The Secret Order 8: Return to the Buried Kingdom

About

In "The Secret Order 8: Return to the Buried Kingdom," Sarah Pennington is back for the final installment of the saga to maintain balance and peace in the kingdom. Explore beautiful locations, encounter unique beasts, and solve challenging puzzles to lift the curse and defeat the evil Necromancer and his skeleton army. Play as a strong female character and prepare for an immersive and mesmerizing adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

The Secret Order 8: Return to the Buried Kingdom screenshot

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 104 reviews

story14 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

The game features beautiful artwork and solid graphics, creating an immersive atmosphere.
It offers a relaxing gameplay experience with a good variety of puzzles and achievements to obtain.
The story is engaging and revisits familiar settings from previous entries in the series, providing a sense of continuity.

The game is notably short, with a playtime of around 3 hours, which may not justify the price for some players.
Many puzzles feel recycled from previous games in the series, leading to a lack of innovation and challenge.
The story can be confusing and underdeveloped, with abrupt transitions and insufficient dialogue to guide players.

story
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
7%
The story in "The Secret Order 8: Return to the Buried Kingdom" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it underdeveloped and confusing, particularly in the bonus chapter. While some appreciated the revisiting of familiar locations and found the premise interesting, others criticized the plot as weak, unoriginal, and lacking coherence, making it difficult to follow. Overall, the narrative feels disconnected from previous entries in the series, leaving players wanting more depth and clarity.
- “The secret order 8: Return to the Buried Kingdom convinces with immersive gameplay at the highest level and an exciting story.”
- “The plot was fun too since it was a revisiting of a location from a previous entry.”
- “Good storyline, easy to follow game.”
- “The story is wafer thin and ends incredibly abruptly at the end of the main game.”
- “The story is barely fleshed out at all, to the point where things don't make sense or the transitions are really jarring.”
- “The story is hard to follow because there is no notebook and insufficient dialogue to explain what's going on; this is worst in the bonus chapter (I had no idea who I was or what was going on).”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The gameplay in "The Secret Order 8: Return to the Buried Kingdom" is described as immersive and polished, offering a satisfying experience despite a perceived reduction in quality. While the mechanics and puzzles are stable and enjoyable, some players may find the lack of new challenges and difficulty levels a bit boring. Overall, the game provides an engaging departure from the series' norms, though a fresh theme and improved gameplay could enhance future installments.
- “It's not difficult in the slightest, but it's such a departure from the usual gameplay that I enjoyed it a lot.”
- “The Secret Order 8: Return to the Buried Kingdom convinces with immersive gameplay at the highest level and an exciting story.”
- “It might be a bit boring for those focused on new mechanics, new puzzles, new levels of difficulty though.”
- “Time to end this series now, focus on a new theme and slightly better gameplay but otherwise a satisfactory installment.”
- “Anyways, like the past handful of games in the series, the mechanics and puzzles have become polished and stable enough to not need major changes.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
21%
21%
The graphics are generally praised for their solid and beautiful artwork, featuring a grimy and grainy aesthetic that enhances the game's atmosphere. While many users appreciate the visuals and find them relaxing, some note inconsistencies, particularly in cut scenes, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point of the game, complemented by tasteful music.
- “The graphics, as always, are superb; the music that goes along with it is tasteful and well suited to the game.”
- “Great artwork, nice entry in the series.”
- “Nice visuals and makes for a relaxing afternoon when I'm having to wait around on things.”
- “The artwork is grimy, gungy, and grainy.”
- “Decent enough graphics (apart from cut scenes at times).”
- “The artwork is grimy, gungy, and grainy.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and suitability, enhancing the relaxing atmosphere alongside the visuals. However, some players find it repetitive and annoying over time, with certain tracks described as jarring, leading to mixed feelings about its overall impact.
- “Lots of fun puzzles, beautiful scenery, great music and voice acting.”
- “The thumbs up comes from the music and art, along with the relaxing flow of the game which is a welcome change from other intense games out there.”
- “The graphics as always are superb, the music that goes along with it is tasteful and well suited to the game.”
- “- the music was repetitive, especially by the end, and the 'atmospheric' sounds became annoying later on as well; yes, you can turn it all off, but I shouldn't want to with a game this price.”
- “Some truly jarring music.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by creepy, skeletal, and swampy visuals that create an intriguing setting; however, this is undermined by a short and simplistic plot. Additionally, the repetitive music and annoying ambient sounds detract from the overall experience, leaving players wishing for a more immersive auditory environment.
- “There's lots of creepy skeletal, swampy scenes that were cool and atmospheric.”
- “The game creates an immersive environment that draws you in with its haunting visuals and sound design.”
- “The atmosphere is thick with tension, making every moment feel suspenseful and engaging.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, with puzzles that feel repetitive and a confusing point-and-click mechanic. Additionally, the lack of a compelling story further detracts from the overall experience.
- “The puzzles are all pretty tedious, the point-and-click mechanics are often confusing and muddled, and there's just not much there in terms of the story.”