- This page is for the video game adaption. For the book the game was adapted from, see The Final Scene.
The Final Scene is the fifth game in the Nancy Drew adventure series. Released on November 7, 2001, it is based on Nancy Drew Files #38: The Final Scene. In this game, Nancy races against the clock to find her kidnapped friend in a St. Louis theater set to be demolished.
Synopsis[]
Search a darkened movie theater to free a hostage from her captor's dangerous plot!
Nancy's high school friend, Maya Nguyen, who is now a reporter for Washington University's paper, has invited Nancy to the Royal Palladium Theater in Saint Louis, Missouri to help her interview the star actor in a new movie, Brady Armstrong. His movie, Vanishing Destiny, will be the final premiere at the theater before its demolition. However, when Maya gets kidnapped just seconds after entering Brady's dressing room, you, as Nancy Drew, are now plunged into a desperate race against the clock. With the theater being torn down in just three days, can you outwit the kidnapper and rescue your friend before the wrecking ball flies? Or will this be Maya's final scene?
- Learn about Harry Houdini and his magic tricks
- Explore the inner workings of a historical theater
- Coordinate with the police and local groups to save a landmark theater
Characters[]
Brady Armstrong[]
Brady is the star of Vanishing Destiny, the final film to premiere in the Royal Palladium. Maya was supposed to interview him before her kidnapping.
Simone Mueller[]
Simone is Brady's agent. She's focused on his career and success and doesn't hesitate to exploit situations for publicity.
Nicholas Falcone[]
Nick is the leader of the activist group HAD IT (Humans Against the Destruction of Illustrious Theaters). Stationed inside the theater, he's campaigning for its preservation. However, he seems to have a reputation for taking drastic measures to preserve theaters.
Joseph Hughes[]
Joseph is the theater's caretaker, who works in the projection room and looks after the theater. He cares a great deal for the Royal Palladium and has worked there for decades.
Maya Nguyen[]
Nancy, Bess, and George's high school classmate, who is now a student reporter at Washington University in St. Louis.
Phone Friends[]
The phone is located in the ticket booth.
Bess Marvin and George Fayne[]
Bess and George are cousins and both are good friends of Nancy. They can give her advice on her case.
Ned Nickerson[]
Ned is Nancy's boyfriend, and also offers her advice and hints.
Eustacia Andropov[]
Eustacia is an elderly woman who is Harry Houdini's cousin by marriage. Nancy can call her to hopefully find a way to prevent the Royal Palladium theater from being knocked down, given that Harry Houdini had half ownership of it.
Production[]
According to producer Max Holechek, during the production of Treasure in the Royal Tower, Her Interactive almost had to shut down due to lack of funding and changes in gaming industry, particularly in pricing. To combat this, it was decided to make two games per year instead of one. The Final Scene was rushed through production to meet a late 2001 release, and begin the company's familiar two-games-a-year moniker.[1] The rush was somewhat obvious; for example, the "new game" screen just has a simple "Welcome!" in the text, with no voice-over. This is much less than other games, where a voice-over was recorded by Lani Minella. Also, there are several plot holes and inconsistencies throughout the game. Some elements planned to be included were also left out, such as Nancy having a cell phone.
In 2019, an unused teaser trailer meant to be at the end of Treasure in the Royal Tower revealed that the game was initially closer in line with the book, using details from the book such as The Century Theater (instead of the Royal Palladium) and the film being Night of the Venus Moon (instead of Vanishing Destiny). The kidnap victim was supposed to be Deidre McCullough, a character in the book who was Brady's leading lady. The only major change - besides from Bess being the kidnap victim - was that Deidre was supposed to have gone to high school with Nancy, Bess, and George; in the book, it was Brady who was their classmate.[2]
Trivia[]
- The voice actress of Maya is uncredited; she was the wife of one of the game artists, and requested not to be credited.[3]
- This is the final appearance of Ned until Curse of Blackmoor Manor was released three years later.
- According to lost conversations (found in the audio files of the game), Nancy was supposed to have a cell phone.
Continuity[]
- George mentions Rick Arlen. (Stay Tuned for Danger)
- The puzzle box in the basement has the same design as Abby's jewelry box. (Message in a Haunted Mansion)
Foreshadowing[]
- Secret of the Scarlet Hand: The cover of the ending magazine has a story on "mysterious red handprints".
Main/recurring character revelations[]
- Bess is a fan of Brady Armstrong.
- Nancy, Bess, and George attended high school with Maya Nguyen.
Allusions[]
- Brady Armstrong seems to be a parody of several late 1990s/early 2000s "male heartthrobs", such as Leonardo DiCaprio and James Van Der Beek. Similary, Simone represents the cliché of slimy Hollywood agents.
- The poster of Homeboy'z Nu' Groove parodies the poster of The Emperor's New Groove.
Goofs[]
- When Joseph comes to see Nancy at the end of Day 1, his dialogue is not synced with his movements.
- The hidden contract found by Nancy (with a third of the theater going to Louisa Falcone) seems to be accepted as legally binding. However, it should not, as Falcone did not sign it.
Videos[]
Nancy Drew The Final Scene Official Trailer
Unused Teaser
The Final Scene-Lost conversations
References and Notes[]
- ↑ Her Interactive. Unlocked! The Official Nancy Drew, Podcast (Episode 018: Max Holechek) - YouTube. July 21, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
- ↑ Phix Wings. Unused Teaser for The Final Scene (Nancy Drew #5) - YouTube. July 30, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
- ↑ StoryRetold. Reacting to Arglefumph’s Everything Wrong with The Final Scene Video - YouTube. November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.