XD Yeah, I know that one is a HATE for many! I always use a timer on my phone and it actually works great, but I could totally see how it would be just another rage-inducing puzzle in a long game of already awful puzzles!
For me, the last nonogram in Shadow at the Waters Edge just makes me say "No." And that frame puzzle on senior mode is brutal and doesn't need to exist
I actually don't mind solving them either, it's more the placement and the sheer magnitude of them that, objectively, makes them frustrating for lots of detectives! I'm so glad you enjoy them though!!
I love the SAW master sudoku, but I wish that we had just been sent a regular sized sudoku puzzle in a harder level (or better yet, anything else to get the cat commands) and left the master sudoku as an optional Rentaro puzzle. I love to sprint my ND games and play them all in one sitting on the weekend, so I don't end up playing SAW as much as I would like just because of the sheer amount of time it takes to complete the master sudoku and giant nonogram, and waiting around for all of Yumi's pictures
I want to add the ice block jumping puzzle in white wolf of icicle creek because that puzzle can just be impossible if the correct ice block doesn't spawn. Then you just have to wait for Nancy to freeze before you can restart. I had to freeze Nancy 3 times before it spawned for me.
Another great list! I am a little surprised that the gigantic nonogram from SAW was only an honorable mention, since it can take over 30 minutes to solve and appears at the very end of that game. I would take a giant Sudoku over that puzzle any day, but that's just my opinion. Looking forward to the Top 10 BEST Puzzles list! 😃
Yeah, the only thing that saved it is that it is significantly more necessary than the giant sudoku and it is built up during the game where we find the two pieces. But I agree, it's a BEAST!
@@katherinelennon668 and the fact that the classics weren't as graphically advanced, so they HAD to focus on crafting a really good story! Makes the old ones way more memorable!
The one that gives me the hardest time has always been the portrait backing puzzle from Shadow at the Water's Edge. No one else has mentioned it though so I guess it's just me 😅
Scopa as an honorable mention??? Whoa, that’s a hot take right there. I love Scopa! It can be a little hard to win, though (for reasons outside of your control).
I'm feeling you on some of these! The sheer pointlessness of some of the puzzles in these games drives me nuts. Like Fox and Geese. I enjoyed playing it...one time and not four times. The puzzles I just don't like period (IRL or in game) are slider puzzles. I have no patience for those at all. Also I think the nonogram puzzle in Shadow at Waters Edge was probably one of the hardest puzzles I've done in these games. There was something about that puzzle that my eyes and brain just could NOT follow. I'm really enjoying your analysis of the games, thanks for sharing!
YES, the giant nonogram puzzle was one of the honorable mentions and was only saved because of it's importance to solving the mystery. They still could have made it SO much less stress inducing though!!
Great video! I love snarky WizardKitten, she's the best! I do find it super interesting that the earlier games don't show up on here, you can tell that the "renaissance" era really lost some magic in a bid to be more "modern". Would love to see you do a top 10 best games :)
Great video! The only one I didn't agree with was number 1 funny enough! All the others I was like "Yup, knew that one would be there!" haha I do have an unpopular opinion on Trail of the Twister though and it is actually one of my favorites. I've always been able to get that gear puzzle sorted pretty quickly. I love this series too of which are worst and best of things. Shows a lot of how everyone can see these games differently!
OMG how was the well puzzle at the end of Venice not on this list?! I have ZERO CLUE how you’re supposed to solve this! Another very similar one is the one in Alibi. Omg I hate them!! Also I would have picked the end nonogram puzzle from SAW over giant suodoku … that occurs at the end of the game and was less familiar to me.
Another great ranking video!!! :) Unpopular opinion but I'm really happy that the golf puzzle didn't make it into the top 10 because I personally love that puzzle!
i stopped playing ND games so regularly after waverly, but have followed them devotedly from the sidelines ever since because they were such a huge part of my formative years. i spent about the first ten minutes of your video feeling a bit out of the loop, as i haven't played through any of those puzzles myself--but then you arrived at the chemical puzzle from castle malloy...and soon after that was the fox and geese from white wolf (which was one of my personal favorites!) and i almost lost my mind! i could not tell you the number of hours teenage me spent agonizing over that stupid board. i'm sure i cried literal tears! thank you for this video and for reminding me of my time with these wonderful games.
I didn't mind the underwater sudoku and fox&geese actually. 😅 That ghost hunt from MID nearly had me rage quitting, though! I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it. Also I'd take most puzzles here over playing Bul with Jane. Damn you, Bul!
Great list! Three of my most hated puzzles: underwater sudoku, giant sudoku, and the chemical puzzle. Also that giant puzzle toward the end of Shadow at the Water's Edge....ugh.
I actually really like the chemicals puzzle, the seed puzzle, and the mouse trap puzzle (I don't mind doing it 4 times). I also don't mind the frass puzzle but I'm surprised it wasn't on your list since everyone else in the world other than me seems to hate it for some reason. I would have liked the underwater color sudoku puzzle a lot if they actually gave us time to complete it, but since they don't I agree that it isn't good. My most hated puzzles/games/tasks: -Fox & Geese in ICE (agree with you on that one) -The alien machine puzzle in MED (agree with you on that one as well) -The hourglass puzzle in RAN -The tunnels puzzle in VEN -The giant renogram in SAW -The moving rooms in CUR (yes, there's an easy shortcut, but until you learn it trying to get through the rooms is infuriating) -Vegetable picking in SHA -Sewing the dress in CLK -The cannisters in the bench puzzle in SPY -The clocks puzzle in GTH -The picture-backing puzzle in SAW (although I've gotten better at this one with practice)
Loved seeing your list!! I agree with you on several that you mentioned! The water tunnels in VEN are a personal HATE for me! As far as frass, I consider it a pretty reasonable puzzle given Nancy's purpose for being there and it's never been one that's TOO difficult for me. Just lots of math and note taking! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
I loved the sass and snark you gave these puzzles, Caitlyn. It reminded me of your Ranking ND Games and MID review. Even though I had no idea what you were going to put for #1, I was expecting it to be from MID, SM, or RAN (your bottom three worst ND games). Yes, please make a 10 Best Puzzles video. I'm guessing it's going to be mostly the food puzzles since I know you love them so much (Waverly Snack Shop, maybe?) 😉
I actually like the two sudoku ones. Those would make my favorites list! The ones that make me want to throw my computer across the room are the otter puzzle from HAU & the tie-breaker challenge from MED
My all time least favorites are for sure the giant sudoku, and the fox puzzle at the end of Shadow at the Waters Edge. Another terrible one is the frass sorting from Kapu Cave!! I REFUSE to do it without a walkthrough, one time was enough for me😂😂
For the Ransom sudoku puzzle, I just take a picture of the work I've done with my phone before she drowns and put everything back once I get the second chance happens. It honestly saves so much time instead of travelling back and forth.
I love the two puzzles from LIE (I love all the puzzles from that game) and Fox & Geese. You gotta strategize to solve it and I love it. The more challenging, the better. The ones where you have to be quick or control heavy (driving, sudoku under water, etc) are not for me. I wanna think think think, not rush rush rush
That's totally fair! I actually don't mind solving the seed puzzle at all, but I just HATE where it's placed. And I enjoy Fox and Geese the first time...just not more 😂 totally get the different puzzle solving preferences though!
I’m actually happy the golf puzzle didn’t make it because even though I always hear how ppl hate it I actually love it and I remember it was one of my favorite parts of the game when I played as a kid. Also ngl I love playing fox and geese even if you did have to do it 4 times LOL
I foresee Scopa as one the best puzzles! Also I really love sorting bugs' excrements puzzle. It's sooo good. It really made me THINK and MOVE MY BRAINS. I like how ND games taught me that I can do literally anything if I have clear instructions!
I actually really like the seed sorting puzzle at the end of Labyrinth, idk why though. My absolute least favorite puzzle ever is all the monkey games in Ransom, in particular the stupid board game that you win by sheer luck.
I'm surprised the floor puzzle in Haunted Mansion didn't make it. It gives you NO LEEWAY (sp?) In making an error. You have to get the spot EXACTLY RIGHT, or else it doesn't let you win. I kept have a cow memory being 8 years old, playing my first Nancy Drew game, and thinking my game was broken. I played it again for the first time in years recently, and again I thought the game was broken, until I remembered my first playthrough xD I'm surprised to see Scopa on the list too. I think it's so much fun to play and play it irl often 🎭
Lol, yeah a lot of people mentioned the floor puzzle! I've just found it to be very doable when you know you need the pieces to fit exactly! I do also love Scopa, it's more getting stuck playing it for hours 🙃
For me, one of the worst that I've played is the train station puzzle in Shadow at the Water's Edge, and the matching game in Resorting to Danger. And my personal bane, EVERY. SLIDER PUZZLE. IN THE SERIES. Looking at you, Ransom and Secrets Can Kill
I love the mouse cage puzzle, but I agree that we shouldn’t have to do it more than once. I also love the seed sorting puzzle in LOL. And the chemicals aren’t so bad. Really, the giant nonogram is way more difficult and time consuming than the giant sudoku in SAW. Otherwise I’m with you on the others.
Giant nonogram almost made the list for sure!! It just ended up being so important and unique that I felt it was more useful than the giant sudoku overall.
Shadow at the water's edge, I had more questions to that last f nonogram, I think I even cried when figured out I made a mistake and had to do it all over again 😊😊😊😊
Hey, Caitlyn, I absolutely love this list esp your no 1 pick, like seriously, I almost quit the game because of it. XD I look forward to your top ten best puzzles. :)
Having made it up to Captive Curse (minus Ransom since it’s not available) Shadow at Waters Edge still takes the cake. The enormous math puzzle and the picture backing is why that game doesn’t score high. Awful, stressful, time wasting and fun detracting puzzles make or break a game for me. So while Shadow May score high for fans it scores low with me based on that! Fox and Geese I hear many people hating. For some reason I don’t remember hating that or it being bad. I may have even enjoyed it! Now I need to go back and play it again lol.
Yeah, SAW really does go a bit extreme with the puzzles! Fox and Geese wouldn't have been SO bad if you didn't have to win so many times in order to progress. It can just be so stressful!
Loved this list, it was spot on! I hated labyrinth of lies and the shattered medallion so much, I'm pretty sure I just used a walkthrough to solve those puzzles because I dont even remember them 😅. White Wolf was my favorite game as a kid, I used to play the games with my grandma and we would have to switch off playing fox and geese when one of us would get too frustrated. I hate timed puzzles like the underwater sudoku (which was dumb to begin with, why would a japanese puzzle be a part of a Spanish treasure hunt?). That list from midnight in salem was also so dumb, why would someone code something that mundane and hide it in a cemetary? It would make more sense to find the list while snooping through her stuff. It seems to me that the writers just wanted more of the cemetary in the game.
My unpopular opinion is that I really liked Fox and Geese lmao. i definitely got frustrated trying to get all of them but the satisfaction when I finally finished it made it worth it. I also liked the giant sudoku and seed sorting puzzle from labyrinth of lies. I think I just enjoy the unnecessary but challenging logic type puzzles 😂
Fair enough lol. I'm binging your analyses right now and I find myself agreeing with the vast majority of your opinions. Keep up the awesome work!@@WizardKittenYT
Oh no! I’m making my way through the Nancy drew games for the first time with my friend, we just finished Blackmoor Manor (had to skip stay tuned for danger) and it TERRIFIES ME that none of the games we’ve beaten appeared on the list 🤣
@@WizardKittenYT I watched your best puzzle list too! (Actually I’ve been binging your Nancy Drew videos lol) that list was almost all the games we’ve already played! I loved your point of how the best puzzles directly correlate to the plot! I’d say probably the most infuriating puzzle we’ve played so far was is the wood tile inlay puzzle from Message in a Haunted Mansion. Pretty much any of the “chore” puzzles are ranked pretty low for me but that one didn’t even feel tied to anything of importance (unlike feeding the farm animals at Shadow Ranch for example). Also thank you for the advice! We have been debating on whether or not to do senior or junior (since we’re both fresh to the series but also turning 27 this year) and I think we’ll go with junior for here on out!
I didnt hate the gear puzzle and I Loved the seeds puzzle. I’m surprised you didnt include the worst and most game stopping puzzle, the circuit board in deadly device
I love Fox and Geese so much that I bought the game in real life. 🤣 From a subjective standpoint, I would put the chemical puzzle from Castle Malloy as #1. I BLEW MYSELF UP AT LEAST 150 TIMES! 😡😡😡
Some of my least favorite puzzles in the NDS are Fox and Geese from White Wolf, the "Fox" puzzle from "Shadow at the Water's Edge", and the Sheep puzzle from" Castle Malloy" among others. I must be in the minority because I somewhat like the miniature golf puzzle from "Old Clock" and the Scopa puzzle form "Phantom". In fact I just saved the game at the point of playing scopa, and just play it. To be honest some of these games the more you play the better you get at them, unfortunately for me Fox and Geese isn't one of them.
I actually LOVE Scopa, but I have literally spent hours trying to progress in the game because Enrico will keep winning. I think it would be perfect if we didn't HAVE to win in order to progress.
@@WizardKittenYT I agree. I just like playing it on its on. But I hate when I'm nearly winning and suddenly on the last deal, Enrico is dealt or grabs the 7 of coins card, and manages to get Scopa twice in a row.
If we looked at puzzles that I've played for their own sake (by restoring from a save), rather than as part of a whole game, it would be Scopa, Seeds of Persephone, and Fox and Geese, which really isn't that hard. (It's not true that if you make one mistake, you lose. You can lose several pieces and still win the game, although I always quit if I lose any pieces, just to make it more of a challenge). After those three, maybe Petrogrlyph Punch, and maybe the cooking challenges from Icicle Creek.
Yeah, I think it's more the vast scope of Fox and Geese that makes it rough for many detectives including myself 😂 thanks for sharing your list of puzzles too!
The puzzles are one of my favorite things about ND games but man are some of them frustrating! I agree so much with your #1. Last time I tried to replay Trail of the Twister I gave up and got bored because of that puzzle lol. Also: yes please do a video on the best 10 puzzles! I love all your ranking videos and can’t wait for more!
There's actually a fun lil cheat for that and it has always made that one a lot less frustrating for me! XD If you rapidly open and close the trap door a few times, eventually the blockers will go away!
@@WizardKittenYT 😅 The game overall is so good one of my top favorites. But not even Shorty's chores can match the sheer frustration of your magnet hitting the wall, ha
Yeah, that was a bit of an exaggeration! It's more that your whole process then has to change, which can really increase how long you have to play it and it's already so long. It just stresses me out 🤣
when you got to the mouse puzzle, did it anger anyone else that she could have been done with it much faster if she user the WALLS and was better at changing the rotating things??? Put up the walls and its really simpleee
I do mention in this video that the mouse puzzle isn't actually difficult, just tedious, especially since it has to be done four times. 🤷♀️ sorry that frustrated you though.
The hourglass puzzle at the end of Ransom of the Seven Ships has taken all of my rage and tears lol
XD Yeah, I know that one is a HATE for many! I always use a timer on my phone and it actually works great, but I could totally see how it would be just another rage-inducing puzzle in a long game of already awful puzzles!
For me, the last nonogram in Shadow at the Waters Edge just makes me say "No." And that frame puzzle on senior mode is brutal and doesn't need to exist
It’s been so long since I’ve played Icicle Creek that I completely repressed the fact that you have to play Fox and Geese three times. Yikes 😂
Right?!?! 😂
Me: sees shadow at the water's edge sudoku and labrynth of lies puzzles-says quietly but I like those puzzles
I actually don't mind solving them either, it's more the placement and the sheer magnitude of them that, objectively, makes them frustrating for lots of detectives! I'm so glad you enjoy them though!!
@@WizardKittenYT I always found trying to get paw pennies to get the cheese for the rats and capturing the rats a pain the the neck
I love the SAW master sudoku, but I wish that we had just been sent a regular sized sudoku puzzle in a harder level (or better yet, anything else to get the cat commands) and left the master sudoku as an optional Rentaro puzzle. I love to sprint my ND games and play them all in one sitting on the weekend, so I don't end up playing SAW as much as I would like just because of the sheer amount of time it takes to complete the master sudoku and giant nonogram, and waiting around for all of Yumi's pictures
Fox and Geese is the only reason why I don’t replay the game more often. I’m too old for this level of stress
I want to add the ice block jumping puzzle in white wolf of icicle creek because that puzzle can just be impossible if the correct ice block doesn't spawn. Then you just have to wait for Nancy to freeze before you can restart.
I had to freeze Nancy 3 times before it spawned for me.
Omigosh you are so right!!
I wish Midnight In Salem has more puzzles. This is something needed on youtube
I wish it had more too! And I wish the ones that were in it were better!
Another great list! I am a little surprised that the gigantic nonogram from SAW was only an honorable mention, since it can take over 30 minutes to solve and appears at the very end of that game. I would take a giant Sudoku over that puzzle any day, but that's just my opinion. Looking forward to the Top 10 BEST Puzzles list! 😃
Yeah, the only thing that saved it is that it is significantly more necessary than the giant sudoku and it is built up during the game where we find the two pieces. But I agree, it's a BEAST!
@Boston Low I’m totally with you.
Shocked to see giant sudoku here, that was one of my favorite puzzles ever
I love your channel. It's so nice to find a fellow fan who still talks about the old classic games. They were so amazing ❣️
Aww, I'm so happy to hear that! Getting to talk ND with my fellow detectives is the best! 🤗
I like the old games way better! I think it may be nostalgia too but I just love their charm so much.
@@katherinelennon668 and the fact that the classics weren't as graphically advanced, so they HAD to focus on crafting a really good story! Makes the old ones way more memorable!
@@WizardKittenYT Great point!! I never thought of it that way but I completely agree :)
Honorable Mention goes to the Sorting Puzzle from CLK. I know it feels being held hostage by Zippy.
The one that gives me the hardest time has always been the portrait backing puzzle from Shadow at the Water's Edge. No one else has mentioned it though so I guess it's just me 😅
Oh I've definitely heard lots of people struggle with that one! Lol, you're not alone!! That one can be a beast!
Scopa as an honorable mention??? Whoa, that’s a hot take right there. I love Scopa! It can be a little hard to win, though (for reasons outside of your control).
That's why it's an honorable mention, I've been trapped for over an hour before 😂
@@WizardKittenYT completely fair haha
I'm feeling you on some of these! The sheer pointlessness of some of the puzzles in these games drives me nuts. Like Fox and Geese. I enjoyed playing it...one time and not four times. The puzzles I just don't like period (IRL or in game) are slider puzzles. I have no patience for those at all. Also I think the nonogram puzzle in Shadow at Waters Edge was probably one of the hardest puzzles I've done in these games. There was something about that puzzle that my eyes and brain just could NOT follow. I'm really enjoying your analysis of the games, thanks for sharing!
YES, the giant nonogram puzzle was one of the honorable mentions and was only saved because of it's importance to solving the mystery. They still could have made it SO much less stress inducing though!!
My favorite puzzle is Scopa. Anyone else?
I really love playing Scopa, I just wish Enrico didn't cheat so much 😂
YES!!! 100 TIMES YES!!!! Tho I taught my bf and he’s wiped the floor with me every game :/
Yep, love Scopa.
Great video! I love snarky WizardKitten, she's the best! I do find it super interesting that the earlier games don't show up on here, you can tell that the "renaissance" era really lost some magic in a bid to be more "modern". Would love to see you do a top 10 best games :)
I'm so glad you enjoy snarky WizardKitten 😂😂
My least favourite puzzles
Slider puzzles
Fox and geese
The Door mirror lock shadow at the water's edge
The Color code box
Ice shoveling puzzle
Great video! The only one I didn't agree with was number 1 funny enough! All the others I was like "Yup, knew that one would be there!" haha I do have an unpopular opinion on Trail of the Twister though and it is actually one of my favorites. I've always been able to get that gear puzzle sorted pretty quickly. I love this series too of which are worst and best of things. Shows a lot of how everyone can see these games differently!
I would like to nominate Ransom as a whole as completely unnecessary 😑
That is a very fair nomination, LOL
OMG how was the well puzzle at the end of Venice not on this list?! I have ZERO CLUE how you’re supposed to solve this! Another very similar one is the one in Alibi. Omg I hate them!!
Also I would have picked the end nonogram puzzle from SAW over giant suodoku … that occurs at the end of the game and was less familiar to me.
I feel the same about the well puzzle!! The only reason it isn't here is because I've solved it successfully on junior, just never on senior!
Another great ranking video!!! :) Unpopular opinion but I'm really happy that the golf puzzle didn't make it into the top 10 because I personally love that puzzle!
Oh good!! I wish I wasn't so bad at it 😂
i stopped playing ND games so regularly after waverly, but have followed them devotedly from the sidelines ever since because they were such a huge part of my formative years. i spent about the first ten minutes of your video feeling a bit out of the loop, as i haven't played through any of those puzzles myself--but then you arrived at the chemical puzzle from castle malloy...and soon after that was the fox and geese from white wolf (which was one of my personal favorites!) and i almost lost my mind! i could not tell you the number of hours teenage me spent agonizing over that stupid board. i'm sure i cried literal tears! thank you for this video and for reminding me of my time with these wonderful games.
Haha, that is so amazing to hear! I'm so glad you enjoyed the little nostalgia hit from the video!! Totally agree, Fox and Geese is ROUGH.
I didn't mind the underwater sudoku and fox&geese actually. 😅 That ghost hunt from MID nearly had me rage quitting, though! I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it. Also I'd take most puzzles here over playing Bul with Jane. Damn you, Bul!
True! Bul with Jane can be pretty awful!!
I’m always so happy to see a new video on your channel! Thanks a lot for them❤️
Oh my gosh, of course!! Thank you so much for watching!
Great list! Three of my most hated puzzles: underwater sudoku, giant sudoku, and the chemical puzzle. Also that giant puzzle toward the end of Shadow at the Water's Edge....ugh.
I'm so glad you liked it! 😁
You mean the giant nonogram puzzle. Gah yeah I hate that one worse than the sudoku.
I actually really like the chemicals puzzle, the seed puzzle, and the mouse trap puzzle (I don't mind doing it 4 times). I also don't mind the frass puzzle but I'm surprised it wasn't on your list since everyone else in the world other than me seems to hate it for some reason. I would have liked the underwater color sudoku puzzle a lot if they actually gave us time to complete it, but since they don't I agree that it isn't good.
My most hated puzzles/games/tasks:
-Fox & Geese in ICE (agree with you on that one)
-The alien machine puzzle in MED (agree with you on that one as well)
-The hourglass puzzle in RAN
-The tunnels puzzle in VEN
-The giant renogram in SAW
-The moving rooms in CUR (yes, there's an easy shortcut, but until you learn it trying to get through the rooms is infuriating)
-Vegetable picking in SHA
-Sewing the dress in CLK
-The cannisters in the bench puzzle in SPY
-The clocks puzzle in GTH
-The picture-backing puzzle in SAW (although I've gotten better at this one with practice)
Loved seeing your list!! I agree with you on several that you mentioned! The water tunnels in VEN are a personal HATE for me! As far as frass, I consider it a pretty reasonable puzzle given Nancy's purpose for being there and it's never been one that's TOO difficult for me. Just lots of math and note taking! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
I loved the sass and snark you gave these puzzles, Caitlyn. It reminded me of your Ranking ND Games and MID review. Even though I had no idea what you were going to put for #1, I was expecting it to be from MID, SM, or RAN (your bottom three worst ND games). Yes, please make a 10 Best Puzzles video. I'm guessing it's going to be mostly the food puzzles since I know you love them so much (Waverly Snack Shop, maybe?) 😉
I'm going to have to restrain myself so I don't just do ALL cooking puzzles, because yes, I'm tempted 😂
I actually like the two sudoku ones. Those would make my favorites list!
The ones that make me want to throw my computer across the room are the otter puzzle from HAU & the tie-breaker challenge from MED
So glad you enjoy the sudoku!! The HAU and MED puzzles you mentioned are also super frustrating, totally agree!
My all time least favorites are for sure the giant sudoku, and the fox puzzle at the end of Shadow at the Waters Edge. Another terrible one is the frass sorting from Kapu Cave!! I REFUSE to do it without a walkthrough, one time was enough for me😂😂
I totally thought about the frass puzzle, but it just missed the list!!
I hate frass sorting as well. It all in all a horrible game anyway.
Great list! Would love to see one for Best Puzzles too!
Awesome! Thanks for the comment!
For the Ransom sudoku puzzle, I just take a picture of the work I've done with my phone before she drowns and put everything back once I get the second chance happens. It honestly saves so much time instead of travelling back and forth.
Ooh that's a great tip!
I love the two puzzles from LIE (I love all the puzzles from that game) and Fox & Geese. You gotta strategize to solve it and I love it. The more challenging, the better. The ones where you have to be quick or control heavy (driving, sudoku under water, etc) are not for me. I wanna think think think, not rush rush rush
That's totally fair! I actually don't mind solving the seed puzzle at all, but I just HATE where it's placed. And I enjoy Fox and Geese the first time...just not more 😂 totally get the different puzzle solving preferences though!
I’m actually happy the golf puzzle didn’t make it because even though I always hear how ppl hate it I actually love it and I remember it was one of my favorite parts of the game when I played as a kid. Also ngl I love playing fox and geese even if you did have to do it 4 times LOL
LOL! I personally hate the mini golf puzzle but only because I'm so bad at it! I didn't think it was fair to knock it just because I have no skill 😂
I foresee Scopa as one the best puzzles! Also I really love sorting bugs' excrements puzzle. It's sooo good. It really made me THINK and MOVE MY BRAINS.
I like how ND games taught me that I can do literally anything if I have clear instructions!
That's such a good way to put it!! The challenge can be so empowering!!
I actually really like the seed sorting puzzle at the end of Labyrinth, idk why though. My absolute least favorite puzzle ever is all the monkey games in Ransom, in particular the stupid board game that you win by sheer luck.
SAME. That one got an honorable mention!
Same here. 💯
I'm surprised the floor puzzle in Haunted Mansion didn't make it. It gives you NO LEEWAY (sp?) In making an error. You have to get the spot EXACTLY RIGHT, or else it doesn't let you win. I kept have a cow memory being 8 years old, playing my first Nancy Drew game, and thinking my game was broken. I played it again for the first time in years recently, and again I thought the game was broken, until I remembered my first playthrough xD I'm surprised to see Scopa on the list too. I think it's so much fun to play and play it irl often 🎭
Lol, yeah a lot of people mentioned the floor puzzle! I've just found it to be very doable when you know you need the pieces to fit exactly! I do also love Scopa, it's more getting stuck playing it for hours 🙃
These are one my favorite puzzles 😂
For me, one of the worst that I've played is the train station puzzle in Shadow at the Water's Edge, and the matching game in Resorting to Danger. And my personal bane, EVERY. SLIDER PUZZLE. IN THE SERIES. Looking at you, Ransom and Secrets Can Kill
Lol! We all have our kryptonite! 😁 thanks for the comment!
The portrait puzzle in Shadow at water's edge. There we go i have said enough to make everyone internally scream.
Haha! Yes, that one is definitely hated by many!
I love the mouse cage puzzle, but I agree that we shouldn’t have to do it more than once.
I also love the seed sorting puzzle in LOL. And the chemicals aren’t so bad.
Really, the giant nonogram is way more difficult and time consuming than the giant sudoku in SAW.
Otherwise I’m with you on the others.
Giant nonogram almost made the list for sure!! It just ended up being so important and unique that I felt it was more useful than the giant sudoku overall.
Shadow at the water's edge, I had more questions to that last f nonogram, I think I even cried when figured out I made a mistake and had to do it all over again 😊😊😊😊
Oh no, that's the worst feeling ever!!
Hey, Caitlyn, I absolutely love this list esp your no 1 pick, like seriously, I almost quit the game because of it. XD I look forward to your top ten best puzzles. :)
Yay! I'm so happy to hear that you liked it! 😁 glad I'm not alone with that puzzle!
Having made it up to Captive Curse (minus Ransom since it’s not available) Shadow at Waters Edge still takes the cake. The enormous math puzzle and the picture backing is why that game doesn’t score high. Awful, stressful, time wasting and fun detracting puzzles make or break a game for me. So while Shadow May score high for fans it scores low with me based on that!
Fox and Geese I hear many people hating. For some reason I don’t remember hating that or it being bad. I may have even enjoyed it! Now I need to go back and play it again lol.
Yeah, SAW really does go a bit extreme with the puzzles! Fox and Geese wouldn't have been SO bad if you didn't have to win so many times in order to progress. It can just be so stressful!
Loved this list, it was spot on! I hated labyrinth of lies and the shattered medallion so much, I'm pretty sure I just used a walkthrough to solve those puzzles because I dont even remember them 😅. White Wolf was my favorite game as a kid, I used to play the games with my grandma and we would have to switch off playing fox and geese when one of us would get too frustrated. I hate timed puzzles like the underwater sudoku (which was dumb to begin with, why would a japanese puzzle be a part of a Spanish treasure hunt?). That list from midnight in salem was also so dumb, why would someone code something that mundane and hide it in a cemetary? It would make more sense to find the list while snooping through her stuff. It seems to me that the writers just wanted more of the cemetary in the game.
Totally agree with all these thoughts!! And also it's so cool that you played Fox and Geese with your grandma! 🤗
My unpopular opinion is that I really liked Fox and Geese lmao. i definitely got frustrated trying to get all of them but the satisfaction when I finally finished it made it worth it. I also liked the giant sudoku and seed sorting puzzle from labyrinth of lies. I think I just enjoy the unnecessary but challenging logic type puzzles 😂
Haha, for sure! I get that!
What was wrong with Scopa in your opinion? Scope is one of my favorites.
I absolutely love to play Scopa, but I have been stuck for literal hours before trying to win to progress in the game 😅
Fair enough lol. I'm binging your analyses right now and I find myself agreeing with the vast majority of your opinions. Keep up the awesome work!@@WizardKittenYT
@ashleeglover6807 aw thanks!! So glad you're enjoying them!
It would be awesome if you did another video about the best puzzles!
For sure! That's on my list for the next analysis video! 🤗
Oh no! I’m making my way through the Nancy drew games for the first time with my friend, we just finished Blackmoor Manor (had to skip stay tuned for danger) and it TERRIFIES ME that none of the games we’ve beaten appeared on the list 🤣
Bahahaha!!! OMG, I could see how that would be terrifying! Let's just say that I personally recommend Junior detective for the modern games 😁
@@WizardKittenYT I watched your best puzzle list too! (Actually I’ve been binging your Nancy Drew videos lol) that list was almost all the games we’ve already played! I loved your point of how the best puzzles directly correlate to the plot! I’d say probably the most infuriating puzzle we’ve played so far was is the wood tile inlay puzzle from Message in a Haunted Mansion. Pretty much any of the “chore” puzzles are ranked pretty low for me but that one didn’t even feel tied to anything of importance (unlike feeding the farm animals at Shadow Ranch for example). Also thank you for the advice! We have been debating on whether or not to do senior or junior (since we’re both fresh to the series but also turning 27 this year) and I think we’ll go with junior for here on out!
@@RosebudsASled oh I love that!! Yes, the inlay puzzle is one of the more despised puzzles for that exact reason! LOL!
*hears the first note at* 0:00 ah, is it time to bully the tea puzzle from DAN again already?
LOL! Nah, I just like that particular song 😁
I didnt hate the gear puzzle and I Loved the seeds puzzle. I’m surprised you didnt include the worst and most game stopping puzzle, the circuit board in deadly device
For some reason, the circuit board doesn't bother me as much! I think it's because it's during the culprit encounter rather than preventing it.
I love Fox and Geese so much that I bought the game in real life. 🤣 From a subjective standpoint, I would put the chemical puzzle from Castle Malloy as #1. I BLEW MYSELF UP AT LEAST 150 TIMES! 😡😡😡
I would honestly love to play Fox and Geese irl! But yeah, definitely not the chemicals puzzle, lol!
I actually like the seed sorting puzzle in labyrinth of lies but i agree with all the others lol
Haha yay!! Honestly, if the seed sorting puzzle had been at any other point in the game, I think I would have enjoyed it much more!
Some of my least favorite puzzles in the NDS are Fox and Geese from White Wolf, the "Fox" puzzle from "Shadow at the Water's Edge", and the Sheep puzzle from" Castle Malloy" among others. I must be in the minority because I somewhat like the miniature golf puzzle from "Old Clock" and the Scopa puzzle form "Phantom". In fact I just saved the game at the point of playing scopa, and just play it. To be honest some of these games the more you play the better you get at them, unfortunately for me Fox and Geese isn't one of them.
I actually LOVE Scopa, but I have literally spent hours trying to progress in the game because Enrico will keep winning. I think it would be perfect if we didn't HAVE to win in order to progress.
@@WizardKittenYT I agree. I just like playing it on its on. But I hate when I'm nearly winning and suddenly on the last deal, Enrico is dealt or grabs the 7 of coins card, and manages to get Scopa twice in a row.
The only puzzle that is difficult to me is the picture frame fixing puzzle from shadow at the waters edge
Yeah, I know that's another frustrating one for people too!!
I really enjoyed the big sudoku 😂
I know what you mean! It's more that it's an obligation and less of a choice, if that makes sense, lol!! 😅
@@WizardKittenYT it definitely does :) it’s time consuming and feels silly. I think I was just happy to not be doing a nonogram 😭
YESSSS Snarky Caitlyn!!
So glad you liked it and that you can commiserate with similar puzzle hate!!! 😂😂
If we looked at puzzles that I've played for their own sake (by restoring from a save), rather than as part of a whole game, it would be Scopa, Seeds of Persephone, and Fox and Geese, which really isn't that hard. (It's not true that if you make one mistake, you lose. You can lose several pieces and still win the game, although I always quit if I lose any pieces, just to make it more of a challenge). After those three, maybe Petrogrlyph Punch, and maybe the cooking challenges from Icicle Creek.
Yeah, I think it's more the vast scope of Fox and Geese that makes it rough for many detectives including myself 😂 thanks for sharing your list of puzzles too!
The puzzles are one of my favorite things about ND games but man are some of them frustrating! I agree so much with your #1. Last time I tried to replay Trail of the Twister I gave up and got bored because of that puzzle lol. Also: yes please do a video on the best 10 puzzles! I love all your ranking videos and can’t wait for more!
So glad I'm not alone in hating that puzzle!! Thanks so much for the comment! 🤗
I am binge-watching your ND content!
I groaned aloud when you mentioned the mouse puzzle. It's so terrible. and yes, Crystal Skull is AWESOME
Oh yay! I'm so glad you're enjoying the content!
I love your videos so much!
Aww, thank you so much! I'm so glad!
What about the magnet/elements puzzle in Shadow Ranch? My magnet always gets stuck and it takes ten trillion years and I get so dang frustrated
There's actually a fun lil cheat for that and it has always made that one a lot less frustrating for me! XD If you rapidly open and close the trap door a few times, eventually the blockers will go away!
@@WizardKittenYT oh my gosh!! Okay, that changes things. Next time I'm absolutely stuck on it I'm going to do that.
@@Fluffymonkeyem it is legit game changing! 😅
@@WizardKittenYT 😅 The game overall is so good one of my top favorites. But not even Shorty's chores can match the sheer frustration of your magnet hitting the wall, ha
It's not true that a single wrong move and you're done in Fox and Geese. You can lose many Geese and still be able to force a win.
Yeah, that was a bit of an exaggeration! It's more that your whole process then has to change, which can really increase how long you have to play it and it's already so long. It just stresses me out 🤣
@@WizardKittenYT Well, having to win in a specific corner definitely makes it harder.
why isn’t anyone talking about the sudden death puzzle in the shattered medallion😭
That once is definitely really hard!!
when you got to the mouse puzzle, did it anger anyone else that she could have been done with it much faster if she user the WALLS and was better at changing the rotating things??? Put up the walls and its really simpleee
Right?! So unnecessarily complicated!
@@WizardKittenYT I meant like if you put up the walls when showing that part, the mice wouldn't have run all over the place
Ah, I see what you mean 👍
I do mention in this video that the mouse puzzle isn't actually difficult, just tedious, especially since it has to be done four times. 🤷♀️ sorry that frustrated you though.
Trail of the twister might be the most useless game in the Nancy’s Drew series next to shattered medallion... can’t stand either of them
Haha! That is honestly a very fair point! XD
Who has seen my medallion?
OMG, hey Professor :D
Sorting chemicals is nothing compared to tangled rocket wires
Yeah, that one's a doozy too 😬
The gears puzzle is for the transmission
Yeah, I know, I was just trying to make a bad joke 😂
the video starts at 4:30 btw... long unnecessary opening
I appreciate your kind feedback 👍