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Secret Files: Tunguska Review for Nintendo DS

Secret Files: Tunguska Review for Nintendo DS

The Sky is Falling

Something really incredible happened in Russia a hundred years ago; incredibly destructive and cataclysmic. What’s even more incredible is that no one has been able to ascertain the exact cause of the event. Secret Files: Tunguska for the DS attempts to shed some light on the mystery, but may only serve to immerse you further into a secretive world where knowledge is a dangerous commodity.

Secret Files: Tunguska screenshot

An explosion or impact of some kind occurred in the Tunguska region of Siberia in the Soviet Union in 1908. The destruction was immense, as millions of trees were destroyed in an area more than 800-square miles. Some of the trees were completely turned to ash while others were uprooted and overturned. With no crater discovered, the theory of a meteor or foreign object from outer space is difficult to prove. Radiation levels at the sight are consistent with a nuclear explosion, and eyewitness accounts tell of a large mushroom cloud with three evenings of daylight in some areas of northern Europe. Keep in mind, this is nearly 40 years before the explosion of the first atomic bomb. It is estimated that this explosion was 2,000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

Steeped in real-life with plenty of historical accuracies, Secret Files: Tunguska manages to weave a believable atmosphere of mystery, tension, suspense, and subterfuge. Adapted from the PC version for the DS, this point-and-click adventure game shows the huge potential for similar titles on the system. This is by far one of the best such adventure games on the DS, but it’s not without some issues. It’s as good a rendition as one may expect from a PC game, but some of the puzzles are sure to annoy those that are not rabid fans of the genre. Overall, the game is very well done, with the stylus slowly becoming my preferred method of pointing. At least half of the puzzles can be solved logically, but the other ones will have you scratching your head trying to figure them out, and shaking it once you do discover the solution.

Secret Files: Tunguska screenshot

There’s nothing to write home about as far as the human interest aspect of the storyline is concerned, but thankfully the writing is good with plenty of plot twists and other such devices to keep you interested. Nina is the female lead, and her character is nicely developed, both in terms of personality and physical appearance. As dark as the storyline gets, there is a genuine element of humor that prevails throughout, giving the game a more realistic and human edge. We’ve all played games with those super serious characters that seem devoid of a personality. We just don’t care about these characters and obviously neither did the developers as they are just a means to an end. Fortunately Nina, a motorcycle mechanic, is more dimensional than some real people I know. The same can’t be said for her partner and potential love interest, Max Gruber. Not only is his dialogue poorly written, but it’s poorly acted as well. Max is a playable character but fortunately he’s used sparingly. Surprisingly, the other interactive characters seem to have plenty of life to them. There’s not very much voicework, as it’s all relegated to the cutscenes, but there are well animated facial expressions that serve to help the characters more clearly communicate their emotions.

Travelling around the world to find clues to her father’s mysterious disappearance, Nina searches for evidence in locales such as China, Germany, Cuba, Antarctica, and, of course, Russia. She manages to discover that her father was involved in the investigation of the Tunguska explosion. Soon you discover that other ominous figures are interested in the findings of this investigation. So, now you’re not only investigating a disappearance, but you’ve got to be vigilant for your own safety.

Secret Files: Tunguska screenshot

As with any adventure game, there are three main gameplay elements: character interaction, searching for clues, and solving puzzles. These three elements are found in abundance here, and virtually all of them are presented in a very natural and believable way. This includes the puzzles, as they are embedded in the environment; it’s the solutions that can be quite ludicrous.

Secret Files: Tunguska screenshot

Once you arrive on a scene, you will be confronted with a variety of objects and an axis with which you will have to interact. Nina has some pretty deep pockets, so it’s to your advantage to collect all that you can. There’s a handy feature in the form of a magnifying glass that displays all of the interactive elements so that you don’t miss anything. At least half of the puzzles require trial and error, since no amount of forethought could possibly yield the desired solutions. Still, if you feel up to the challenge, be my guest, but I needed help on more than a few. As frustrating as they might be, the solutions are often humorous.

Often items will have to be combined to make one useful tool. It feels great when you can actually figure a few of these puzzles out, but if you’ve got the time, you can just continue experimenting with different combinations. Once you significantly change things within a given environment, it’s advisable to go back and see if any of the main characters offer more information. You don’t want to leave any stone unturned. A journal will help keep track of your progress as well as remind you of your objectives, something that can be obscure over the course of the plot twists.

Secret Files: Tunguska perfectly captures the adventure genre with plenty of passion, challenge, wit, and depth. This kind of game is certain to appeal to those bored with platform and action games. The interactivity and mystery surrounding the explosion will appeal to anyone looking for something different on their handheld.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.1 Graphics
Good detail but, despite the interactivity, the backgrounds are static. 4.4 Control
The stylus is a great alternative to the mouse in such an adventure game. 3.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Voiceovers are relegated to the cutscenes. In-game audio can be quite barren at times. 3.8

Play Value
One of the best such games on the DS. Puzzle solutions can be a bit outrageous.

3.6 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Based on actual events.
  • Adapted from popular PC version.
  • Use the intuitive touch screen to play the game.
  • Atmospheric weather effects.
  • Sophisticated story and puzzle design in the classical point & click mode.
  • More than 100 highly detailed and lovingly animated locations.

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