*Note that 1 achievement is possibly broken, causing 2 achievements to be unobtainable at the moment.

My Playtime: 7.7h (18/20 achievements, played the game 4 times)
My First Playthrough: 3.1h (advanced difficulty)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (14 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden is a hidden object game by Artifex Mundi, which follows the same suit as their other games in general. It is a point-and-click game that has hidden object scenes and puzzles mixed into it.

Pros:
- A lot of puzzles with varying difficulty
- 3 different difficulties to play the game with
- Domino game is available as a substitute for hidden object games
- Hint and skip buttons for casual players

Cons:
- Some cutscenes can't be skipped
- It's hard to know where the hidden object scenes are in the hardest difficulty unless you know about it beforehand

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

Yes.
If you like to play hidden object games, buy this game. However, since is short, feel free to buy it at a sale.

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The game might be old, but that doesn't mean that the visuals are bad. If you can spare the odd-looking character models and blurry cutscenes, the visuals still look good at this age. Although the backgrounds don't look as sharp as recent Artifex Mundi games, I still found them to be acceptable; the backgrounds look beautiful with various lighting effects, which match their realistic style.

Just like other similar games in general, the story in Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden merely serves as a way to give a theme to the story. There isn't much to be told except for things related to your objective. I was surprised that they give a lengthy backstory in the bonus content, though. Despite not being used extensively in the main game, it gives a good piece of information on how the area that the characters experienced in the main game came to be.

As for the cutscenes, I liked the suspense. There are a lot of jumpscares that will surprise you with their sudden appearances, and since they are not scary, those who can't stand playing horror games like me still can appreciate them. Moreover, it works well with the mysterious theme that the game has.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=762234156

Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to other Artifex Mundi games, in which you'll have a point-and-click segment combined with hidden object scenes. You'll explore several screens to find some objects which can be used to advance to other screens. Some hidden objects and puzzles will also be included from time to time, breaking the repetition. The puzzles themself are varied, and the fact that some of them were included to progress the story makes it feel important.

On the other hand, the hidden object scenes are mostly similar. You need to find an object that was listed at the bottom of the page, with some objects locked beneath other mechanics. There is also another variance where you have to find objects based on images instead of words. The good thing is that although some objects can give some challenges to find, they are not hard to find to begin with. If you are having issues with it, you can switch to a domino game, where you can hook a 2-sided piece with another that has the same image on one of the sides to reach some markers.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=350502421

Length and Difficulty
Sadly, the game is very short. I managed to finish both the main and bonus content in 3.1h in the advanced difficulty. The game has 3 difficulties that you can choose from at the beginning, with advanced being in the middle. It isn't hard to beat the game either; although it is easy to miss some hidden object scenes, there is a hint and skip button that you can use if you are stuck. I did try to replay the game again to get the other achievements, but it seems that the achievement that requires you to finish the game in the hardest difficulty is broken as I couldn't manage to get it despite finishing the game in that difficulty 3 more times.

Despite its old age, Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden is still a solid hidden object game for fans of the genre. I particularly like the jumpscare in this game the most. Although some are quite predictable, they still give some suspense in the exploration.

Gameplay-wise, it has varied puzzles, hidden object scenes, and a domino game that isn't hard to pick up if you don't know how it works. The point-and-click sections are pretty much straightforward, and if you have trouble in any of its segments, the game still offers hint and skip buttons to help you finish it.