The New World Order has plans
What do you get if you cross an ice-bucket with a rudder, a flashlight, a tooth-pick, a bottle-opener, a blanket and a sock? A point-and click-adventure of course!The point-and-click genre may seem ‘old hat’ to gamers who prefer to get their kicks from the huge influx of action titles on the market, but personally I love them and, thanks to developers such as Animation Arts and Fusionsphere System (and the legion of wannabe adventurers out there) there’s still a bright future for the genre and plenty of room for the point-and-click adventure in our collections.
The developer’s latest title, which is due to hit the shops in September 2008, is Secret 2, a sequel to the 2005 PC title, Secret Files: Tunguska. I’ve been rummaging through some early preview code with a fine-toothed comb in order to give you my initial impressions of this mysterious tale of conspiracy and murder.
First off, let me fill you in on the story. The action begins with a lengthy cut-scene at the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin where elderly Brother Matthew leaves his house in the dead of the night and begins the short walk across the graveyard towards the village church. A wolf howls in the distance and the vicar, who stops anxiously in his tracks, foolishly mistakes the sound of shuffling leaves for the stormy weather. Before he manages to reach the church he’s knocked to the ground by what appears to be a poisoned dart. Two men in black combat suits wearing night vision goggles slowly emerge from between the grave stones and approach the fallen vicar.
Click for larger imageThe scene switches to Christ’s College, Cambridge where Bishop Parrey sits in his study reading a letter sent to him from Brother Matthew. Enclosed is a coded parchment that was unearthed during the recent restoration of the crypt at the old village church. The undecipherable parchment is apparently several centuries old and it has been sent to Parrey in the hope that he can de-code it. Brother Matthew claims that it contains something of great importance, but also warns of its dark dangers to those who keep it in their possession.
The phone rings and a CID officer informs you that the sender of the letter, Brother Matthew, has been killed. Before he manages to finish his sentence the phone cuts off and the scene switches to the library at Christ’s College, Cambridge. This is where you step into vestments of Bishop Parrey.
