The Order 1886

  • Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
  • Developer: Ready at Dawn
  • Release Date: February 20, 2015
  • PlayStation 4 Retail/Digital
  • Multiplayer No

The Order 1886 was announced during the PS4 console reveal and it has remained one of the system’s most anticipated titles. Now that the wait is finally over did the game deliver? In many ways yes but it all depends on what you are looking for in a game.

The Order takes place in an alternate version of history in London where werewolves prowl the streets and the Knights of the Round Table hunt them down. The alternate time period has the Knights using weapons and other technology that are far ahead of their time. The weapons range from standard pistols to large rifles that fire bolts of lightning that are powerful enough to remove limbs. Let me just say that the game is absolutely gorgeous. With the recent flood of indie games it can be easy to forget what the PS4 is capable of but these are the visuals we paid $400 to see. From facial animation to the game world in general everything has been done with amazing attention to detail.

The game is primarily a 3rd person shooter that  plays out like a movie with lengthy cutscenes leading the player to each gameplay segment. The city is teeming with life but your interaction with this world is very limited. NPCs cannot be interacted with even if they are having a conversation that involves you unless it is part of the story. The game is very linear so you cannot explore off of the beaten path for more than a few feet. This will definitely turn off players that are used to the open world nature of most of today’s games. Once you do have control of your character the gameplay is very satisfying. The game uses a familiar shoot/cover system that allows you to pick your shots from behind cover or blind fire. Getting kills fills up a meter that allows your to go into a Red Dead Redemption style slow motion aiming mode that if done correctly allows you to take out everyone in the room. The downside to the gameplay is that the cinematic nature of the game can sometimes take away some of the control that the player should have. One example are the quick time events that are found throughout. During some of these segments once you press the correct button the fight can go on without any other input from the player. This extends to melee attacks as well because the only way to perform one is to stand at the correct angle from the enemy and press the triangle button when prompted. Not a gamebreaking problem by any means but I would have liked at least a bit more control over the melee instead of simply watching it as a mini cutscene.

One area that the game handles perfectly is the audio. The music sets the mood perfectly in every scenario and the voice acting is well done,

Overall The Order 1886 is a fun shooter with great graphics, amazing sound design and the length is just enough to keep things from getting repetitive. However unless you really fall in love with the game during the first playhrough there is very little replay value aside from going back to get a pretty easy platinum trophy. Hopefully some DLC is in the works to rectify that. I enjoyed my time with The Order 1886 but I can easily say that it is not a game for everyone.

Final Score 7.0/10