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The Order: 1886 Review

Victorian-Era London has never looked so good, but we wish it played better

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With many franchises shifting focus to include (or consist entirely of) multiplayer, the art of telling engaging, memorable stories in games is a fleeting notion. Some games are determined to fill the void, however, with the likes of Wolfenstein: The New Order and Beyond: Two Souls just to name a few recent examples. Sony has always held a good reputation when it comes to giving developers a chance to create something unique, rather than bowing under the demands of the market. Their latest published game comes courtesy of Ready at Dawn, a studio that until now was best known for its ports of the popular God Of War franchise. It's undoubtedly risky to allow a studio to create a new IP for the first time, but that's exactly the kind of flexibility Sony frequently offers. Arriving in stores this week, The Order: 1886 is the result of those efforts.

The Order: 1886

The game takes place in a Victorian-Era London, but in an alternate version of history where mythical creatures and futuristic technology must co-exist. Players assume the role of Sir Galahad, a member of an elite order of Her Majesty's Royal Knights. Parallels are of course drawn to the real order that existed in the 1800s, complete with choices of attire, political influence, and even the round table for council meetings. The purpose of The Knights of The Order is to protect the people and lords of London from criminals, but more importantly, the Half-breeds. These creatures can swap between human and Lycan forms, and have been at war with The Order for centuries. The Knights are no ordinary humans either, however. They possess the power of Blackwater, a mysterious liquid that allows them to live far longer than ordinary humans, and heals nearly all wounds with time.

As Sir Galahad, players become embroiled in a tale of mystery, deception and corruption. There is a revolutionary movement in parts of London that's causing the nobles headaches, with frequent raids on the East India Trading Company, the largest financial organization in the city. You and your squad of Knights are tasked with solving the mysteries of re-emergence of the Lycans in the city, as well as putting an end to the anti-government rebellion once and for all. But over the course of the game, players will learn that not everything is as it appears, and that greater dangers lie closer to home than you might think.

What makes the game stand out is its storytelling techniques. Employing the oft-lost art of "Show, don't tell", the narrative is well-paced, starting off as a slow burn and eventually leading up to an exciting apex. It's further boosted to excellence by well-written dialog, interesting characters, and expertly created scenes. The game is full of cutscenes, but rather than be frustrated that they cannot be skipped, you more than likely will put the controller down and watch with great interest. You're almost never alone and the supporting cast does a great job of providing a variety of different perspectives on the events. And Sir Galahad himself, of course, makes for a memorable and relatable character. The Order is definitely a title that's worth playing for its 6 to 7 hour campaign if you're interested in what excellent writing, voice acting, and movie-like camera work can look like in our interactive medium.

The Order: 1886

But even with storytelling, one of the game's strongest aspects, there are a few shortcomings. The plot, despite the unique setting, follows a path you've likely seen before in works with similar conspiracy themes. The existence of Blackwater puts a damp cloth on any sense of danger to the characters, since literally anything – from a gunshot wound to a blade through the stomach, to a broken spine – is healed relatively quickly by drinking it. Thus, you'll never feel that the Knights are in any real grave peril, and on the whole the near-invincibility concept detracts from the sense of tension in pretty much every scene.

And then there's the ending. Like any story worth its salt, you need a point of de-escalation; you need those last few pages in a book or last 10 minutes in a movie after the climax to let the viewer breathe. Let players have at least a little glimpse of the aftermath; tie a few of the loose ends in the immediate narrative. But sadly, The Order simply throws one of its best scenes at the player and then drops the mic. Powerful, yes, and a testament to a well-constructed and exciting narrative set-piece, yet it is also a point of frustration that the developers chose to literally end it there. I actually audibly exclaimed my confusion and displeasure at the TV; it's great that the story and characters can draw you in to such an extent, but simply leaving it there makes for a conflicting feeling. At least it's not a cliffhanger.

When a huge part of the game is composed of cutscenes, you'd be correct in guessing that quick time events make an appearance to keep players involved. These are most often contextual button prompts, and failing even once usually results in catastrophe and a restart of the scene. Much like the efforts from Quantic Dream, these events aren't exactly difficult and they do their job well given the context. Examples include blocking an attack, making a last-moment shot to save a friend, and so forth. There are other occasionally used elements as well, such as a minigame to balance an electrical circuit, obligatory stealth section or two, and even a melee fight complete with its own unique mechanics. None of these elements are overly involving or original, but they break up the pace of the shooting gallery that forms the rest of the gameplay.

The Order: 1886

Taking control of Sir Galahad in the standard third person shooter viewpoint, players will fight their way through the narrow streets and tunnels of London. The action is highly scripted, to the point of the game handing you guns during cutscenes, and not being allowed to shoot unless you're in an "action" area. This sort of limitation puts players at ease as they explore dark underground passages, knowing that no danger shall come upon them that cannot be defeated through a button prompt. Unless the game actually equips your weapons, there is no choice but to walk around.

Like the narrative, The Order seemingly prides itself on being much slower paced than most shooters. There are many parts of the game where you can explore the environment a little, and pick up various objects and rotate them to get a better look. From newspaper clippings detailing recent events, to evidence of a deep conspiracy, to that new awesome rifle you are about to use, the inspection mechanic adds some level of immersion; even if it does nothing for gameplay. And because of the rather small environments, there aren't many places to hide collectibles, so you're likely to find a vast majority on your first attempt.

When you're finally able to flex the trigger finger, The Order is standard cover-based action fare. You wait in cover, watching enemies spawn in the instance and also hide behind something, occasionally moving or popping out to give you a target. As mentioned, the levels are small, providing little opportunity to flank, so the action can get fairly boring. But at least the shootouts can happen anywhere, and not just in too-obviously-constructed areas filled with chest high walls. If you choose to get crazy and push ahead, the spawning system sometimes breaks and deploys enemies behind you, who then unload a shotgun in your back and bring death. Sometimes the shootouts last so long, it seemed like the game was waiting for me to perform an action that would allow us to continue. Turns out that wasn't the case, it was just a very, very long enemy wave. You also fight pretty much the same human foes throughout most of the game, with the very rare elite enemies that wear bullet-resistant armor or use special weapons. It's all rather monotone, and even the few encounters with Lycans play out the same each time.

Speaking of weapons, with the Industrial Revolution underway, The Order has access to unique weapons courtesy of Nikola Tesla. The Arc Gun shoots bolts of lightning that eviscerates enemies, while the Thermite Rifle first sprays a mist that then must be ignited. A grenade launcher of sorts shoots rounds in an arc and will dentate on impact, or can be blown up manually. But as mentioned, most of these weapons are highly situational and only provided to the player when the game desires it. The rest of the time, you'll be using more familiar World War I-like rifles, submachine guns, and pistols that can be picked up off fallen enemies. To the game's credit, all of the weapons are satisfying to use, and have great sound effects. Lastly, you also have access to the Blacksight ability. This meter builds as you deal damage, and when full, you can execute an ability similar to one found in Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. Time slows down, and Sir Galahad will unleash a flurry of automatically aimed shots at his enemies, depending on where the player positions the camera. While useful, the entire game can be completed without using this ability more than once or twice.

The Order: 1886

Sony has been consistently impressing with the high levels of technical visuals in their PS4 exclusive titles such as Killzone Shadow Fall and Infamous Second Son. But The Order: 1886 truly rises above them all. This is likely the best looking game you've ever played from a technical perspective, almost as impressive as what Crysis and most recently Ryse showcased on PCs. The game literally looks as good as the cutscenes, because they are all indeed in-engine. Oftentimes, I had to nudge on the sticks to make sure the game hasn't given me control back, because it looks so indistinguishable from the quality of pre-rendered cinematics that modern gamers are used to. The quality of the facial animations and textures is approaching life-like. The Knights are full of detail and the streets of London are filled with atmosphere. If you want to see some true next-gen graphics, The Order: 1886 is a great example. To boot, the game runs incredibly smooth, with no framerate hiccups or a visual glitches.

Throw in a surprisingly impressive and fitting original orchestral soundtrack, and this is a heck of a presentation package. The level of polish on display is simply astounding; the loading screens are also brief and only occur when you first load the game.

The Order: 1886

But there is an Achilles heel, even in this otherwise great aspect. For one reason or another, the developers chose to enforce a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. This means that your whole experience will be viewed with a much different field of view than you're used to. Maybe it was done to help the game feel more cinematic (a poor excuse), or perhaps limiting the display area was the only way to achieve such high quality of visuals without sacrificing framerate. Regardless, it puts a thorn into the side of the otherwise excellent looking and sounding package. Aside from the fact that this view feels limiting and you never quite get used to it, the camera often trails too close in the game's already claustrophobic level design. There are silly moments, when Sir Galahad's shoulders obscure the path forward, and more serious ones, when you're sitting behind cover and it's taking up your whole screen, leaving little room to peak and see where enemies actually are.

The Order: 1886 is a solid foundation for what we hope can become a franchise. The game's focus on storytelling is supported by a strong cast, expert camerawork and great voice acting. Despite telling a familiar story and a swift ending, it's a game that should be experienced by players that value good narratives and cutscenes that take their time. During gameplay, you might appreciate the balance between exploration and firefights – because the latter leaves much to be desired. However, with a very linear design and static AI, The Order doesn't have much replay value and with no multiplayer, many will find the full asking price a bit much for this 6-7 hour experience. Plus, if you're the sort that prefers great gameplay above all else, then you should really tread carefully before taking the plunge. Those that do embark on this journey will be astounded by the quality of the soundtrack and the visuals, even if they are being shown through a restrictive aspect ratio. The Order: 1886 is a game of great ideas and enticing aspirations that falls short because of lackluster mechanics. Issues that, we hope, will be easily corrected in a sequel.

Our ratings for The Order: 1886 on PlayStation 4 out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)
Presentation
90
Despite a limiting aspect ratio, this is one of the best looking games ever. It's also supported by a great soundtrack and impressive voice acting.
Gameplay
55
The action is sufficient, though often one-note and very scripted. A lot of cutscenes (unskippable even on subsequent playthroughs) and QTEs, plus some mechanics that only get used a handful of times. Friendly and enemy AI is basic at best.
Single Player
65
The story is well told, if not wholly original. A relatively brief experience - it fits the pace of the narrative, but some may rightfully question the bang for the buck. Very linear and no replay value.
Multiplayer
NR
None
Performance
95
Runs without any issues, quick loading times.
Overall
70
Greater than the sum of its parts, The Order: 1886 makes a resilient case for games where stories still take the center stage. High quality presentation is let down by average gameplay and limited player freedom.
Comments
The Order: 1886
The Order: 1886 box art Platform:
PlayStation 4
Our Review of The Order: 1886
70%
Good
The Verdict:
Game Ranking
The Order: 1886 is ranked #1183 out of 1957 total reviewed games. It is ranked #68 out of 110 games reviewed in 2015.
1182. Wonderbook: Diggs Nightcrawler
PlayStation 3
1183. The Order: 1886
1184. Just Dance 2014
Xbox 360
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Platform: PC
Released: April 2017
Developer: Ready at Dawn
Screenshots

The Order: 1886
16 images added Jun 12, 2014 06:19
Videos
The Order: 1886 - Announcement Trailer
Posted: Jun 13, 2013 21:32
The Order: 1886 - The Pledge Trailer
Posted: Feb 18, 2014 10:22
The Order: 1886 - Gameplay Trailer
Posted: Mar 13, 2014 14:29
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