Secret Files: Tunguska
Score: 76% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Deep Silver Developer: Animation Arts Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Adventure/ Classic/Retro
Graphics & Sound: I tend to have a love-hate relationship with point-and-click adventures. I suspect that such is the case with many other gamers. It's one of the oldest game genres, yet so much must come together seamlessly to create a great example. To this date, I am not sure if any adventure game can come close to the brilliance that is The Longest Journey. And, alas, Secret Files: Tunguska does not. This is a four-year late Wii port of a PC game. It's not a poorly-constructed adventure, but the game's components are of such disparate quality that it's difficult to recommend outright. Static environments? Stiff animations? Yep, Secret Files: Tunguska has all the unfortunate hallmarks that are generally associated with point-and-clickers. However, it doesn't matter too much; again, this is a port of a four-year old computer game. The presentation is passable, considering the circumstances. More importantly, the user interface is clean, and allows even the greenest sleuths-in-training to see the story through. Secret Files: Tunguska features a bland soundtrack and possibly the worst voice acting I've ever heard in a game. This game is plagued with horrifically bad performances; only some of which fall into "so bad it's good" territory. The actress who voices Nina could have treated this performance as an audition for Barney & Friends; perpetual cheeriness is hardly the right attitude for someone whose father is missing and perhaps dead. Just about every character in this game sounds American, and nearly all of them are Eastern European. It's actually worse when the actors try to feign the accents; I couldn't concentrate on what Nina's contact Sergej had to say. I was too busy wincing at every "haf" and "vee."
Gameplay: Secret Files: Tunguska delves into some genuinely interesting subject matter and puts its own fictionalized spin on the events. Perhaps no one will know for sure exactly what happened on June 30, 1908. The Wikipedia article on the Tunguska event lists eight hypotheses on what may have caused the most powerful explosion in Earth's recent history. The event itself has been referenced and even drawn upon as inspiration for the entertainment industry; that includes books, films, and even other games (such as Insomniac's Resistance franchise). Secret Files: Tunguska follows one tenacious young woman's quest to find her father, who seems to have been kidnapped as a direct result of his research on the Tunguska event. The story is badly-written, but chock full of intrigue and mystery. This is what's going to keep you playing; you're going to want to know how the whole thing pans out in the end. Our heroine, Nina Kalenkov, is either the smartest person in the world or the dumbest person in the world. On one hand, she's capable of MacGyvering her way out of every bad situation with torn stockings, vacuum hoses, and other assorted bits of seemingly-useless junk. On the other, she doesn't seem to know the correct pronunciation of her own last name. I guess that makes her an idiot savant of sorts. The dialogue is complete sludge, but thankfully, it doesn't completely trip up the proceedings; if you really love point-and-click gameplay, you'll find it in spades here.
Difficulty: When an adventure game fails, this category tends to be the Achilles' heel. When gamers are overwhelmed by expansive environments and inventories that are bursting at the seams, there's a serious problem. Secret Files: Tunguska is mercifully easy. Some item combination puzzles are easy to figure out, but others will make you think "I was supposed to come up with that on my own?" In these cases, a few minutes of trial-and-error will suffice. There are a few rudimentary hint systems that offer their services to those who are stumped. Pressing (1) will instantly highlight everything that can be investigated or interacted with. From there, it's all a matter of finding out what goes where. The game often takes control of where you can and can't go. You won't cry foul, however. It's kind of a blessing to know that everything you need to know and everything you need to work with is confined to a very specific region.
Game Mechanics: Secret Files: Tunguska is boilerplate point-and-click adventuring. If anything, it's simplified. You'll guide Nina around a number of different environments using a cursor, drawing her attention to objects of interest and having her pick up as much as she can (which, it turns out, is quite a lot). Eventually, you'll come across an environmental puzzle that requires you to use an item or two. Secret Files: Tunguska largely operates on a three-button control scheme. The inventory is conveniently worked into the standard interface, and is easily opened with a touch of the D-pad. The (A) and (B) button are action and investigation buttons. While the action button allows Nina to pick items up from the environment, the investigation button allows her to closely inspect each item. If you need to combine items or affix an item to a particular area of interest, that's all done with the action button. This is very standard adventure game fare. Nothing more. Nothing less. Fans of the slow, methodical pacing of classic point-and-clickers should find a worthwhile diversion in Secret Files: Tunguska. However, it's not even among the best of the genre. Rent it first.
-FenixDown, GameVortex Communications AKA Jon Carlos
Related Links: Official Website of Fusionsphere Systems Game Vortex's Review of Secret Files: Tunguska on PC Game Vortex's Review of The Longest Journey The Tunguska event at Wikipedia Game Vortex's Review of Resistance
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