Frank and Joe Hardy, the original “It would have worked if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids and their dog!”, are making their way onto the DS early next year. (okay, so there wasn’t a talking dog helping solve Hardy Boys mysteries. Work with me here!)
Her Interactive, publishers of the popular Nancy Drew PC adventure games series, is partnering with Sega of America to bring the longest running book series of all-time to the Nintendo DS™ in early 2009 with The Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks.
In the game, players assume the role of Frank and Joe Hardy who have been invited onboard the Royal Express, an extravagant rail line traveling from Paris to St. Petersburg.
Following the mysterious trail of the Romanov Family treasure, the Hardy Boys venture across a rich European landscape with stops at Vienna, Paris, Prague, and St. Petersburg. While onboard, players will search for hidden clues, explore the train cars, interrogate passengers and solve interactive puzzles as they attempt to discover what happened to the ‘lost’ treasure and unlock the century old secret of the Romanovs.Knowing the quality of Her Interactive’s Nancy Drew games, I’m confident their foray into handhelds will translate well. I’ve played one of the existing Nancy Drew games for the DS (published by Majesco Games) and I can honestly say that I’ve never returned a game so fast. I’m all for a few mini-games as they can certainly add some spice to the gameplay, but when even conversations are a mini-game, I think developers have gone just a little over the top. Sure, I’m not necessarily the target demographic, but kids aren’t as mindless as some developers would have you think. (Did this just turn into a mini rant?)
You can read the full press release here.