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The Secret Order: Beyond Time
Based on both the CE and SE demos.
Sarah Pennington (your character) has been working for the Secret
Order for some time, often against the Dragon Clan, and ending up back in time ..... where she is now ...... trapped. 
The VERY FIRST impression I got when the game opened for play was .............. NO! OMGosh NO!!!! TOO MUCH ORANGE and GOLD!!!!! Yes, over-use of those "crayons" needs to stop. It actually hurt my eyes so much 
I wasn't sure if I could continue the demo ..... but, I prevailed (YAY ME 
) ..... and here are my notes.
Graphics - obviously I had a problem with the colors used but, other than that, the graphics were amazing, right down to the ittiest, bittiest crack or line or imprint. Amazing.
Voice overs - not many but quite well done, as were the sound fx - I could here a cat purr, clinking of metal. Yep. Amazing. You could almost close your eyes and feel surrounded by the tiniest of sounds you would hear in "real" life.
Difficulty: Casual, Advanced, Expert ---- no "custom" here.
Your diary shows "Objectives" only. I did not see "notes" or "clues". Just "Objectives". I did read where another reviewer mentioned "notes". I didn't see it myself.
The transportable map is very clear as to where to go and where you are. Some maps can get muddled giving too much useless info.
You have to find ..... something (sorry, but I can't give EVERYTHING away - 
) to activate the "hint" button. Yes, even on the "Casual" setting.
HOGs (hidden object games) were mostly list type, sometimes very interactive. There is an alternate Mahjong game you can play if you prefer. Mini Games - fun, new, fresh ideas. Some required P&P (Patience 
and Perseverance). There were definitely more Mini Games than HOGs.
Ultimately, you will get a "helper".
Not one we've seen before in ANY "helper" games from ANY Dev, including this one. Please. If you DO play the demo ......... is it anatomically correct? 
There's a bit of bright neon green where .... well...... you DO cover it up ..... but ..... do YOU see it????? 
It really took me aback! Your "helper" will gain 4 special powers (2 were found in the demo). They DO come in handy and, no, I am NOT going to tell you what they are. Just that they are very handy.
CE Bling:
Aside from the usual Bonus Game, Strategy Guide (which shows 6 chapters), etc., there are ....
* 30 collectible masks (1 was a jaguar, 1 a crocodile, and they were found by accident). They certainly DO NOT stand out right in your face.
I have played "Secret Order" games before, I think
. At least 1? I don't think I played the one before this. Or, I may have played the demo but, at this writing, am not sure if it's in my "dungeon of unplayed games" or not. In any case, several references were made to the previous game(s) .... so this might NOT be a standalone. I know I was confused by several statements made ("Sarah, I am not your father". Shades of Darth Vader!! ).
Will I rush out to purchase the previous game if I don't already own it? Very unlikely. Will I even purchase this one? Maybe the SE but definitely NOT the CE, unless I read any reviews that state the Bonus Game is necessary to complete the main story. (I dislike when Devs put the actual ending of a story in the Bonus Game, thereby forcing us to purchase the CE. 
).
If I can get past the crayon usage
(see "Graphics" above) AND the terrible lag between scenes (like looking at a black screen much?), 
I might purchase the SE. I LOVE the Egyptian era and would probably purchase the SE based solely on that. I would recommend it for any level of experience.
What's next in Sarah Pennington's race to get back to her "real" time? Join me and let's fly away in our ship (yes, FLY in a ship 
) to yet another adventure!
ENJOY!
Based on both the CE and SE demos.
Sarah Pennington (your character) has been working for the Secret
Order for some time, often against the Dragon Clan, and ending up back in time ..... where she is now ...... trapped. The VERY FIRST impression I got when the game opened for play was .............. NO!
OMGosh NO!!!! TOO MUCH ORANGE and GOLD!!!!! Yes, over-use of those "crayons" needs to stop. It actually hurt my eyes so much I wasn't sure if I could continue the demo ..... but, I prevailed (YAY ME ) ..... and here are my notes.Graphics - obviously I had a problem with the colors used but, other than that, the graphics were amazing, right down to the ittiest, bittiest crack or line or imprint. Amazing.
Voice overs - not many but quite well done, as were the sound fx - I could here a cat purr, clinking of metal. Yep. Amazing. You could almost close your eyes and feel surrounded by the tiniest of sounds you would hear in "real" life.Difficulty: Casual, Advanced, Expert ---- no "custom" here.
Your diary shows "Objectives" only. I did not see "notes" or "clues". Just "Objectives". I did read where another reviewer mentioned "notes". I didn't see it myself.
The transportable map is very clear as to where to go and where you are. Some maps can get muddled giving too much useless info.You have to find ..... something (sorry, but I can't give EVERYTHING away -
) to activate the "hint" button. Yes, even on the "Casual" setting.HOGs (hidden object games) were mostly list type, sometimes very interactive. There is an alternate Mahjong game you can play if you prefer.
Mini Games - fun, new, fresh ideas. Some required P&P (Patience and Perseverance). There were definitely more Mini Games than HOGs.Ultimately, you will get a "helper".
Not one we've seen before in ANY "helper" games from ANY Dev, including this one. Please. If you DO play the demo ......... is it anatomically correct? There's a bit of bright neon green where .... well...... you DO cover it up ..... but ..... do YOU see it????? It really took me aback! Your "helper" will gain 4 special powers (2 were found in the demo). They DO come in handy and, no, I am NOT going to tell you what they are. Just that they are very handy.CE Bling:
Aside from the usual Bonus Game, Strategy Guide (which shows 6 chapters), etc., there are ....
* 30 collectible masks (1 was a jaguar, 1 a crocodile, and they were found by accident). They certainly DO NOT stand out right in your face.
I have played "Secret Order" games before, I think
. At least 1? I don't think I played the one before this. Or, I may have played the demo but, at this writing, am not sure if it's in my "dungeon of unplayed games" or not. In any case, several references were made to the previous game(s) .... so this might NOT be a standalone. I know I was confused by several statements made ("Sarah, I am not your father". Shades of Darth Vader!! ). Will I rush out to purchase the previous game if I don't already own it?
Very unlikely. Will I even purchase this one? Maybe the SE but definitely NOT the CE, unless I read any reviews that state the Bonus Game is necessary to complete the main story. (I dislike when Devs put the actual ending of a story in the Bonus Game, thereby forcing us to purchase the CE. ).If I can get past the crayon usage
(see "Graphics" above) AND the terrible lag between scenes (like looking at a black screen much?), I might purchase the SE. I LOVE the Egyptian era and would probably purchase the SE based solely on that. I would recommend it for any level of experience.What's next in Sarah Pennington's race to get back to her "real" time?
Join me and let's fly away in our ship (yes, FLY in a ship ) to yet another adventure!ENJOY!
