When we see new conversions of graphic adventures arrive on Nintendo Switch, we can not help but rejoice. Especially if you are a lover of the genre, given that the Nintendo console lends itself particularly well to the immortal genre of point-and-click, born on the PC with the mouse & keyboard pairing and, for obvious reasons, not really suitable for the console controller, but the small screen of the Switch with its tactile controls manages to perfectly combine the two.
Secret Files 3 is the third and - probably - last chapter of a series that began 14 years ago by the Animation Arts team, which after 8 years from its publication on PC also arrives on Nintendo Switch. Will it be worth it?
Secret Files 3, the circle is closed on the Nintendo Switch
Following some giants of the point-and-click genre, such as the series of Indiana Jones of LucasArts and even more so that of Broken sword by Revolution Software, Secret Files is a series that has always aroused great interest from fans, however without remaining particularly anchored in the hearts of users, perhaps due to a plot with unoriginal gimmicks and puzzles of dubious quality. Still, the boys of Animation Arts have always managed to engage the players thanks to a good level design and the on-screen control interface that has brought notable revolutions to the genre.
Read also: The Secret of Monkey Island, a milestone was born 30 years ago
If we were to summarize the current Secret Files trilogy, we could do it by seeing it as a troubled love story between the two protagonists Nina Kalenkov e Max Gruber, but we would be too superficial, given that the two have dragged us to every corner of the globe with their adventures, solving the mystery of the Tunguska explosion, often avoiding even the apocalypse. With this third chapter Nina and Max are preparing to begin their greatest adventure: marriage. But fate has much more in store for them ... something that takes us back to many years ago.
Alexandria year 48 BC
In the first game sequence we find ourselves unexpectedly taking on the role of Menis Ra, a thief who has the task of destroying some scrolls in the library of Alexandria. After this game sequence, we could regain control of the beautiful Nina, on her most beautiful day, that of her wedding with Max, but something unexpected interrupts the ceremony ... and as if that weren't enough, shortly after, poor Max is arrested by the Forces Specials with terrorism charges under Nina's incredulous eyes.
The rhythm of the story orchestrated by Animation Arts is very tight, bringing up ancient mysteries, historical characters such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Archimedes, esoteric symbols, sects of assassins and, ultimately, nothing new under the Sun. These are strong themes. which always arouse great interest among the public, but we are sorry to admit that once again the series fails to shine for originality. In any case, there are all the necessary ingredients to start the carousel that will take us around the world again, with many scenarios, even quite heterogeneous and as many puzzles.
Yet, despite the path well trodden by other genres and by the same series of Secret Files, many passages seem forced and superficial, with few narrative cues that urge the player to continue with the adventure. Even the dialogues appear empty and devoid of any role for the purpose of the continuation of the story, often risking boring.
Another sore point concerns the supporting characters: the brave Max was not only kidnapped by the Special Forces, but by the entire development team who preferred to make him playable in a single game sequence that lasted a few minutes, while the enemies of this third chapter they are devoid of personality, they appear few times and it will even happen to forget about them. After a really disappointing story structure, things are not so much better in terms of gameplay.
Secret Files 3: a missed opportunity
Cross and delight of any self-respecting graphic adventure are, without a doubt, the multiple choice dialogues. Let's be clear: this is the pleasant illusion of being able to change the events taking place in the game. However, despite Secret Files 3 allowing to end the story with ben four different endings and in just 6 hours of play, the multiple choice dialogues so dear to fans of the genre are almost completely absent.
The Secret Files interface, much appreciated and known in the two previous chapters has remained unchanged, completing itself in a more than satisfactory way with the touch controls of the Nintendo console, finding the inventory at the bottom of the screen and the help of hotspots in the case where you have to stop in a scene. As for the enigmas of this third episode, compared to the past, logic is king, offering rather simple riddles, underlining how it is not possible to find the right middle way between the nonsense of what has been seen in the past and the banality of the current level of challenge.
The graphic adventure genre has the advantage of aging well over time. This is often allowed thanks to the two-dimensional and cartoony graphic compartments like those seen in Broken Sword, just to cite the most striking example. Despite the weight of its 8 years that separate it from its original release on PC, Secret Files 3 on Nintendo Switch still defends itself very well in all game sequences, with still satisfying character models and very well done backdrops. We cannot say the same for the animated sequences that now suffer from the few details of the character models that do not lend themselves to the interlude movies that reveal a barely acceptable quality already at the time of its first debut.
In the audio sector we are on good levels, with original music very appropriate to the scenes, as well as the dubbing. Speaking of this, a sore point for the incurable of the local language: the game has only the English and German language both in dubbing and in subtitles.
Secret Files 3 is a missed opportunity for Animation Arts to give new luster and personality to their series, which, despite the ups and downs, is still appreciated by fans of the genre. On the Nintendo Switch it earns a few points thanks to the touch screen controls and the nature of the console to want to vote more and more for this genre that is still very popular. Those who have enjoyed the first two chapters of the saga cannot miss it, while all the others will find a graphic adventure just on the sufficiency able to fill the void waiting for a title of greater thickness.
The first historical chapter of the Secret Files saga for PC is available at a very attractive price on Amazon.
