Rank #29: ‘The White Wolf of Icicle Creek’

Next on my ranking list of the Nancy Drew games is mystery number 16, “The White Wolf of Icicle Creek.”

This is the game that many applauded simply because it followed the lack-luster “The Creature of Kapu Cave” and featured an interactive animal. Aside from the crisper graphics and character design, this game wasn’t much of an improvement, at least in my opinion.

The premise is a pretty standard one for this title. Strange “accidents” have been going on at a Canadian Lodge, which is under some new the ownership or something of Chantal Moique, and a local white wolf has been conveniently present right before each incident.

The lodge’s handyman, Ollie Randall, is convinced that the wolf is a jinx, and he is trying to catch/trap it. So, Nancy is brought up to investigate. It’s a pretty basic plot, nothing weird or unordinary.

Once Nancy arrives, she dives headfirst into the investigation, only to find out that she has to perform maid and chef services everyday. Yes, everyday. Half of the game is cooking and cleaning, and if you decide to bypass those duties, Chantal, Ollie, or both get on your case about it and FORCE you to do it.

“Oh, the lodge burned down? I’m sorry, i could’ve potentially stopped it, but I was too busy not putting paprika on Lou Talbot’s omelet.”

The game has a good pace to it, from what I can remember. I have actually played this one a few times.

The characters, although semi-interesting, are again, you guessed it, annoying.

Bill Kessler is a creepy middle-aged guy who can put you to sleep in two seconds with a story, and all he apparently does is hang out with a college student. That student, Lou Talbot, is so bland and doesn’t know if he wants to be a hipster or not. He just seems to be in an indifferent mood.

Guadalupe Comillo is around for about two seconds, Yanni either spends his time skiing or telling you to get lost, and Ollie is just kind of there telling you what not to do.

We also see (well, hear) the infamous Tino Balducci in this game as Chantal hired him to help Nancy.

The two cool characters are Freddie, Ollie’s daughter, with whom all you due is play snowball fights with, and the White Wolf herself. I don’t want to give anything away, only that you run into her a lot.

The setting was nice, the pacing was good, the characters were okay, and the plot was okay. The puzzles, while some near the middle and the end were tedious, were actually pretty nice throughout the game.

So, why is the game so far at the bottom of the list?

I just think it’s boring. The chores take a lot of responsibility for that. Otherwise, nothing about it really stands out to me. Plus, I hated the final puzzle/ending puzzle.

So, there you have it. Check back tomorrow for slot 28!