Tricky puzzles
To those seeking a difficult challenge you will still find it in Secret Files: Tunguska. The inventory bar is often crammed full of objects and you’ll need to assess them very carefully to work out which ones can be combined. Despite the fact that there isn’t the free-roaming environment that you’ll see in many point and click adventures and the game doesn’t let you progress until you have completed certain puzzles, the game becomes more difficult as you progress and inventory objects can also be combined with objects within the environment.
There are a number of tricky combination puzzles that can be solved by listening to and picking up clues but the main bulk of challenges will involve the use of your inventory; there’s no crate moving here! The developers have done a grand job at making the puzzles challenging, despite the fact that they are often confined within quite small areas. You’ll rarely be able to venture too far from that location until you’ve solved ever brain teaser, but as you’ll see, it’s not as easy as you initially think.
Click for larger imageThe variety of puzzles are entertaining throughout, get increasingly difficult without ever being mind bogglingly stupid and often have a humorous side, such as making a bread and jam sandwich with a touch of castor oil as a laxative to make one of the characters in the game leave a room so you can examine it properly.
Click for larger imageAbout half way through the game you’ll be able to switch between two characters to carry out team-based puzzles. Whilst Nina is trapped inside a building, Max wanders around the perimeter. You’ll need to switch between Max and Nina in order to work out an escape plan and even be able to pass items between the two characters (but we won’t tell you how!). This part of the game is superbly orchestrated and will stretch your brain to the max.
Secret Files: Tunguska did have something that annoyed us though. There’s nothing we hate more than not being able to skip scenes. Text appears at the bottom of the screen (if you choose to have subtitles turned on) during any dialogue and we’re fast readers who much prefer to read the text and then click on the mouse to skip the scene. Fortunately most scenes can be skipped, but others can’t be, and apart from the cut-scenes, the main playable character doesn’t move her mouth.
Click for larger imageThe character animations are fairly robotic and the models are occasionally fuzzy, but the cut-scenes and the living and breathing environments bring the game to life. We were pressed to find many faults in 12 hours of gameplay, the voice acting of the main character can be irritating (she looks hot in an army uniform though so we forgive her), but there was nothing that really frustrated us.
Click for larger imageWe are huge fans of point and click adventures and anyone who enjoys this genre won’t be disappointed. If you’re looking for a game that blends a great story with dozens of brain teasing puzzles then Secret Files: Tunguska is the game for you. Although we haven’t completed the game we’re extremely keen to see how the excellent story-line ends and what else the developers have in store for us on the puzzle front; a fine job indeed! Secret Files : Tunguska is due out in October.
Pros
Story-line & subject matter
Great range of puzzles
Excellent and simple user interface
Cons
Linear
Voice acting can be irritating
A fine game for this genre, great story, great puzzles and over 25 hours of gameplay!
HEXUS Awards
Secret Files: Tunguska - PC
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Secret Files: Tunguska is available now , click the following links to order:Play.com
