Secret Files: Tunguska review

Match your wits against an inventory of random items to save your daddy

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    The magnifying glass tool

  • +

    Humorous puzzles

  • +

    Detailed backgrounds

Cons

  • -

    Laughably bad voice acting

  • -

    Slow pace of plot

  • -

    Disappointing climax

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In 1908 a gigantic blast roughly equivalent to the power of a nuclear bomb rocked the area of Tunguska in Siberia, felling trees in an area of over 800 miles. Although most scientists agree that the blast was the result of a large asteroid or comet, conspiracy theories involving extraterrestrials remain popular to this day, making Tunguska the Roswell of Russia. Although the mysterious premise of Secret Files: Tunguska involving foul play and aliens shows promise, the game itself won't make a big impact on you as you point and click your way through this by-the-book adventure.

You'll step in the shoes of Nina Kalenkov, a young motorcycle mechanic who discovers that her father - a scientist who once studied the Tunguska event - has been kidnapped. As you track down leads to your father's whereabouts, you'll learn more about what really caused the explosion at Tunguska. And no, it wasn't something as boring or logical as an asteroid or comet.

Seasoned adventurers will find themselves right at home with Tunguska's standard point and click control scheme which involves picking up as many items as possible and combining them in unlikely ways to solve unusual problems. Can't figure out how to board the military train that might be holding your father? Just combine a hose with a wall urinal and put a stalking over the valve in the sewers to retrieve the key that the conductor flushed down the toilet.

More info

GenreAdventure
DescriptionWanted: Player to help young female protagonist search for lost father. Sleuthing, pointing, clicking, and some travel required.
Platform"PC","DS","Wii"
US censor rating"Teen","Teen","Teen"
UK censor rating"12+","12+","12+"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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