My Playtime: 2.8h (100% achievement, finished the game + bonus content)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (20 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

Secret Order 8: Return to the Buried Kingdom is a hidden object game published by Artifex Mundi, played in the same style as other games by its publisher. It's the eighth title from the Secret Order series, although I'm not sure how related the story is since I haven't played their other games in this series.

Pros:
- 3+1 difficulties
- Hint and skip buttons in case you're stuck
- Various puzzles to solve

Cons:
- Solutions tend not to make any sense
- Hidden object scenes seem to be an afterthought

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

No.
There are a lot of better Artifex Mundi games out there. Hidden objects, the main meat of this game, is just too lazily done and you'll just find yourself checking out hints to progress due to its ridiculous solutions for the point-and-click progressions.

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It's weird for a game that was released 2 years ago, but the visuals are blurred on my screen. Characters that are talking looks like a puppet since they only animate their mouths, and the cutscenes are filled with too many clouds and fogs to see anything worthwhile. On the other hand, the backgrounds and objects in the main game still look great with their realistic style.

It might be because it was my first time playing a game from this series, but it was hard for me to follow. Moreover, the fast-talking speed in the prologue also doesn't help me to understand what was happening. I replayed the game a bit after I finished it and it helped me with understanding the worldbuilding a bit, though.

However, the story doesn't make sense. The writer seems to want to create a villain with a deep background, but it doesn't work since the story in these kinds of games is supposed to be simple. The villain looks ridiculous at the end, especially with how they revealed themselves and how fast they changed their mind. Furthermore, the cinematic when they show up looks weak compared to other games like Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden (my review). Artifex Mundi games' scenes usually make me laugh due to how unrealistic it is, but I just laughed at this one due to how bad it is.

Gameplay
The game is a combination of point-and-click, hidden objects, and puzzles. I think that puzzles and point-and-click sections cover most of the game; I hardly see any hidden object scenes in this one. However, the game seems to mix a lot of fantasy elements into its point-and-click solutions, making it hard to figure out the right solutions. I was surprised when I was supposed to use a skull necklace, which looks like a shell with a string, to remove nails, for example. I ended up having to rely on hints most of the time due to how vague the solutions are.

Puzzles are the best aspect of this game. Although some might be confusing until you check the instructions, they are easy enough to solve. However, the instruction button is placed on top of the skip button, and the hitbox for the skip button seems to be higher than where the button is. I was always afraid that I would press the skip button whenever I wanted to click on the instructions.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2022633146

Although the hidden object is usually the main focus for Artifex Mundi games, I hardly encounter them in this game. Moreover, the ones that I found were too easy and vague to solve. They tend to use this type that lists the name of the object that you have to find at the bottom of the screen, but you need to find several other objects that weren't specified on the screen before you can obtain it. They are easy enough to find once you know the object, but it wasn't fun to play because of the same reason. I'd rather have the usual ones where you have to find objects from a list of words. Well, they actually have that, but there weren't many to begin with.

Length and Difficulty
I finished the game in 2.8h. The rest of my playtime was just me replaying the game to figure out the story better. I wasn't focused on the story because of how fast the dialogue was and how annoying the point-and-click sections were, so I figured that it would be better for me to replay it. I only replayed it halfway, but it was enough for me to get the background of the story, and I still think that the story doesn't make sense.

The game offers 4 difficulties, including the customized one. I chose to play in the easiest mode, casual, and had issues with the point-and-click sections due to their vagueness. I ended up relying on the flickers that show up if you idled for a while although you also can use the hint button to bypass that. That being said, the game can definitely be finished faster if you didn't stuck a lot like me.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1985338691

Issues
There are cases when the voiceover and subtitle didn't sync if you continue some texts. The last bonus minigame also seems to be bugged - it always shows a random element instead of the element that I chose.

Despite being the eighth title of the series, Secret Order 8: Return to the Buried Kingdom doesn't seem as good as it was supposed to be. It might touch a fantasy setting that was rare to be found in Artifex Mundi games, but it ended up backfiring due to how vague the solutions in the point-and-click sections are implemented. Moreover, as a game that was supposed to have hidden object scenes as its strength, it doesn't seem to do it well either. You might be better off playing other games instead of this one, especially since there are a lot of similar games out there.

[b]My Playtime:[/b] 2.8h (100% achievement, finished the game + bonus content) [b]Grindy Achievement(s):[/b] No. [b]Optional Achievement(s):[/b] Yes (20 achievements). [b]Difficult Achievement(s):[/b] No. [h1]Intro[/h1] [b]Secret Order 8: Return to the Buried Kingdom[/b] is a hidden object game published by [i]Artifex Mundi[/i], played in the same style as other games by its publisher. It's the eighth title from the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/1573/The_Secret_Order_Collection/]Secret Order[/url] series, although I'm not sure how related the story is since I haven't played their other games in this series. [b]Pros:[/b] - 3+1 difficulties - Hint and skip buttons in case you're stuck - Various puzzles to solve [b]Cons:[/b] - Solutions tend not to make any sense - Hidden object scenes seem to be an afterthought [b]Specs[/b] Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 [h1]Should you buy this game?[/h1] [b]No.[/b] [i]There are a lot of better Artifex Mundi games out there. Hidden objects, the main meat of this game, is just too lazily done and you'll just find yourself checking out hints to progress due to its ridiculous solutions for the point-and-click progressions.[/i] [hr][/hr] [h1]In-Depth Review[/h1] [h3]Visuals[/h3] It's weird for a game that was released 2 years ago, but the visuals are blurred on my screen. Characters that are talking looks like a puppet since they only animate their mouths, and the cutscenes are filled with too many clouds and fogs to see anything worthwhile. On the other hand, the backgrounds and objects in the main game still look great with their realistic style. [h3]Story[/h3] It might be because it was my first time playing a game from this series, but it was hard for me to follow. Moreover, the fast-talking speed in the prologue also doesn't help me to understand what was happening. I replayed the game a bit after I finished it and it helped me with understanding the worldbuilding a bit, though. However, the story doesn't make sense. The writer seems to want to create a villain with a deep background, but it doesn't work since the story in these kinds of games is supposed to be simple. The villain looks ridiculous at the end, especially with how they revealed themselves and how fast they changed their mind. Furthermore, the cinematic when they show up looks weak compared to other games like [b][url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/284710/Abyss_The_Wraiths_of_Eden/]Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden[/url][/b] ([url=https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198132503739/recommended/284710]my review[/url]). [i]Artifex Mundi[/i] games' scenes usually make me laugh due to how unrealistic it is, but I just laughed at this one due to how bad it is. [h3]The Game[/h3] [b]Gameplay[/b] The game is a combination of point-and-click, hidden objects, and puzzles. I think that puzzles and point-and-click sections cover most of the game; I hardly see any hidden object scenes in this one. However, the game seems to mix a lot of fantasy elements into its point-and-click solutions, making it hard to figure out the right solutions. I was surprised when I was supposed to use a skull necklace, which looks like a shell with a string, to remove nails, for example. I ended up having to rely on hints most of the time due to how vague the solutions are. Puzzles are the best aspect of this game. Although some might be confusing until you check the instructions, they are easy enough to solve. However, the instruction button is placed on top of the skip button, and the hitbox for the skip button seems to be higher than where the button is. I was always afraid that I would press the skip button whenever I wanted to click on the instructions. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2022633146 Although the hidden object is usually the main focus for [i]Artifex Mundi[/i] games, I hardly encounter them in this game. Moreover, the ones that I found were too easy and vague to solve. They tend to use this type that lists the name of the object that you have to find at the bottom of the screen, but you need to find several other objects that weren't specified on the screen before you can obtain it. They are easy enough to find once you know the object, but it wasn't fun to play because of the same reason. I'd rather have the usual ones where you have to find objects from a list of words. Well, they actually have that, but there weren't many to begin with. [b]Length and Difficulty[/b] I finished the game in 2.8h. The rest of my playtime was just me replaying the game to figure out the story better. I wasn't focused on the story because of how fast the dialogue was and how annoying the point-and-click sections were, so I figured that it would be better for me to replay it. I only replayed it halfway, but it was enough for me to get the background of the story, and I still think that the story doesn't make sense. The game offers 4 difficulties, including the customized one. I chose to play in the easiest mode, casual, and had issues with the point-and-click sections due to their vagueness. I ended up relying on the flickers that show up if you idled for a while although you also can use the hint button to bypass that. That being said, the game can definitely be finished faster if you didn't stuck a lot like me. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1985338691 [b]Issues[/b] There are cases when the voiceover and subtitle didn't sync if you continue some texts. The last bonus minigame also seems to be bugged - it always shows a random element instead of the element that I chose. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] Despite being the eighth title of the series, [b]Secret Order 8: Return to the Buried Kingdom[/b] doesn't seem as good as it was supposed to be. It might touch a fantasy setting that was rare to be found in [i]Artifex Mundi[/i] games, but it ended up backfiring due to how vague the solutions in the point-and-click sections are implemented. Moreover, as a game that was supposed to have hidden object scenes as its strength, it doesn't seem to do it well either. You might be better off playing other games instead of this one, especially since there are a lot of similar games out there.