Everything Wrong With Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Seven Keys

A video describing all the problems with Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Seven Keys. There are many, many problems with this game.
Here's a full playlist of all my Everything Wrong With Nancy Drew videos:
• Everything Wrong With ...
The Arglefumph logo animation at the start of this video was made by Serge Hanna. The music was made by alwaysthebutler. The thumbnail was made by Kelly Marshall.
This video contains footage from the Nancy Drew series, made by Her Interactive (www.herinteractive.com). All rights are owned by Her Interactive.

[@stuemler]

Everything Wrong with Nancy Drew 34: Firing the old staff, and refusing to rehire some of them after game 33.

[@JennifulCreations]

Omg!!! That's so true! Nancy's new voice is so flat, just like these new games!

[@Crystal11Skulls]

And not switching back to the 2D graphics.

[@Jules-916]

Imagine if Patricie's name change was because she got married in the middle of the game but nobody cared.

[@extendedlimits]

"Why do the police know who Nancy is?" Because of the infamous podcast we never hear about😂 It would have been cool if they made the podcast had a larger part in the game

[@leftoverlemons930]

Or had a line where they talk about Nancy’s borderline illegal activities / reference the other games. Something like “the teenager who went scuba diving in the Paris sewers? Hell no, you’re insane!”

[@Dominic-o6r]

I wish HER Interactive would hire Arglefumph to catch all these mistakes before the game's released. They would be SOO much better

[@veritecarry7142]

Finally, thank you! Can we please get Ned to live a little and become part of mysteries!? He always sounds SO sad and alone! Come on, Herinteractive!!!

[@sarahdavis2406]

Also - Nancy goes on a detective job but for some reason thinks bringing a laptop with her is completely unnecessary

[@minajones8341]

I’ll give them that because there have been games where Nancy didn’t even take money on international trips 😅

[@FirebirdsChild]

The one that I can explain is Elka looking up flights to Rome. (SPOILERS) Since she's the accomplice, she was probably helping Vladena plan when to kidnap Leo; aka, when everyone would assume he'd just left for his trip to Rome. To do that, they'd need to know his flight information, so it was probably to get info on when the upcoming flights to Rome where to at least narrow down the window or even just know when his flight was leaving.

[@thefashionluvbug]

I hope I'm not the only one who misses the old Nancy Drew games. I prefer the graphics from the old games compared to the new. There's far too many glitches in the new games...I never have come across any glitches in the older games. STFD is one of the best games, in my opinion, but its not playable on new computers no matter if you use the physical or digital copy. They keep on releasing new games without fixing games like STFD. It's just upsetting what the games have come to :( Remember how many glitches Midnight in Salem had? Like, come on.

[@manegirl93416]

Not even on an emulator? Or played on a virtual machine? That typically solves my problems when older games refuse to run.

[@russianvalkyrie2358]

You can use emulator software to run all of the old ND games. If you google "How to play old nancy drew games" you should find plenty of tutorials.

[@TheRealLeumas]

There’s a tool called DGVoodoo that you can download that makes the old graphics work on new machines! Works like a charm and it’s open source so no concerns about viruses or anything

[@nontask78]

Stay Tuned For Danger can be played on new pcs. I play it on mine on Windows 10.You just need a certain audio patch. And yes, it is one of the best.

[@thefashionluvbug]

@@nontask78 I have Windows 11 so it doesn't work on this. My old PC did have windows 10 and it worked on there. So i guess id have to just use that

[@SimoneShaw-fy2zm]

This is probably more entertaining than the actual game

[@NostalgictotheMax]

I nearly had a breakdown because I was convinced I was stupid with what to do next. These videos gave me reassurance that most things to trigger the game progressing wasn’t obvious lol

[@WildCardIsAces]

#194-#195 - I think Puppet No.12 is code for the skeleton knight costume, at least that's the impression I got

[@Gray13]

6:59 My only guess as to why no one eats the cake is that Patricie is a bad baker and no one wants to upset her by not taking the cake she gives them… but it’s inedible

[@2pepperz]

She substitutes coffee grounds for cocoa powder like "oh its fine, it will be a coffee cake instead of a chocolate cake"

[@graygarrison3114]

​@@2pepperzNancy finds an adorable Kitty Cat Cliche.

[@lisan9517]

This was loosely covered by "THIS puzzle", but one of my peeves was how they linked the key from the book to the compass rose symbol on the door. We only have that link because someone sent Nancy a text!

[@emilybayrachny8348]

"Vladena is a jerk". This my favourite line from every video you make Arglefumph!

[@dangershrike]

A few to add! Nancy says Ned suggests she traps the knight, but the dialogue makes it sound more like he’s worried about her and doesn’t want her to be in any danger. For the puzzle where you match the keys to the gems, the answers are actually all in the alchemy book ahead of time. I had written that down ahead of time and so this puzzle wasn’t even a puzzle at all. I just had the answers already.

[@saucetheracer7251]

Also how did Vladena get into the Alchemy lab without the snow globe key??

[@LolaSkyee]

SPOILER WARNING #167 - pretty sure that's supposed to be a clue to the culprit as there's the character that is supposed to go to Rome, but Nancy is suspicious that they actually did, but the police say there is evidence that they did - hence culprit looking up flights #205 (and most of the ones relating to Oskar), he was originally a lot larger of a role in the first versions of the game #300, should've also put that the game dialogue says "hurry up" several different ways making you think you need to rush. I kept putting the box back thinking I didn't have time to solve it and got stuck. #415 - no one can figure out how to activate final necklace puzzle

[@croquettish]

Elka doesn't actually give the laptop away for free. If you look at the financial ledger while snooping around Elka's desk, you can see all her sales, and that includes Nancy's laptop!!

[@mmm_inxy]

I think asses wasn’t a misspelling considering that’s where all the items are coming from in this game

[@ryvetted]

I was so frustrated though the ENTIRE game This video is so valid haha

[@karaleecupcake]

These are some of my favorite videos you do! I do think Mystery of the Seven Keys is better than Midnight in Salem, but the lack of direction in knowing when do certain tasks and just knowing how to start some of the puzzles is a big problem. Also, the hint system is really unhelpful! Another problem I have is that finding the true owner of the necklace is a very missable plot point and difficult to trigger!

[@minajones8341]

Its crappy that there’s an extra puzzle and plot point that not everyone gets to have a chance to play

[@karaleecupcake]

@minajones8341 I agree! I missed it during my playthrough, and I had no idea there was an extra puzzle until I watched someone else pointing it out!

[@Sadiez14]

I just burst out laughing when he randomly said Radek's butt 🤣🤣🤣

[@MissMozzyDee]

I was not able to see any of Leo's information on the Secretary's computer while in Classic mode. There was no way of getting around the desk to do so, and I was able to complete the game without it.

[@Sadiez14]

Me too

[@SimoneShaw-fy2zm]

I hope her interactive is listening so they can start making better games again 😂

[@rakastettu2237]

I thought there was significant improvement from the last game, and it’s not as though the older games were without problems. But I agree; still room for improvement!

[@graygarrison3114]

​@@rakastettu2237Definitely a huge improvement even with how many mistakes this Game has.

[@theslayerboyRED]

I’m guessing they didn’t listen since MIS?

[@graygarrison3114]

@@theslayerboyRED They definitely listened for a good thing but I don't think that Nancy Drew Mystery of the seven keys is perfect but it's definitely a major step in the right direction.

[@GmmBeast]

​@@rakastettu2237 No one said the old games were without fault. But look at the length of this video and the last. There are FAR more things wrong with these games than the old ones. I was shocked they even made a second game with this awful UI but then I found out the old team isn't there anymore, so now it makes sense.

[@EliseT_1012]

52:53 Him mouthing her dialogue is the weird thing about this?? But why does Nancy sound like her voice has been lowered 2 octaves??

[@kaylaleiann]

Thank you for this. I watched Gab Smolders playthrough for this and I’m so glad I didn’t waste $32 on this dumpster fire of a game. You can tell there was zero continuity between the different teams that worked on this game, because so much of it contradicted itself or just made no sense whatsoever. I am so angry at what Penny Millikan has done to this series. They need to rehire the old team and go back to their old formula - obviously they lack the ingenuity and the budget to take the games in a new direction and actually pull it off.

[@tiffles4492]

I'm surprised this is almost an hour long. I love these videos.

[@lman9034]

About the same length as the game lol

[@GmmBeast]

Not surprising really lmao

[@whitneym495]

I was positive it was Patricie because of the cafe book with the key and the snow globe, but nope! Just completely unexplained.

[@minajones8341]

Maybe it’s to foreshadow the special necklace puzzle?

[@whitneym495]

@@minajones8341 wait how so? I think I’m forgetting the necklace puzzle now

[@minajones8341]

@@whitneym495 Not everyone has been able to unlock the last bonus endgame puzzle. At the end of the game when everyone is back at the coffee shop if you’ve done certain things Nancy has the option to put the necklace back together for Adele since Marek will mention there was something about the jewels. Spoilers- Once Nancy puts the necklace back together, it turns out the necklace belonged to Patricie’s family.

[@whitneym495]

@@minajones8341 ohhh gotcha okay, yeah I was able to unlock it. I complete forgot about that lol

[@monicastamant]

Later in the game, when you look at Elka’s computer, it says Nancy paid for the laptop but in the conversation it kind of seems like she got it for free?? Where did Nancy get that much money? Why is she BUYING a laptop instead of saying “Hey I need to download a file can I use a computer over there that the other customers are clearly using for free?” She’s only in Prague for a couple of days… and isn’t there a library or something around where she could use a computer? I know that Elka gives it to her to put a virus on it and track her phone but her phone and laptop aren’t related… she put a virus on the laptop for such a pointless reason…

[@bookworm598]

Lol Michael at the end questioning if he's been saying frappe wrong, that was great! Significantly less copy edit errors this time which gives me a spark of hope at least

[@LolaSkyee]

Is it just me or have the videos been super quiet lately??? I have to turn my TV volume way up and then the ads are BLASTING

[@why_tho_]

Not just you haha

[@americanpatriot6484]

You went all in going after everything. It was hilarious. The 'unattached beard' is a real thing, though. It's probably like an exaggerated soul patch.

[@Aurorageriatric]

i have been following you for yearS and this has to be one of my favorite videos! I was laughing like i was watching a sitcom. this was awesome! thanks!

[@CigarsNRoses]

I’ve got to add- as a Catholic- calling a priest by his first name without the “Fr.” Prefix is never done. Even by non-Catholics. The fact that he wasn’t “Fr. Leo” really bothered me the whole game. It’s like if you were to call a doctor “David” instead of Dr. David.

[@ЗояКоробова-л3и]

I love how this videos get longer with each new game. Here’s some more: There is a dumb bug I encountered after the final encounter with the culprit. When Leo tells you about getting kidnapped, you can pick up a little satchel from the centrepiece where the crown was, and zoom in on the satchel. However, you can’t zoom out or put the satchel back. Nancy gets stuck, and the only way out of this situation is alt+f4 the whole game, since the menus ain’t clickable when you hold an object.

[@Linette9039]

My favorite cliche is Nancy goes to solve a mystery and ends up solving some other mildly related (sometimes not at all) other bigger mystery.

[@cdtay15]

"Rhymes with crap-ay" made me laugh too hard 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@reginalowe160]

I was annoyed that i couldn’t solve the alchemy journal poems myself. The game made me ask Patricie before I could interact with the knight, clock, and candles.

[@MsAquamonkey]

Is it me, or do some of the voice lines sound super robotic? Like they couldn't redo lines post-prduction, so they used A.I to redo them?

[@PheivAlive]

Some of Nancy’s lines especially sound extremelyyyyy AI. Like Siri

[@punxsydawn]

The worst voice actors are Nancy and the villain

[@limegreenelevator]

According to Brittany Cox (Nancy's VA), she wasn't really given any vocal direction for the lines.

[@PheivAlive]

@@limegreenelevator that’s terrible!!

[@GmmBeast]

​@@limegreenelevator I understand that not having direction can be pretty confusing but I don't really think it's an excuse. There's no emotion at all. I don't imagine it's very hard to listen to your voice lines and ask to retake them when they sound bad. But maybe they didn't let her 🤷‍♀️ She sounds just as bland as the last game, and everyone complained then. No improvement happened at all.

[@cecelia996]

The sad thing is i knew who the villans where really early in the game, from the flights to Rome on Elkas laptop, the cyber security and her taking the phone to the date issues with the necklace. Even Marrik and the puppet 12 i kinda figured that puppet 12 was code for his suit of armor to chase nancy. So watching your wzlk through i was kinda just like ok thats one morempoint in knowing it was who it was. I wish thdse 2 newest games made better mysteries because this and midnight have very easy to trll villians, even in the new voice acting i can tell as the way they talk now kinda gives stuff away

[@koko_and_chamomile7274]

Yayy I've been waiting for another one of these! Nice catches. Here are some bonus ones from my playthrough. For 202: I played the game with medium settings, and even then I saw no indication that two numbers listed together on a single gem meant that you had to multiply them. The multiplication symbol, if there is one, is way too tiny to notice, especially with text that's prone to blurring. For the area in 275: There is also little indication that there's something you're supposed to run from in this area. When I first played, the music picked up, but I saw a desk and expected to have to explore before someone found me. Instead, I got three second chances without knowing why. How are players supposed to know the knight is there without looking behind them? How do they even know they're supposed to look back? For 318: To get an explanation for how the clock works, you have to text Ned. Ned is somehow expected to be an expert on Prague AND the clock in the courtyard. Even if he says he did *some* research on Prague, it makes little sense to ask him over characters who have seen the clock their whole lives.

[@dangershrike]

For the knight chase scene - I had no clue what/who was chasing her whatsoever until she called someone and told them!

[@koko_and_chamomile7274]

@@dangershrike exactly!! A friend of mine that played KEY got that phone call and didn't even know what knight was being talked about!

[@thespiderofhonor3732]

If you read the strategy guide it does mention nancy having a hotel.

[@laceypederson4215]

Loved this video. It was fun to have been able to give input for this one-and to see my suggestions used! I recognized some of my wording which was really fun. Thank you 😊

[@christinagunia]

I am cracking up 😂 Thank you for posting!

[@stuemler]

When is Nancy ever on alert. Especially now that she's monotone Nancy. Even old Nancy wasn't suspicious of Detective Beach, or Shorty.

[@SimoneShaw-fy2zm]

Oh god because the keys game was from a long break, different actress and yea different way to play the game

[@callforarchives]

Right after finishing putting the gems into the crown, and the tazer sequence happens, i picked up the bag the gems were in, and the game stuck. 😢

[@Chellekathryn]

Everything wrong with Nancy drew mystery of the seven keys: they refuse to go back to the old format.

[@JavieraScarratt]

the same characters pronounce 'degas' at least five different ways throughout the game lmao

[@SimoneShaw-fy2zm]

Heirloom that reminds me of that game with the antiques

[@cristalkorn]

Please do more Everything Wrong With Nancy Drew.

[@LadyNoire123]

🎉 Thanks for the video!

[@Isaacfess]

Thanks for continuing to make this series!

[@bogeo8459]

I love all the comments.

[@Joannefibracs9994]

HOW HARD IS IT TO PROOFREAD😭😭😭

[@stuemler]

Nancy didn't even suspect Johnny Raul...

[@why_tho_]

Ned never stops catching strays XD

[@gauloise6442]

This game is so tedious, I am only up to the point of getting chased in the tunnels for the first time, and there is so much more to go. I thought I'd just use the walkthrough so I can just finish quickly, and then came the chase puzzle. and i have spent 30 minutes trying to outchase the ghost. i am just so over it.

[@alyssadube2786]

Thank you, I’ve been excited for this! 😂

[@KateyMaple]

Normally I enjoy cute mishaps like what we found, but I guess I'm a traditionalist when it comes to these games because it seems like since the switch to the new versions the quality has gotten worse. The plot is lacking, the locations are minimal, the explanations for the puzzles were subpar (thinking about the marionette puzzle in particular). I plan on playing through the rest of the games for the 4th or 5th time in order. I hope the team can learn from these transitional changes and come out on top in the future.

[@asl6304]

Glad for this video! I can't wait for the in-depth walkthrough. 38:01 'starting' is misspelled

[@karricompton]

So, I still haven’t finished the game because I stalled in the middle and wasn’t motivated…there are three culprits, then? Or 4? I knew Radek would be guilty of something. Vladena as a culprit was just too easy so I never suspected her.

[@minajones8341]

Spoilers for the ending- Radek and Marek are part of Residente. They were blackmailed by Loutzkari (Elka and Vladena) in order to motivate Nancy into finding the keys. Elka was furious with being lied to about her mother’s death. Her mother died on a mission for the Residente and her grandfather has felt guilty ever since. Elka decided to frame Radek and her grandfather for stealing the Crown Jewels. And since Michael didn’t mention it in the video- there’s an endgame puzzle that’s really hard to trigger. If you can trigger it, you can put the jewels back in Adela’s necklace and realize that Patricia (cafe owner) is the family that originally owned the necklace. Adela gives her back the necklace. Some of the closing dialogue to Ned or Carson suggest that Adele and Agent Zane might be interested in each other.

[@karricompton]

@@minajones8341 Ooh, very interesting. Thanks!

[@Adam10Burt]

I have seen all Nancy Drew game walkthroughs on KZbin, why they stop doing one at the end when Nancy tells what happens to each characters but instead ends with talking to her boyfriend on the phone.

[@esti___]

Oh wow, thorough!😮

[@ConifuriousTree]

211. Wasnt the date discrepancy part of the puzzle to show that it was tampered with

[@Hope-fo9ez]

I'm here for the comments but I showed up to early! Trying to get an idea of whether this game is worth the time and cost without spoilers. Can't check steam reviews because it's not on steam yet! An hour of issues is not a good sign...

[@dragon_toad]

Yeah, I was hoping for an improvement following the last one...

[@Gray13]

It is an improvement from the last one, just not as great as the old ND games

[@gauloise6442]

It is such a frustrating game to play. The puzzles make no sense and the text on the screen is so small, it gives me a headache and make some puzzles unplayable. Plus the sterile aesthetic. Wait for a sale, you've waited this long.

[@thespiderofhonor3732]

Nancy hasn't bean this interested in entomology since game #3

[@mitchellgillum]

lol, you can tell, this game was barely tested.

[@JavieraScarratt]

50:05 this is a dumb comment by nancy, but also it kinda reveals the problem with the whole premise of the crime in the first place, because it's patently absurd that someone would be able to steal the extremely famous and recognisable crown jewels of a country and sell them without someone going '...uh this is very clearly the xyz ruby from the czech crown jewels did u steal it??'. it's like stealing and then attempting to sell the declaration of independence or the mona lisa or something. i guess as a jeweller she can break the large gems down into smaller (thus much less valuable) ones but it's still gonna be sus, and also there are pearls in there that she just can't do anything with lol

[@lucyhernandez419]

Ned is SO needy on this one

[@stuemler]

The narrator was confusing

[@kreshravensango8421]

Poor Ned😅

[@manegirl93416]

After all these years of poor characterization for Ned, I'm honestly surprised that they haven't either erased him from existence, killed him, or rewrote him entirely at this point. Ned is considered only boring to fans because the writers made him that way, and they've had years to fix that with literally decades of books and games and tv shows, but they never want to do it. Ned is there to serve the beleaguered boyfriend role, but never allowed to get any sense of development or depth, because there's always a "hot guy" that he can't compete with to flirt with Nancy and the fans cry out, "Why can't she get together with him instead and dump Ned?!" Also... are Bess and George not in this game to contact?!

[@why_tho_]

​@@manegirl93416no they're not, they're completely missing in this game.

[@manegirl93416]

@@why_tho_ That's *weird!* Almost blasphemous!

[@danceplayer22]

Her Interactive.. we deserve better :(

[@Lulu-mj2fi]

Are they cinnamon sticks or stir sticks....

[@stuemler]

The Ned thing 😂😂😂

[@CaspianHere]

2:38 LMAO SO TRUE🤣🤣

[@jakepark1481]

The asses one 🤣

[@scott6348]

Yessssss I love it 😍

[@zEvilCube]

2:39 he's just like me 😭

[@KrystalHarwood-z1b]

she slept at adelas home

[@gauloise6442]

Then she would have recognized Adela at the cafe

[@KrystalHarwood-z1b]

@@gauloise6442 lol and arglefumph says in his gameplay ''doesnt nancy ever SLEEP?'' i think she does but you just dont see the bedroom as in Sea of Darkness. she doesnt PHYSICALLY go into one but it is inferred she sleeps and wakes up the next morning. btw i think they should bring back a clock mode in the game like they did in WWIC

[@vintprox]

Asses

[@megbenham]

Holy cow I'm early

[@lemonsharkshan5677]

number 405 hahaha

[@stuffwithsoph8264]

Milk on counters is not an issue in most of Europe, not all milk needs to be put in a fridge!! If unopened it should be fine

[@russianvalkyrie2358]

But its open she uses it all day to make coffee.

[@stuffwithsoph8264]

@@russianvalkyrie2358 I assume the milk on the counter is waiting to be used and opened when needed

[@maureymorskaya]

28:17 I AM REALLY SORRY but the difference in education between America and other countries is so noticeable)

[@Leah-cu6pr]

Wow, this game looks awful lol.

[@SimoneShaw-fy2zm]

This game ain't appropriate

[@StoryRetold]

@arglefumph may I create a reaction video to this specific video? I would love to share comments on what you covered!