The plot of the game revolves around a young woman, Nina Kalenkov, investigating the disappearance of her father who was involved in some kind of secret (ooh spooky) research in the Tunguska region of Russia. The trailer doesn’t really do a good job of telling you about that, though.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad5SQUb-6e0
The trailer plays out like a TV spot for a sub-par summer blockbuster. Starting off with a literal bang, showing the mysterious Tunguska explosion. There’s a scientist who goes missing and like any good daughter who lives a life of adventure, she goes off to look for him. The result? The greatest adventure of her life. The cutscene graphics are dated, but that’s no surprise, seeing how the game is four years old and a port, but if you really want to play the game, you won’t let that stop you. The game will retail for both Wii and DS for $19.99.
Unfortunately, the game’s age shows and if you’re after high-end graphics, this is not the game for you. The adventure genre, which has seen better days, is still a viable genre. Games like Phoenix Wright or even Harvey Birdman have proven that, with the right kind of delivery, adventure games light on action can still be incredibly fun, if the writing is good enough, that is. And who can forget the very successful revival of Sam & Max? I remain optimistic that, if developers can focus on awesome writing and decent puzzles, the adventure genre can again regain some of its previous popularity.
And if you have any doubt of that, check out the trailer for Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent.
Secret Files: Tunguska will be releasing for the Nintendo Wii and DS on June 30, 2010.
