Tunguska: The Visitation

## System requirements

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7, 8, 10
Processor: Intel Core i7
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: GeForce GT 1030
DirectX: Version 9.0
Storage: 5 GB available space
Sound Card: Integrated sound card
Additional Notes: Integrated Display Adapters and Laptops are not optimal for this game. Best played on desktop PCs.

**Tunguska: The Visitation** is a single-player top-down adventure RPG video game developed by Rotorist Workshop. It was released on Jun 4, 2021 for Microsoft Windows and is available for purchase on Steam and GOG.COM.

Set in a late-Cold-War Krasnoyarsk Krai region of USSR, *Tunguska: The Visitation* follows the story of an American independent journalist and writer who was dispatched by Manhattan Weekly to the Exclusion Zone to investigate the reason for the influx of "treasure hunters" to the region and assess the veracity of a drug that can cure any disease.

The game's environment is build from a set of location connected in a specific manner similar to the world of first three S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games. Player, observing from a isometric/top-down perspective will explore these locations meeting new people, learning their story, fighting bandits and Ghouls, completing quests, crafting, selling and buying items.

But not only humans, humanoids or animals are the threat - Exclusion Zone is full of so-called Distortions able to kill any being walking into them, and the Zone itself tries to fight off intruders through VIsitation Events, killing or turning any negligent Ghoul Hunter into his own prey. Some places and items have been irradiated for decades, other were devastated by chemical pollution and now are but invisible killers.

In this environment so cruel, Player Character has to manage their inventory, take care of basic human needs, keep track of expenses and equipment worn-out and adjust any tactics to the situation, threat and own skills.

Since release of the game, *Tunguska: The Visitation* received mostly positive criticism, especially with time and newer updates. However it is seldom reffered to as a "janky S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game" due to bizzare AI behaviour or camera controls.

## Plot

On June 30, 1908, a 12-megaton airburst explosion occured near Podkamennaya Tunguska River destroying over 2,150 km2 of forests and killing all animals in the vicinity of the epicentre. Some people who have seen a blinding light descending upon Earth and transforming into a knocking-out blast described it as some new generation artillery attack that shook the Earth like an earthquake. Few decades later, in 50', Soviets conducted a mining operation in this zone for a few years and later it was deemed as a wild frontier.

In the 1980s, a rumor began to spread about lone travelers who began to descend on the area of the explosion site, and some of them returned after a short time, much richer and with information about a specific that can be found in the Tunguska Zone and is capable of curing any ailment. Over time, the number of "treasure hunters" increases significantly, and there are reports of individuals who after entering the Zone, never return from it. Soviet Union decides to lock down the Zone in a military cordon. Right outside of it a then-abandoned village of Zernaskaya becomes populated by new Ghoul Hunters to create a no-man's zone and reduce the number of inexperienced adventurers being killed in the Zone.

In 1985 in New York's Manhattan Weekly editor office a long-term journalist shows up for a promotion. Mary McCarthy, senior editor of the journal, influences the journalist to pay a visit to the Tunguska Exclusion Zone, make some interviews with treasure hunters and find information about why people are coming there and whether the "snake oil" specific actually exists. Such stories would be unique to American newspapers and are expected to bring the readers back to Manhattan Weekly. McCarthy promotes the journalist to a Senior Reporter and both agree to send the investigator to the Zone with help of an editor's contact of unknown name. The journalist travels by plane to China, then to Mongolia by bus and in a contact's car to the USSR-Mongolian border.

Few days later the journalist arrives in the Zernaskaya Village which is occupied by a group of Bootleggers. They are represented and commanded by three people: a trader and smuggler Sidor, an ex-soldier Razor and an eccentric german scientist Hans Eppstein. All three introduce the reporter to the Zone, it's laws and order, provide information about the situation within the Cordon and present few ways of earning money in this place.

During his investigations the reporter learns that the Soviet-funded mining operation in the region was about plutonium extraction from the old Tunguska Event sight and irradiation caused by all the radioactive wastes and materials made changes to the environment. Animals and vegetation mutated, weird quantum Distortions were discovered. The sickness brought from the Zone was so unique that a special Ashinaka sanatorium was built near Lake Cheko, where rich and terminally-ill people could spend their last days. Meanwhile Soviets built an underground laboratory called Ashinaka where together with Japanese biomedical researchers were studying human mutations in hope of creating a breed of super soldiers, using the sanatorium residents as subjects. However the program got out of hands and Soviets ended up abandoning the place, leaving created monstrosities and chemical wastes behind.

Eventually the reporter finishes the remaining commitments to treasure and Ghoul hunters and in the Zone and asks McCarthy to prepare the way back. After returning to New York, he and the editor spend several weeks publishing information about Tunguska, which becomes a worldwide sensation.

## Gameplay

Tunguska: The Visitation's world is set in a tunnel-connected small locations withh non-seamless transitions full of exploration, optional objectives and visual storytelling. The main quest is very vague and there is no simple way to achieve it, player is often forced to do side quests to gain people's trust or prepare for a harder adventure. Not all locations are available right from the start, the player has to learn the directions to one to be able to travel, some are unlocked after certain phases of the game. These locations aren't open but vast enough to let player explore the surroundings. All areas have a dynamic state simulation where factions invade each other or take over certain places, so a compound once ruled by humans can be overrun by Ghouls next time player appears there. With progression of the main quest the types of encountered enemies change too and they become harder opponents who can show up in locations they never have been in before.

The game features a day and night cycle which hinders everyone's sight and makes the environment harder to navigate through, and any artificial light sources make one an easier target. Weather is dynamic too, however it does not have any significant impact on game's mechanics.

Player has access to an equipment and inventory system - the Player Character can carry a single "long" primary weapon (a gun or long melee weapon) and and two backup "short" secondary weapons (pistols, SMGs, short melee weapons). They have access to different types of headgear like helmets or gasmasks, body armor and tools. Different body armors unlock different number of pockets (inventory slots that can be accessed with hotkeys). Player also has access to explosives like grenades or mines, but it should be noted that they will deal damage to everything in the explosion radius. The inventory size player can carry is restricted by the sizeof their backpack (which can be increased with special items) and maximum carry weight. Too much stuff in a backpack will increase the stamina usage or even lock the sprint feature.

The stamina drain factor is altered by Energy, which together with Health is a crucial parameter on which player's life depends. Energy goes down with hours spent on exploration and travelling and has to be replenished with food and sleep (just eating does not bring back energy). Energy bar too small will lower the amount of stamina or hinder player's mobility. Health can be recovered with sleep or medical items. Depending on type of attack, player can either loose some health or get a bleeding effect that will constantly drain their health level if not bandaged.

Player has to constantly monitor his Radiation and Poisoning level. First one is caused by entering irradiated locations especially without radiation-suppressors or gasmask, second one raises with damage taken from Ghouls, being struck with Visitation Event or through being in toxic environment. After reaching certain level they will drain player's health and eventually kill him. These levels can be increased with certain medical items too if used too recklessly.

## Expansions

Since release of the base game, *Tunguska: The Visitation* received four expansions:

* Tunguska: Ravenwood Stories - released on June 23, 2022, adds a new location and plenty of equipment, quests and gameplay mechanics
* Tunguska: Way of The Hunter - released on November 2, 2022, adds a character creation feature and skills/perks system
* (FREE) Tunguska: Ghost of Valentin - released on October 24, 2022, adds a new location and bunch of Halloween-themet assets
* Tunguska: Dead Zone - released on June 14, 2023, adds two difficulty levels and a handful of assets and gameplay changes

## Links

* https://store.steampowered.com/app/1601970/Tunguska\_The\_Visitation/ - Tunguska: The Visitation on Steam
* https://www.gog.com/pl/game/tunguska\_the\_visitation - Tunguska: The Visitation on GOG.COM