It's as easy as point and click (Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis (Wii))

Member Name: Mildew82

Product:	Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis (Wii)
Date:	12/07/09 (136 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to play, fun and throroughly entertaining

Disadvantages: Can get frustrating when the game comes to a halt

Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis is the second instalment in the award winning Secret Files series developed by Fusionspehere Systems and Animation Arts. These games see a return to the old point and click style found in certain old PC games such as Monkey Island, Discworld, Simon the Sorcerer (I could go on endlessly) that I, for one, used to love.

If, like me, you are a person completely useless at fighting games, shooting games, platform games and skill games then this style will be perfect for you. Any game that you can't die in even if you try your absolute hardest works for me!

In the first game Secret Files: Tunguska, we were introduced to the characters Nina Kalenkov and Max Gruber as they become embroiled in an old mystery surrounding the region of Tunguska and a catastrophic explosion the force of 2,000 Hiroshima bombs back in 1908. This was a fun game which took the player to some fabulous locations around the world on an epic adventure. My only criticism would have been the dialogue was sometimes a bit weak, but the graphics and interplay of the game were excellent.

Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis takes place soon after the events of Tunguska where we find Max and Nina have recently split up and Max is off to the jungle for scientific research in Indonesia and Nina is off on a cruise to get over their breakup. But, there is danger just lurking round the corner with ancient apocalyptic prophesies of natural disasters made by the sinister cult Puritas Cordis seemingly coming true. Both Max and Nina find themselves inescapably intertwined in the adventure - will they be able to save the world...again?

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The Game Controls

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The idea of this game is to get yourself out of situations or to prevent situations from occurring by improvising with items around you. For example, you can't simply start a fire with a match - oh no - you will need to find some twigs, a blunt stone, a knife to turn the blunt stone into a flint and then some accelerant to keep the fire going and a wind breaker to prevent the fire from going out. That wind breaker will be made out of some curtains which will have had some holes in so would have had to have been repaired with patches cut out of bamboo shoots...well you get the idea.

It is also necessary to solve puzzles in this game; some from solving riddles and some just by using logic. This adds a nice element to this game as it actually makes you think and it is not just mindless clicking so if you enjoy puzzle solving you will enjoy this game.

The game play is exceptionally easy - just point and click. The movement of the Wii remote acts like a mouse cursor on the PC and you will have a giant Wii remote symbol as a cursor which will change into different symbols when you hit something active in the game:

1. An eye
This will give you a description of an object or person by pressing the B button.

2. A hand
This will allow you to pick up an item by pressing the A button. If you are selecting it from your inventory it will remain stuck to your cursor so you can then click on another item either in your inventory or in the surrounding game area to combine that item with another or make use of it in some way.

3. A double arrow
If you click the B button when there is a double arrow you can skip through sentences or events - but this is not always sensible as you may miss vital information!

4. A curved arrow
This will allow you to return an item back to your inventory if you don't want to use it by pressing the B Button.

5. Other commands
The 1 button will open your diary so you can read back through events of the game if you need a reminder - in your diary you can also seek help for puzzles if you are struggling - but be warned this will count against you at the end.

The 2 button will bring up the pause screen where you can save or exit the game.

The - / + buttons will bring up hotspots on the screen where items or people are active. It is possible to turn this feature off so you have to find all the items yourself if you want a bit more of a challenge.

The Up and Down buttons on the + control pad will open up your inventory and once it is open you can use the A button to take and use an item or the B button to analyse it. To scroll through your inventory you can use the Right and Left buttons on the + control pad.

To move your player around you can just click the A button to whatever location you want or use the Nunchuck to direct them and make them move at different speeds.


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The Game

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The first thing I would remark about this game is that the dialogue and script is much improved to the first game. There is a fair bit of humour in this game which made me laugh out loud on several occasions - one involving a parody of the Monty Python Dead Parrot Sketch! The developers also are quite happy to poke fun at themselves, which does make the game more amusing and adds to the entertainment. Also, the comments or observations the character themselves make are often quite witty or sarcastic which I personally find quite amusing as well.

I thought the storyline itself was very good (if not a little clichéd in places) and again we are treated to some beautiful locations around the world from Indonesia to France which the quality of the graphics truly do justice and quite simply make this a thoroughly enjoyable game to play. You also get to play as different characters (but mostly Nina and Max) which gives you different perspectives for the story as a whole.

I love the way morals go out of the window in these kinds of games in the fact that you can pilfer whatever you find around you in true kleptomaniac style and go around conning people out of their hard earned possessions or tricking people into doing your bidding - it kind of makes you feel like an evil puppet master - excellent!

The only really frustrating thing is when you get to a point in the game where you can't think what to do next so you have to resort to trying to combine every item with the rest which can get a bit tedious and time consuming - damn, of course I should have tried combining the coat hanger with the potato peeler and the teddy bear - what was I thinking? I find that a break is all it takes when you get stuck like that and when you return you will instantly find what you were missing and be on your way again.

At the end of your game you will also get a certificate with your stats on to show how well you did - here's mine in case it is of any interest:

Title: Superstar
Playing time in minutes: 754
Pressed A Button (use): 2369
Pressed B Button (examine) : 598
Used game help: 338
Metres walked : 4885
Number of saves: 8

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Conclusion

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For those that like gentle game playing and no threat of death this will be the perfect game. Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis is a thoroughly entertaining adventure game with an exciting storyline, excellent graphics and a very humorous script which will keep you hooked for hours (I managed to get to 12 ½ hours).

If you like puzzle solving and having to think then this is the game for you and for those of you who used to love those oldies like Monkey Island and Simon the Sorcerer this will bring back a whole heap of joyful nostalgia.

At only £17.96 from Amazon this is exceptional value for money (for 12 ½ hours play that's £1.43 for one hour's entertainment - way cheaper than the cinema and this game acts out just like an action movie) and if you are looking for a low pressured, challenging and fun game I would recommend Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis as a very good option.

Summary: Great game for those old fans of the point and click style PC games