Based on: The Nancy Drew Files #43: False Impressions and Nancy Drew Mystery Stories Digest Paperback #163: The Clues Challenge

Game Specs

PC System Requirements:

1.5 GHz or greater Pentium 4 or equivalent class CPU
512 MB of RAM
2 GB or more of hard drive space
64 MB DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics video card
16-bit DirectX compatible sound card
4x DVD drive
Mouse and Speakers

Mac System Requirements:

Intel processor
512 MB RAM
2.1 GB or more hard drive space
Intel GMA 950, ATI X1600, NVIDIA 7300 graphics card or better
4x DVD drive
Keyboard and mouse
Internet connection the first time the game is launched
This game will not run on PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac systems (PowerMac)
This game will not run on Mojave or Catalina

Fun Facts:

Every copy of this game has a blue banner across the top of the box that says "Special 25th Edition". It didn't mean there was anything special about the game, rather it was intended to commemorate the fact that this is the 25th Nancy Drew PC game.
When you pre-ordered Alibi in Ashes, they changed the Special Edition sticker to say Bonus Edition so there wouldn't be confusion between the 25th game anniversary and the special pre-order features.
Since this was the 25th Nancy Drew game, HeR Interactive decided to set the game in Nancy's hometown of River Heights.
You get to play as Nancy, Bess, George, and Ned in this game.
This was the first time Chief McGinnis was in a Nancy Drew game as an interactable character.
Alibi in Ashes was the final game to feature a lot of things that were stylistic to Nancy Drew games. This was the final game where Nancy's desk was used as a main menu for the game. It was also the final game to be set in the 800 x 600 screen resolution. This was the last game to have a physical strategy guide. Alibi in Ashes was also the final game to have Kevin Manthei compose the music for the games. HeR Interactive did, however, continue to use his theme song through to game 32 and as an homage in game 33. This was the final game to have a physical slip cover with a flap containing information about the game. It was also the final game to use the user interface introduced with The White Wolf of Icicle Creek.
This is the first and only game where you can explore and interact with Nancy's house.
Nancy's room is full of collectibles from past games. For example, Nancy had a lot of items on her desk throughout the series that were throwbacks to past games. You are now able to see them all in Nancy's closet.
There were no phone charms to collect if you got the Bonus Edition. There was, however, a secret letter from Ned Nickerson that was hidden in the game for you to find.
This game introduced Deirdre Shannon, Nancy's local "enemy" who has a crush on Ned. Deirdre returns for The Deadly Device and Midnight in Salem.
The logo for this game had a blue outline around the words "Nancy Drew" that matched the game's color as a way to celebrate it being the 25th game.
Mabel Rose's, a location you can visit in River Heights, was first introduced in Trail of the Twister as the company that does autobody repair work.
Alexei Markovic was physically based off of Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Whenever you purchase this game digitally from HeR Interactive's online store, you will get the Bonus Edition of the game.

Image Gallery
Characters
Walkthrough
Soundtrack
Extra

Image Gallery

Characters

Brenda Carlton

Brenda Carlton considers herself an ace-crime reporter for the Heights Nine News Team. Her impulsive style tends to put sensationalism over accuracy, regardless of the cost to others. Could she have a deeper story hiding behind her microphone?

Deirdre Shannon

An old classmate of Nancy’s, Deirdre Shannon is a spoiled rich girl whose family is constantly being bested by the Drews, and the Clues Challenge is proving to be no different. Competitive, haughty and arrogant, she’s tired of placing second. How far will she go to top Nancy in this competition?

Alexei Markovic

Alexei Markovic is River Heights’ eccentric quasi-recluse who owns the antique shop. He used to be an amateur detective until a case went awry that ruined his reputation. With his knowledge of the town and its history, how far would Alexei go to try to clear his name?

Toni Scallari

Antonia Scallari stays busy as an elected official on the River Heights City Council, but keeps in touch with her voters by running the local ice cream parlor, Scoop. Toni holds great sway in the community, and appears to be approachable and pleasant. Is this practiced politician’s friendly façade covering up darker secrets?

Ned Nickerson

Nancy’s longtime and loyal boyfriend, Ned arranged for the team to participate in the River Heights Clues Challenge. When Nancy is arrested, he is ready to help her clear her name in any way he can, even if it means using his charm and handsome features to learn more information and distract suspects.

Bess Marvin

One of Nancy’s best friends, Bess is a sweet, positive, but sometimes high-strung girl who is worried about Nancy. She is willing to set aside her anxiety in order to help get Nancy out of jail and prove her innocence. Her skill in gossiping could lure the right information out of a suspect, so long as her brain doesn’t freeze from eating too much ice cream.

George Fayne

George, Nancy’s other best friend, tends to be more sensible and down to earth than her cousin, Bess. Though her less optimistic outlook can make conversing with suspects difficult, when given the opportunity, George knows just what questions to ask. Her energy and love for high tech gadgetry will come in handy to Nancy and the case.

Chief McGinnis

Head of the River Heights Police Department, Chief McGinnis has had a long working relationship with Nancy and her amateur detective skills. The evidence does not look good, and there is pressure to act quickly, leaving him no choice but to arrest her for arson. Willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, the Chief turns a somewhat blind eye while letting her work on the case from inside the station.