Nancy Drew Lights, Camera, Curses Walkthrough Part 1 of 3 -- Nancy Drew, the New Production Assistant
Lights, Camera, Curses! Get Ready, Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew and the Ransom of the Seven Ships is a full-fledged adventure game. Lights, Camera, Curses is not. Instead, it is a logical evolution of the find the hidden object games that Big Fish seems to capitalize on. (One hidden object game, Ravenhearst, has already been covered on this site.)
However, Lights, Camera, Curses involves a bit more puzzle solving and actually includes many of the same voice actors used throughout the series. People who have played the other Her Interactive titles do not need to worry about it degenerating into a find-the-hidden object game with any plot or exposition.
Nancy Drew has been hired to be the production assistant for a remake of a film called Pharaoh. A number of mysterious accidents have occurred on the set. The producer, Arthur Hitchens has secretly hired you to see if you can find out who is causing the accidents and hopefully stop them.
Nancy Drew’s Detective Training
The game starts with the tutorial many of the more complex games come with. The tutorial is not necessary for veteran hidden object game players, but there is no way to skip it. You must fix a few broken items in this room and see if you can get the door to open
Locate the duct tape. It has multiple uses in this room, but you probably want to start with the loose poster. Find the golden hand stick and use it on the flickering light. You have now removed the light. Look at the end of the bulb and note some of the pins are bent. If only you had something to fix the ends of the bulb. Look for the pliers and use them on the light. Use the golden hand stick on the fixed light.
The next part starts with a squeaky dog. Use the oil can on the canine. Look in the dog’s mouth and get a key. Use the key on the toolbox. Click on the screwdriver in the toolbox and use it on the intercom. Look at the poster over the intercom to get more information about the production. You know something about the intercom and the production, but so far, you have talked to no one involved. Press the big red button in the intercom. Although it is generally a bad idea to do so in most other games, and in real life, you should always push big red buttons in this game.
Opening the Door
You still not have opened the door. You need to fix the generator to do this. Use the duct tape on the broken hose. The generator has a loose bolt. Put it into the bolt on the door. Pick up the wrench on the floor and use it on the generator’s cap. You can try to start it, but for some reason the generator refuses to give into your demands. Use the look icon on the cap to see it is out of gas. Use the gas can on the generator. The chain is probably used to lift the door. Put it onto the hoist. Now that everything is in place, you only need to lift the garage door. Press the button on the garage control and press the button on the generator.
Take a Test, Nancy Drew
The characters in Lights, Camera, Curses quiz you from time to time to see if you have been pa paying attention. This information does not really shed much light on the case. You will be quizzed by the woman who is ostensibly, the person you report to. During the course of the game, you meet a ditzy actor, the producer and the director of the film.
The responses are:
- generator
- creepy accidents
- choose the response involving a black cat.
Going to the Film Noir Theme Park
Going to the Rest of the Theme Park
The game controls most of the movement between parts of the game. The set contains theme parks, one dedicated to film Noir, the other dedicated to the filming of the original Pharaoh movie
You will also learn something about the curse of the original production in this part.
You will spend time chasing after a black cat. You may even be able to claim the reward for it, if you should by some miracle manage to catch it. (In order to avoid unnecessary suspense, the author will tell you that you do not catch the black cat, it is simply a red herring that disappears later in the game.)
Start by picking up some litter. The packing peanuts in the ground belong in the trash can. Your flashlight needs some batteries, now if you could only find them. Use the look icon in the box and find some batteries. Use the hand icon to get the batteries and get the flashlight. Now you should be able to see in dark places. Use the flashlight on the dark areas and Nancy Drew will see a bobby pin and a screwdriver. Pick up the screwdriver and use it on the grate. Pick up the bobby pin and use it on the door.
The bobby pin should bring you to the lock picking sequence. The lock picking sequence is a fairly simple puzzle game where you must arrange the patterns shown. The more complex the lock, the more colors available.
The Film Noir Mystery
You do not leave the area this time, but a wider section of the theme park opens up. The statue looks relatively cool and menacing, but it is not your most pressing concern. You need to fix the electrical short here to continue.
Look at the fountain. The electrical wire next to the fountain can’t be good. The shrubbery prevents easy access to the gate. It’s a good thing there’s that hedge trimmer in this area. Pick up the hedge trimmer and use it on the shrubbery.
The rest of the items here match up like this:
- hedge trimmer and hedge on gate
- electricity box and hand icon
- gate and bobby pin icon
- tool and electric cable
- electricity box and hand icon
- token and token machine
The statue activates and nearly shoots the cat. Follow the cat and use the look icon when you find it on the window.
Arhtur Hitchen’s Office
Arthur Hitchens is not James Earl Jones, although the voice actor who portrays him does have a deep voice. Fortunately, Hitchens is not here at the moment and this gives Nancy Drew the perfect time to snoop around and see if she can find out anything about the black cat or the mysterious accidents that have plagued the set.
The items go in this order:
- vent and look icon
- trash on floor and trash can
- trash can and look icon
- gum in trash can and coffee mug
- gum in coffee mug and pencil on table
- pencil with gum and vent
- blue key in vent and cabinet
- cabinet drawer and look icon
- cable on floor and duct tape in coat pocket
- fan and hand icon
- working fan and paper on ceiling
- paper on floor and look icon
- book under safe and emblem in cabinet drawer
- golden key and desk drawer
- desk drawer and look icon
- phone and hand icon
This time you will meet Arthur Hitchens. He does not seem at all upset that you were snooping around in his office. As a token of his gratitude, he decides to give you a more useful set of lock picking tools than the ones you currently posses.
The answers to his questions are:
- a man with a deep voice.
- get back to the sound stage
- old detective statue.
- the detective´s eyes glowed.
- a puddle of water became electrified.
- scaffolding
The Pharaoh Set
The scaffolding recently collapsed, but you cannot get there yet. You have to move a dolly through the correct sequence so that you have a way to get up to the scaffolding. This part is not difficult, but if you do not place the dolly in the correct order the entire sequence resets.
The next sequence takes you through a series of broken pipes. This part of Lights, Camera, Curses requires more of a keen sense of visual observation than anything else. As long as you pay attention to the areas where the pipes are missing, you should be able to figure out where the pipes were originally without too much difficulty.
The Pharaoh Set Continued
The chair that has fallen over near the set serves as a good place to start the next phase of the investigation. Use the hand icon on the cat and the fallen chair. Use the look icon on the paper bolt and beads. Now that you have got that out-of-the-way, it’s time to figure out exactly where the black cat you have been chasing throughout this portion of the game went.
Cleaning Up After the Black Cat
You have not left the set at this point, but you can see a few paw prints leading off. There also seems to be a few pieces of lumber here. Try to catch the cat on the hand icon. It runs away, which is no surprise. Examine the paw prints more closely and compare them to the buckets of paint. Now that you have that information, find the key on one of the floors and use it on the locked cabinet. Look inside of the cabinet drawer to see if there is anything useful. The nails probably have some use.
Use the hammer from a nearby statue on the nails.You may want to know what you need to build, so look at the notes not far from you. The wood and the table saw looking inviting. Why not use the pile of wood on the appropriate tool? Use the hammer and nails on the wood you cut with the table saw.
Use the hand icon to pull down the lever. Connect the pulley to the ramp and then press the lever and hand icon again. You can now get to the next section.
The Dressing Room
You have not left the set at this point, but you can see a few paw prints leading off. There also seems to be a few pieces of lumber here. Try to catch the cat on the hand icon. It runs away, which is no surprise. Examine the paw prints more closely and compare them to the buckets of paint. Now that you have that information, find the key on one of the floors and use it on the locked cabinet. Look inside of the cabinet drawer to see if there is anything useful. The nails probably have some use.
Use the hammer from a nearby statue on the nails. You may want to know what you need to build, so look at the notes not far from you. The wood and the table saw looking inviting. Why not use the pile of wood on the appropriate tool? Use the hammer and nails on the wood you cut with the table saw.
Use the hand icon to pull down the lever. Connect the pulley to the ramp and then press the lever and hand icon again. You can now get to the next section.
Lights, Camera, Curses Pop Quiz
The game quizzes you periodically to make sure you are paying attention. If you get the answer right the first time, you score the highest number of points. The points matter little, except if you score enough of them you get a slightly different ending. You will chat with two people.
Answers to Conversation One:
- and she was really scared because of the accidents.
- missing a bead?
- Lydia Linn?
- get all scratched up?
- when the scaffolding collapsed?
Answers to Conversation Two:
- really making you angry these days.
- can be hard to work with.
- having so many accidents?
- in any ‘curse’?
Congratulations, you are now halfway through the game, and it wasn’t hard. It does get a little harder in the next section.
This post is part of the series: Nancy Drew Lights Camera Curses Walkthrough
Nancy Drew has been hired to investigate a series of creepy accidents on the set of the movie Pharoah.
