The Secret Order 6: Bloodline
Gameplay 9
Graphics 8
Sound 8

Sarah Pennington is back and this time her adventures take her to a mysterious jungle where a visit to her mother turns into a showdown with the Dragon Clan over an extraordinary plant. The Secret Order 6 won’t disappoint those who are expecting more of the beautifully detailed visuals that has become a staple for Sunward Games titles. However, the game is also quite short and can easily be completed in a couple of hours. It is still very enjoyable though, and one of the better recent entries in this particular series, so if you are a fan of the genre or previous titles then this will be a good fit for your library.

Gameplay: Short and easy, but definitely entertaining.

Graphics: The scenes in this game are imaginative as well as very detailed.

Sound: Decent voice acting and a fitting, albeit limited, soundtrack

Summary 8.3 Outstanding
Gameplay 0
Graphics 0
Sound 0
Summary rating from user's marks. You can set own marks for this article - just click on stars above and press "Accept".
Accept
Summary 0.0 Terrible

The Secret Order 6: Bloodline

Developer: Sunward Games Ltd.  | Publisher: Artifex Mundi | Release Date: 2017 | Genre: Casual / Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

From traveling to the past, mythical realms, legendary kingdoms, and even strange dimensions, nobody can claim that Sarah Pennington leads a boring life. As the daughter of the Master of the Order of the Griffins, she has had a lot on her plate and had to thwart the evil Clan of the Dragon multiple times in the past. In The Secret Order 6: Bloodline, we learn that Sarah’s mother is a microbiologist who is searching for a special flower deep in the jungles of South America. However, shortly after arriving in South America, Sarah finds herself up against the Dragon Clan once again as they kidnap her mother. It seems that some enemies from her past has their own interest in obtaining the miraculous flower that could give them power over life and death. Sarah has no choice but to rescue her mother and ensure that the Dragon Clan doesn’t get their hands on this miracle medicine.

Bloodline is the sixth installment of the popular Secret Order hidden object puzzle adventure series by Sunward Games and Artifex Mundi. Although the series has had some ups and downs, overall it has been amongst the better examples of the genre thanks to beautiful visuals and imaginative locations. Bloodline continues with this trend as it takes place mostly in a South American jungle. However, you won’t just bee seeing lots of trees as the 39 scenes on offer includes crash sites, hidden bases, secret labs, ancient ruins and much more. Each and every one of these scenes have been lavished with detail and are so colorful that even the most mundane ones are a joy to explore. It’s a good thing that all the scenes are so interesting too, as you’ll be spending a lot of time scrutinizing them very close. This is because in addition to the inventory objects needed to complete puzzles, all the scenes are also packed with bonus collectibles to find. These don’t have any use or impact on the story, but are there simply for an added challenge and an opportunity to earn some achievements. From jaguars and crocodiles to crows, chameleons, posters and the obligatory morphing objects, you have your work cut out to find all of them. We suggest making the effort to do so as the game is fairly short and can easily be completed in a couple of hours.

While same characters and names from previous games crop up occasionally, Bloodline is a self-contained adventure that actually has very little to do with the previous installments. Sarah spends most of her adventure alone, apart from the occasional helper, such as a monkey or jaguar cub. Her mother obviously also plays a small role, along with another member of the Order of the Griffins who you bump into. For the rest it is business as usual as Sarah scours her surroundings for objects to place in her inventory from where they can be used to solve all kinds of puzzles.

Along the way you’ll also encounter 12 hidden object scenes to complete along with 24 mini games. The hidden object scenes are detailed and interesting, but far from challenging. While the minigames features a couple of new challenges, most will be familiar to fans of the genre. Whether it is mixing colored fluids in the correct ratios, attaching wires to the correct spots to create the correct shapes, or using mirrors to reflect colored lights to their proper places on a grid, the minigames offer very little real surprises. Bloodline also features a cube artifact mechanic that can be activated in a few places, but the result is just another easy minigame.

While it might not be very challenging, even on the highest of the three available difficulty settings, Bloodline is still an entertaining experience, especially if you are looking for something relaxing. The whole game feels very polished and the interface is very easy to use. Features, like the map that can also be used to instantly jump to previously visited locations means you can quickly get to where you need to go when you figure out where to use an item. While the game doesn’t feature a lot of talking characters, the voice acting that is on offer doesn’t sound too bad. The soundtrack is also quite fitting, although we would have liked to hear a few more tunes.

Completing Bloodline rewards players with a bonus chapter that is set directly after the main storyline, but it doesn’t add too much to the overall playing time. Fans looking for something that can be completed in an evening will enjoy what this game has to offer, but those who thrive on a tough challenge won’t find it here. Bloodline isn’t perfect, character animations are still somewhat on the stiff side, the story is a little muddled at times and the whole experience is over all too soon, but it is definitely one of the better entries in the series. It is also very reasonably priced, so even with the short playtime, you’ll find plenty of value for money. If you are a fan of the series and would like to see more of Sarah Pennington and her adventures then The Secret Order 6 should be high on your wishlist. The same goes for newcomers to the genre as despite being the sixth title in a series, Bloodline is actually quite friendly towards novices.

System Requirements

  • OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
  • Processor: 2.0 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
  • Processor: 2.5 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 512 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • OS: 10.6.8
  • Processor: 2.0 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • OS: 10.6.8
  • Processor: 2.5 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 512 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • OS: Ubuntu 12.04 (32/64bit)
  • Processor: 2.0 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • OS: Ubuntu 12.04 (32/64bit)
  • Processor: 2.5 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 512 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 3 GB available space

Related posts

Haunt the House: Terrortown

Haunt the House: Terrortown

Haunt The House might not be the longest or most challenging game we've played, but it has a unique setting, stylish visuals, and plenty of entertainment. Scaring people with the strange actions you can coax out of ordinary objects is surprisingly fun, and each location offers plenty of unique opportunities to try out your poltergeist skills. Gameplay: The game is straightforward but quite entertaining. Graphics: Haunt the House features detailed and charming visuals. Sound: The game offers a selection of nice tunes and plenty of sound effects.

Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion

Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion

Legacy of Dorn is a thrilling chapter in the Warhammer 4000 saga and packs a very engrossing story. The game also makes the most of the license by packing the space hulk with all the major foes. Space Marines are designed for combat and Legacy of Dorn certainly doesn’t disappoint in this regard either. It is still a gamebook though, so if you don’t like reading or expect cutting edge visuals it is better to steer clear. Everyone else should definitely let their imagination run wild with this title. Gameplay: The story is fast paced and thrilling although a little jargon heavy at times. Graphics: Atmospheric, but mostly text and not that easy on the eyes due to the color scheme. Sound: The game features no speech, but the ambient soundtrack is fitting and unobtrusive.

Fallout 3

Fallout 3

The shift towards a more action oriented first person view might not sit well with purists, but Fallout 3 is still a very entertaining and highly engrossing role playing game. Exploring the wasteland and all its perils is a memorable experience and there is enough to do in this game to keep you busy for ages. The game wasn’t without its bugs when it first launched, but has stabilized a lot since then and there are also hundreds of mods available to enhance the experience. Gameplay: More action and a little less role playing than the previous Fallout titles, but still good. Graphics: While not exactly cutting edge the visuals still allow for an immersive experience. Sound: The game features a great selection of classic tunes.

Goat Simulator

Goat Simulator

Goat Simulator might be a joke, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a lot of fun. There is a surprising amount of things to do considering the small playing area and tons of secrets to discover. If you like messing around in a sandbox environment you will get your moneys' worth out of this game, but it remains to be seen how much Steam Workshop content will be released to increase the longevity. Gameplay: Buggy, glitchy and lots of fun while it lasts. Graphics: Nice visuals, but intentionally bad animations. Sound: Decent sound effects and one extremely catchy tune.

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon could easily have ended up as a promotional novelty to tide players over until the release of Ritual of the Night, but thankfully this is not the case. Instead, Inti Creates has crafted a compelling and enjoyable title featuring everything that made the 8-bit Castlevania titles so great. It does veer dangerously close to the Castlevania license at times, but considering how Konami is doing nothing with the series, fans certainly won't mind. Gameplay: As close as you can get to the 8-bit Castlevania titles. Graphics: Captures the 8-bit style perfectly. Sound: Great, but not quite as memorable as the classic Castlevania tunes.

Caladrius Blaze

Caladrius Blaze

Take to the skies as one of eight different characters and blast your enemies to bits in this vertically scrolling shooter. It is heavy on fan service, and the visuals have not aged as well as we would have liked, but in terms of gameplay, Caladrius Blaze is still a very solid shooter. It has plenty of modes as well as an adjustable challenge that makes it accessible to players of all skill levels. The game does have a couple of issues, so make sure you know about these before purchasing. Gameplay: The game can be as challenging as you want it to be and is quite addictive to boot. Graphics: Nice character designs and plenty of fan service, but the 3D textures really show their age. Sound: The audio features Japanese voiceovers and some nice background tunes.

Leave a comment

12 + one =