The Secret Order 5: The Buried Kingdom Reviews

It was alright, especially if you can get the collection during a sale. Not much to loose if you don't play this... It have nice amount of achievements...so i kinda like it. 5/10

I quite enjoyed this one, it's definitely a good addition to the Secret Order series. Pros: - Map allows fast travel. - Map shows which locations have an action available. - Ability to skip dialogue. Other: - It took me 2hrs to complete the base game and half an hour for the bonus chapter, with the remaining time being multiple replays in order to get the last achievements.

I am playing through all of the secret order games in order. This was a real upgrade from 4, the puzzles made more sense, the plot made a little more sense, it was a smoother game in general. If I were to start over I probably would skip the first four games and start at five. 6/10

The game is not bad but it isn’t good either, something in between. [b]Pros:[/b] beautiful graphics, enjoyable, pleasant music, collectibles, achievements and cards. [b]Cons: *[/b] way to short, I’ve finished the main game and bonus chapter in 3 hours and I took my time. It is possible to complete the whole game in much shorter time. [b]*[/b] Story is disappointing, somebody had many different ideas at the same time and put all of them together which ended in inconsistent, chaotic, illogical plot. Chapters and characters that we meet seem random; we don’t really know who they are and why they’re there. Shame, the story could have been so much better with a little bit more effort. * Puzzles are very easy so don’t expect a challenge. [b]*[/b] Repetitive puzzles, brace yourself for doing one type of a minigame multiple times. I am still recommending it since it wasn’t bad but don’t set your expectations to high.

[h1]Easy if you are used to the genre[/h1] This is another in the series of Hidden Object games in the Secret Order universe. Here, we have another story about magical creatures - this time we discover a hidden realm of dragons under the water. Despite being the fifth in the series, you shouldn't feel like you have to play the others first as it works fine as a stand alone title. There is a (very) brief synopsis regarding previous titles, something about destroying all time machines and outlawing time travel (if you are interested I encourage you to check out the other games), and then it seems to disregard the Order completely, as the story runs its own course around yourself (who could just as well be any random person that discovers the place). The games and hidden scenes are on the tame side, but having said that there is no need to play on Expert difficulty to get all the achievements. Instead, you are free to customise almost all the gameplay elements, so you can play as easy or as hard as you want. I probably played on the easy side, but one minigame - the sliding rails to get through all checkpoints only once - was surprisingly good. Pipes puzzles probably show up way too often. This game has a gimmick in the form of an amulet that periodically needs to 'help' you through areas - even if you think you know where something goes, the game won't let you do it until the amulet does its thing. But to power it up it is inserted in these pipes puzzles, so the energy can reach the amulet. Trust me, you'll get sick of that one real fast. As there is a lot of repetitive puzzles often encountered in previous games, this title doesn't replay well. You will likely only want to play it once, and be very sure to pick up all the collectables as there are several checkpoints that lock you out of backtracking, and you REALLY don't want to replay the game trying to find them. Having said that, it is a good game. Best played as a chiller in-between longer RPGs or as a break from MMOs... something you don't have to think very hard at. Alternatively, it could work very well for a much younger audience as it is colourful, has a storybook feel, and is full of cute little creatures. For all I know young kids are the target audience anyway. Which makes me sad, as now I feel like they don't really want me to play it as I'm too old. I'm not too old! FAANNNTTTAAASSSSYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Secret Order 5 is dramatically better than 4. For anyone who played that, I hope you didn't give up! Everything works in this game. The graphics are, while still on HoG quality, pretty good. The puzzles are fun with some brain teasers but nothing too hard. The story is decent and the sound quality as well as the music is good. + Graphics and art + Sound and music + Good continuation to the series making it worth playing + All achievements work properly +/- The story is decent for HoG standards, but nothing to write home about. It's simple and it does the job. - Nothing significant. Usually I hit all HoG games with horrible cinematics and voice overs but this one wasn't too bad. Or maybe I'm feeling generous.

This is a standard HOPA game in terms of both pros and cons. Better than Secret Order 4 in that it doesn't mash together quite so many cultures and mythologies, but still light on story and high on "sorry, *what* am I doing now?". By this point, the series has strayed too far from a story focussed on the centuries-old conflict between two secret orders (the humanitarian Griffons, and the wealth- and power-obsessed Dragons). In this episode, we venture to (a version of) Atlantis where remnants of the original Dragon clan are plotting against the modern Order of the Griffons. ...So now the Dragons are a clan rather than a secret order? Yes. And they're underwater and there are actual dragons. Pros: - nice art, okay music - nice mix of HO scenes (both word-based and shape-based/interactive) - the limited amount of voice acting is good - your pet helper does reasonable things (for a small dragon): he flies and he breathes flame - the map is interactive and shows everything except collectibles - unlike the previous game, the collectibles (morphing objects and dragon eggs) are distinct and reasonable to find Cons: - the graphics and colours aren't always crisp, which is a little frustrating for the HO scenes - the story feels underdeveloped in the sense of moving too quickly from setting to setting (yes, it's a HOPA game, but still... I prefer more cohesive world-design, even if the premise to the story is shallow) Overall: Like its immediate predecessor, this game was just "okay" for me. That said, the look and feel are nice enough that most HO fans will want to add it to their Artifex Mundi collection. Get it on sale and in the bundle, and it's a fine diversion; the Steam achievements and trading cards are also a plus.

Uhm....... This game was so different from the other Secret Orders in the series... That I thought I booted the wrong game. It looks the same... Has the same character and a helper, but... It doesn't feel the same. It's not necessary bad, however, if you get used to four other games being one way and then it throws you in for a damn strange loop? You either hate it or don't. I just mindlessly played it. It was odd and rather easy. You guys know that you can hide items better, right? I mean... When I enter the H.O. scene...? I already know what items are going to be needed... WITHOUT looking at the list! Maybe I played these for too long or... Games like these don't offer much of a challenge nowadays. Uhm story... I forgot. Like others in the series it had Dragons Versus Gryphins. While that happened and yet.......... It was like "Here friend in danger. Go help friend. Meet bad guy. Oh! Can't defeat him too early! Get thrown off. Walk around for aeons and find yourself back in the place you started... Okay NOW you can defeat bad guy." *Claps* Where was the Time Travel?! Where was that sexy, overly powerful ship?! I mean... You guys messed everything up in the world...! But it was fun! (And for those who say that the ship was wrecked... TIME TRAVEL. There are OTHER copies of it elsewhere! So shh...!) Who were any of these people?! What happened to the family members and the ORDERS?! WTH was the BONUS GAME ABOUT?! Also, you said the "Dragon Eye" shows the past, right? Then how in the hell is the "past viewing" ability capable of "physically altering things in the future?" Is it... A powerful spirit...? No. I am not helping you! Also x2... Why didn't the "Dragon Eye" power work on that hanging blanket in the end? Was it because we could've resolved the issues in the Bonus Game in a few seconds instead? Lol.........! You want easy and mindless? YOU GOT IT!!! You want a decent game with a decent story... WHICH Artifex is KNOWN FOR?! *cackles* Not here you wont find it still yet at all. (You wont find it here...)

[h1] Information / Review English [/h1] The Secret Order 5: The Buried Kingdom is a hidden object adventure developed by Sunward Games. [h1] Gameplay / Story [/h1] Your childhood friend got in touch with some exciting news. She may have found the key to a missing city! What was planned as a happy reunion, however, takes a dark turn when she is kidnapped by strangers. This is how your exciting adventure begins ... [h1] Pro [/h1] + exciting story + partly challenging puzzles + solid graphic style + good sound + beautiful wallpapers + Notebook + 3 levels of difficulty + Bonus adventure + Trading cards and achievements [h1] Contra [/h1] - short playing time of 2 to 3 hours [h1] Conclusion [/h1] The Secret Order 5: The Buried Kingdom convinces with immersive gameplay at the highest level and an exciting story. Clear purchase recommendation for fans of this genre. [h1] Information / Review Deutsch [/h1] The Secret Order 5: The Buried Kingdom ist ein Wimmelbild-Abenteuer, welches von Sunward Games entwickelt wurde. [h1] Gameplay / Geschichte [/h1] Deine Kindheits-Freundin meldet sich mit ein paar aufregenden Neuigkeiten bei Dir. Möglicherweise hat sie den Schlüssel zu einer verschwundenen Stadt gefunden! Was als freudiges Wiedersehen geplant war, nimmt jedoch eine dunkle Wende, als sie von Unbekannten entführt wird. So mit beginnt dein aufregendes Abenteuer... [h1] Pro [/h1] + spannende Geschichte + teils anspruchsvolle Rätsel + solider Grafikstil + guter Sound + schöne Hintergrundbilder + Notizbuch + 3 Schwierigkeitsgrade + Bonusabenteuer + Trading Cards und Errungenschaften [h1] Kontra [/h1] - kurze Spielzeit von 2 bis 3 Stunden [h1] Fazit [/h1] The Secret Order 5: The Buried Kingdom überzeugt durch ein Immersives Gameplay auf höchstem Niveau und einer spannenden Geschichte. Klare Kaufempfehlung für Fans dieses Genres.

Sarah Pennington saved the world from the Dragon Clan by travelling through times. So when her friend Julie invites her to visit a buried kingdom they've dreamed off to find when they were students, she didn't hesitate... But Julie was attacked by a familiar face: Quiron... What's the Dragon Clan needs from the Buried Kingdom? For once, the plot in the Secret Order is different from the rest of the series - though it would be great to have the first game released on Steam, so that we can finally learn about Sarah at her beginning -: no time travelling is involved and the story is less confusing (remember: the second, third and fourth games were related and formed a sort of story arc but it was quite a confusion due to the time travelling). Indeed, the Griffin Order decided that this particular travel would be over. So, now, Sarah finds herself confronted to Quiron in an ancient kingdom that could give him the power to control the world and destroy his enemies. The bonus chapter is just Sarah escaping the kingdom after a member destroys the elevator. The gameplay is quite standard for anyone playing this kind of game: use items, combine them, find them, clear hidden objects scenes of several sorts (which is kinda now the standard: list of words, shapes, actions required, etc..) and solve puzzles. As it's a Collector's Edition, special items are also hidden in each scene. The difficulty is also well-balanced. But what I loved is Droi, the little dragon that's helping you: he can reach the highest objects OR he can start a fire for you: something I've quite forgotten during my playthrough, mainly at one moment in the bonus chapter. The graphics were very good: everything was making sense: from the modern but brief part to the kingdom itself. Besides, you have also a hallucination induced by a shaman to make sure you're trustworthy and it was nice to see that part of the kingdom in a much darker way than after, where it was really bright and not in ruins. It was really a good world. And the soundtrack was fitting. Really, I liked that new direction for the Secret Order: finally exploring the present time and still finding yourself into a fantasy world. For once, you don't need the previous game to understand everything. The griffin was replaced this time by a dragon and they're not the enemies there, well at least, the dragons themselves, not the clan. So, I recommend wholeheartily (I don't know if that word exists and if I'm not making a mix-up but well...), with all my heart, to buy this game!