Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis (Nintendo DS) Review

Whilst Secret Files: Tunguska's story revolved around the mysteries of the infamous powerful explosion that occurred over in Russia back in 1908, Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis takes a more religious slant, focusing on a corrupt sect that is using old prophecies to its advantage. With the main stars, Nina Kalenkov and Max Gruber, being separated, the game mainly centres around Nina's antics as she heads off on what was supposed to a relaxing cruise to Portugal. As happenstance would have it, though, events take a turn for the intriguing -- and rather disturbing -- as people start dying, baffling notes are left lying around, people begin acting weirdly and…well, it would be spoiling matters too much to go on further.

Suffice to say, Nina becomes embroiled in an effort to overcome the threat of the Puritas Cordis group, trying all the while to get to the bottom of why outlandish events that even Mother Nature could not explain are taking place, and eventually stoke the fires that once were with Max when their paths eventually cross.

Weighing in at a meaty 15 hours, Puritas Cordis certainly gives great value for money, but for some the lengthy conversations may drag on. On the other hand, those with a penchant for wanting to squeeze every last drop of text that the talented script writers have poured in, the wealth of speech avenues to navigate will leave players enamoured. As for the puzzling element, some of the item combinations are peculiar, yet never too far-fetched. The beauty of Secret Files 2, though, is the way that any obstacles are overcome. Whereas in certain games of this ilk there is the chance to randomly use items -- and their combination forms -- on all and sundry in the local vicinity, here it is not possible until it seems logical to do so. For instance, it is not possible to shove some gum in a door's lock to block it from opening until discussions have indicated that it would be of benefit to ensure that only a specific door must be used. Having to use some of that grey matter really makes for a far more enjoyable experience overall, rather than using trial and error throughout. Switching between characters at key times is also a plus, being able to transfer objects from one to another to progress.

Although the stylus control is perfect, this Nintendo DS version is not without its flaws, as the small screen where the majority of the action takes place is not ideal for the highly detailed locations visited. Thankfully, the series in general allows for 'hotspots' to be highlighted, so finding areas of interest that can be interacted with is not as tiresome as it may otherwise have been. Runaway 2: Dream of the Turtle countered the tiny screen syndrome by employing a magnified view when needed, and this could definitely have helped in Secret Files as well, but is sadly missing. The DS game is technically impressive, though, with cut-scenes from the PC iteration and comes with speech included, surprisingly. On the whole, whilst it does not quite match the exemplary Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars, anyone itching for some more adventure goodness on their DS, especially those with the larger Nintendo DSi XL, will have great fun with Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis.