This is one of my favorite Nancy Drew games that I can remember playing. It's terrifying and interesting and I loved it.

Plot: Super scary stuff happens around the hotel you're staying in. I am a big baby and actually screamed at a few points. There's also some complex family drama going on that needs to be sorted out. It's very well done like most Nancy Drew games are.

Minigames: Okay, I could make bento boxes for literally days. Years, maybe. Adorable animal-shaped sandwiches in a puzzle game. Yes please. And nonograms. I did not know nonograms existed but now I am obsessed. (There is also Sudoku and another number game that is horribly difficult and I didn't last very long.) At one point, you have to write your name with a calligraphy brush. Having taken a Japanese class, let me tell you, this is already hard as heck. Trying to do it with a mouse is even worse. Survive that minigame, though, and the rest is awesome.

Puzzles: There were a few puzzles I needed to google the answers for because the game set them up strangely. Like walk aruond the garden a hundred times and you never see a thing, but after you know about the puzzle, click in a verrrrry specific spot and suddenly you can find new stuff. Also plenty of codes to break, timed puzzles with death looming, etc.

Exploring/Snooping: You get to shoo people from their places and investigate! It's great. This one (similar to the Waverly Academy game) has a time mechanic where you must wake up in the middle of the night to snoop around while everyone is sleeping. You get to visit different areas of Japan, play pachinko, etc. This game gives you a lot of freedom to run around and do things, and I enjoyed that.

Characters: One thing I liked about this game from the others is that several of the characters completely shut you down when you are snooping. In some of them, they open up so easily "oh hey you completed a minor puzzle for me. Awesome. Let me tell you my entire life story." This one made you work for it. There's also a cute romantic subplot with two characters off-screen, and the handyman at the hotel is adorable and fun.

All around, this is one of the better Nancy Drew games. Definitely give it a play if you like the series. :)