login sign up feeds about

Secret Files: Tunguska

Proof that point 'n' click is far from dead...

The most disagreeable element of a point and click adventure is, oddly, the sometimes laborious task of pointing and clicking. Take the inevitable moment at which you become stuck for what to do next but are desperate not to resort to a guilt-ridden peek at a walkthrough, assuring yourself that there must be a logical solution to your troubles. After sixteen hours of toiling and no development except for a blinding migraine, you discover that the item you needed consisted on-screen of one pixel hidden in the deepest depths of the most obscure location. By the time the ordeal is all over the prospect of another such goose chase is enough to put you off from continuing for good. Deep Silver hope that won't happen in Secret Files: Tunguska, thanks very much to a few simple interface aids that, despite revealing the location of points of interest never give the game away completely. Hoorah!

• images (18)

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • all 18 images

• game info

  • 

  • Publisher:

    Deep Silver

    Developer:

    Unknown

    Release Date:

    2006

  • more

• related stories

• pc

  • Stan Lee thinks games are like "watching the greatest superhero movie"
  • Obsidian working on RTS?
  • Splinter Cell: conviction suffers a delay
  • Scott Warner on Mercenaries 2
  • Free Kung Fu MMO goes live in 8 days
  • more

The game's storyline centres on the phenomenon of Tunguska, a real-life story based in the sparsely populated Siberian region in 1908. Though there is still some ambiguity, general consensus amongst those that have visited the area is that the airburst of a meteorite passing close to the earth's surface caused what is sometimes referred to as the Great Siberian Explosion. The energy of the blast was estimated to be similar in power to that of Castle Bravo, the USA's most powerful nuclear bomb. It felled in excess of 60 million trees in an area spanning over 800 square miles. Some believe that the blast is proof that a doomsday-style event on Earth is a real possibility. In Secret Files: Tunguska you follow the story of Nina Kalenkow and Max Gruber. Nina is the daughter of Vladimer Kalenkow, a scientist who was involved in an expedition to Tunguska some years before the game is set. Nina pays her father a visit at work to find that his office is a mess and that he is nowhere to be seen. The police appear to be apathetic to her cause so she decides, with the help of Max, to locate the whereabouts of her missing 'Daddy', kidnapped for his knowledge of Tunguska's mysteries.

The game plays very much like a traditional point and click adventure in that the gradual collection of items and solving of puzzles will lead to progress through the game's numerous storyline chapters. To lift from an early example, you must come to the aid of a little girl whose bicycle has a flat tire. Using a combination of objects that include sticky tape, a bucket and a rubber glove, the problem is solved and your grateful little friend reveals to you some very interesting information... However, as touched upon earlier, the search for these items is made easy thanks to the inclusion of a 'search area' icon. Clicking it causes the appearance of many onscreen magnifying glasses that alert you to the location of helpful clues and items. This means that your time is spent more on playing about with different combinations of pieces in your inventory, rather than tirelessly searching for that single thing you knew you needed but just couldn't see. Hints are also given in the form of Nina's description of items and a riddle menu which nudges you in the right direction with regard to some of the game's more taxing puzzles. Nina and Max can also combine to solve certain tasks, gaining clues and inventory items from individually accessible areas. It's hard to convey until you play The Secret Files: Tunguska, but Deep Silver have managed to plot the difficulty curve and level right - never making the next step too obvious, but neither, if you take the time, leaving you sobbing in desperate frustration either.

Even if, sadly, you do for some reason reach that unhappy stage at least you've something pretty to look at through your cloudy, tear-filled eyes. Not only is Nina a thing of beauty, (not bad for a 3D-rendered virtual being at any rate), but every location reeks of a time-taken quality with every detail tended to. Each character has been captured using motion sensitive devices which gives them a full range of flawless animation, whatever the task their involved in. The models are full of texture and detail too, whether viewed at a distance or at close range. Of similar impressiveness are the pre-rendered background environments that manage a gorgeous symbiosis of 2D and 3D models. Referring to the bicycle example once again, the contented girl reaches for the static 2D object which you fixed and, on touch, transforms in into a full 3D replica on which she cycles away. The superimposing of objects this way is nothing less than a surprise when it happens and always pleasant to watch. Not forgetting, too, individual details such as animated skylines, real-time shadowing, cinematic storytelling sequences and a plethora of other neatly animated details, all of which demonstrate a title gleaming with artistic quality.

Character voices are all spoken in perfect English which might detract from the believability of some of the scenes in foreign countries, but Deep Silver have employed a team that includes, in the German version at least, the 'German' Angelina Jolie. Her talent obviously rubbed off on some of the American voice-actors, at least to the point that while conversations are a little wooden at times, there are enough witty lines to make even the longest of cut scenes worth watching.

Secret Files: Tunguska proves that that despite a lack of mainstream attention, the genre of point and click adventuring is still alive and well. Furthermore, it manages to iron out some of the genre's most deeply set problems and invent sensible solutions to them - big, red, clickable arrows appear at the exits to each scene, making for quicker travelling, waving goodbye to a task of moving a slow character to where you want them to be a thing of the past. Secret Files: Tunguska signifies a new era for point and click adventures, both in terms of playability and stylistically - don't miss it!

90%

1. how did you pass the train?? I give the bread with laxant to the scientist and short-circuited the fuse...i catch 2 frascs with plants and now i don't know what i should to do! and srry for the english!

   Aiolia Monday, 2 October 2006, 04:21:51

2. mistake...2 bottles with plants =)

   Aiolia Monday, 2 October 2006, 04:24:49

3. I am stucked there too. I try everything but can't figure it out :(

   ypoga Monday, 2 October 2006, 09:18:46

4. How to distract the second guard? How to free Nina?

   Petar Monday, 2 October 2006, 19:34:13

5. which second guard? Did u pass the train or u are before it - describe pls

   ypoga Monday, 2 October 2006, 21:09:54

6. Stuck in train too... any ideas?

   tunguska Monday, 2 October 2006, 21:51:59

7. mix the herbs lol

   than put them back in one jar

   tunguska Monday, 2 October 2006, 21:57:35

8. Thanks DudE!

   Aiolia Tuesday, 3 October 2006, 04:11:7

9. How I to go The puzzle with the coins

   m.radeva Tuesday, 3 October 2006, 09:11:39

10. Can anyone tel me how to solve the puzzle with the statues? Thanks

    sambal Tuesday, 3 October 2006, 13:34:37

11. what should I do in the museum with the coins puzzle?

    bonafrogos Wednesday, 4 October 2006, 08:52:45

12. How can i get into the train?! I have the uniform,i fpund the key and gave it to the train-man,and now i dont noe the 5 number code to the locker......what should i do?

    nik3 Wednesday, 4 October 2006, 13:42:18

13. nik3 talk to the gate guard (the one with the newspaper) and he will tell you the names of the FSB agents then use the radio (15

    to 48) and talk about the agents.

    They go into the train and then it's easy!

    Michael Wednesday, 4 October 2006, 15:36:9

14. I'm stuck in the hospital, where I have to get pass the guard, but when he goes to fix the dish(which I broke and now he can't fix it) I can't do nothing with the door, which is ajared. I also can't remove the small peace of wood, what should I do?

    Kaloyan Wednesday, 4 October 2006, 17:39:22

16. How I to go The puzzle with the coins.PLS Some Tell

    m.radeva Wednesday, 4 October 2006, 19:17:38

17. Here u can see the walkthrough

    http://db.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/file/tunguska.txt

    ypoga Wednesday, 4 October 2006, 20:31:4

18. pls... after i give the recentrly faked newspaper to the worker at the sewer... and he leaves, I collect all the goodies. What should I do next?

    I see you passed this from what I've read here. I'm afraid I might have left something behind. Help ?

    Merci

    ctrlone Wednesday, 4 October 2006, 20:44:29

19. Oh, ypoga was a great help. How the hell didn't that occur?

    I'm onto next. Haven't read further. Peace!

    ctrlonetoo Wednesday, 4 October 2006, 22:58:50

20. How I to go The puzzle to do it with the compass

    m.radeva Sunday, 8 October 2006, 08:46:30

21. how do i pick up the rat trap so i can get rid of the second guard in the hospital guarding nina????

    kaz Wednesday, 11 October 2006, 16:18:6

22. Dear m.Radeva

    the coins:

    bronze, big, 10, gold

    gold, 10, big, bronze

    big, bronze, gold, 10

    10, gold, bronze, big

    Born Thursday, 12 October 2006, 14:51:34

23. How do I get up on the sewer, I have the Iron Bars but it didnt work on the ascent...

    Caui Friday, 13 October 2006, 16:14:30

24. take them back to the guard on duty chat to him and he will bend them for you.

    kaz Friday, 13 October 2006, 18:36:49

25. what is the code on the computer in the house?

    dodo Saturday, 21 October 2006, 10:28:0

26. im stuck in here too. There seems to be a bug that won't let me click on the trap...

    Dexter Saturday, 21 October 2006, 20:03:56

27. "

    how do i pick up the rat trap so i can get rid of the second guard in the hospital guarding nina????

    With this..."

    i'm stuck in there too, there seems to be a bug in the game...

    Dexter Saturday, 21 October 2006, 20:04:39

28. I'm having the same problem. I spoke to the guard and he gave me the names but there is no 15 for me to choose......there is a 14 but that doesn't work.

    luckynumber7 Sunday, 22 October 2006, 02:38:46

29. i am in house and i can't find computer password help plz who know????

    ttnet Tuesday, 24 October 2006, 01:16:34

30. try to get the 2 FSB men away, enter teh room and pick the dog tag form the wounded soldier

    bokibe Thursday, 2 November 2006, 22:32:22

32. how can i get the game to play

    nikki Friday, 3 November 2006, 13:23:16

33. It is a graphic card driver issue. You will need to update.

    JC Monday, 6 November 2006, 18:12:22

34. i hate the damn rat..

    lifehouse Wednesday, 8 November 2006, 01:13:5

35. here you can two saved files (one for the rat problem)

    http://pusna.planet.ee/Ajutine/TunguskaSave/

    willem Monday, 13 November 2006, 14:31:46

36. u click right both bottles, then mix the plants and put them in one bottle, then return it to the table!

    Yo2theMind Friday, 17 November 2006, 19:29:39

37. You should get the plants out of the glass!By clicking on your right mouse button, and then combine then and put it back into the glass.

    M&M Tuesday, 21 November 2006, 20:51:26

38. Can someone help me? I think I have a bug or something cause I can't pick up the rat trap! What can I do???

    M&M Tuesday, 21 November 2006, 20:55:39

39. mix two analized plants. the story will catch up.

    bhoqeem Friday, 12 January 2007, 03:40:10

40. i stuck in the room

    what to do with bowl, plant, keys, n bottle?

    please help me

    nadg Monday, 5 February 2007, 06:10:32

41. how to rid out of the second guard in the hospital???

    loki Wednesday, 14 February 2007, 00:07:53

42. I'm having the same problem. I spoke to the guard and he gave me the names but there is no 15 for me to choose......there is a 14 but that doesn't work. pls help

    Ermin Saturday, 7 July 2007, 23:50:17

43. how do i pick up the rat trap so i can get rid of the second guard in the hospital guarding nina????

    giorgos Friday, 26 October 2007, 13:01:36

44. how do i pick up the rat trap so i can get rid of the second guard in the hospital guarding nina????

    giorgos Friday, 26 October 2007, 13:14:44

45. how do you figure the combo for the compass in sibiria

    harpoon711 Saturday, 3 November 2007, 00:19:7

46. i'M AT THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME AND IT WON'T LET ME VIEW THE NAME PLATE FOR THE GUY STUCK IN THE ROOM. ALSO WHAT DINOSAUR DO U STAND BY TO GET TO THE SECRET ROOM.I STOOD BY BOTH DINOSAURS AND CAN'T FINE THE SECRET ROOM .IS THERE A GLITCH IN THE GAME THAT WON'T LET ME READ SOME OF THE THING YOUR SUPPOSED TO READ.PLEASE....HELP. THANK YOU

    EARTHSTAR_2007 Sunday, 18 November 2007, 06:17:36

48. how do you figure the combo for the compass in sibiria?????????

    eli Tuesday, 4 December 2007, 06:01:44

49. HELP!

    I'm sooo stuck and im pretty bad at pc games but im stuck like at the start where you have to fix thelittle girls tyre and i need a patch to patch up the tyre , , , :( im stuck plse reply im sooo stuck

    giuliamania Wednesday, 26 December 2007, 03:45:4

50. HELP!

    I'm sooo stuck and im pretty bad at pc games but im stuck like at the start where you have to fix thelittle girls tyre and i need a patch to patch up the tyre , , , :( im stuck plse reply im sooo stuck

    giuliamania Wednesday, 26 December 2007, 03:46:0

51. DS VERSION: Im stuck in the train station and i have to use the radio to get rid of the big guys in black. All the walkthroughs i've read have said to tap in 15-48....the only problem being i dont have the option of 15. I have 2, 4, 9, 14, 31, 48. PLEASE HELP ME!

    taraj1709 Sunday, 29 June 2008, 20:07:51