Game Info
GAME NAME: The Order: 1886
DEVELOPER(S): Ready at Dawn, SCE Santa Monica Studio
PUBLISHER(S): SCE
PLATFORM(S): PlayStation 4
GENRE(S): Third Person Shooter
RELEASE DATE(S): February 20th, 2015
With so much controversy around this title with people not liking the fact that there are a handful of quick time events; I can’t help but take this quick moment to say, a lot of people have been overthinking it way too much. Are video games not made to entertain us? Developed by studio Ready at Dawn, the PlayStation 4 exclusive The Order: 1886 is an absolutely gorgeous game with rich atmospheres, intriguing story, fun gameplay and is quite entertaining.
Since the whole premise of the game is centered around the story, I’m not going to go into too much detail as to not give any spoilers. In The Order: 1886, you play as a knight named Sir Gallahad of the Order in an alternate history set in London, England. In this alternate tale, you’ll encounter historical and legendary figure Nikola Tesla. Nikola serves The Order as a scientist and gadget/weapon creator. He creates all sorts of Victorian armament that never existed but you can definitely imagine someone like Tesla building them.
Some of the awesome weapons in the game are the Arc Gun, Thermite Rifle (chain-gun that shoots thermite at enemies burning them), and a bazooka cannon. The Order was established to keep the peace and hold off any threats to the kingdom. In this story it’s to stop the rebels and Lycans and take back the city. You’ll also get to investigate the dealings of the famous East India Company all while hearing stories of a serial killer on the loose called Jack the Ripper.
The Order if you will is a Victorian era/past but future-esque Knights of the Round Table military group. Ready at Dawn does an excellent job at blurring the line and telling a tale of history and myth combined to make for an intriguing story. Ready at Dawn weaved fabric of a world I loved being immersed in.
Let’s jump into some objective review so everyone is happy. The graphics were phenomenal. The atmospheres were very detailed, the lighting was great, even the textures were very detailed. You can knock things around in the alleys and off tables. The one thing that got annoying was the constant litter in the alleys, such a dirty city I was walking all over glass bottles constantly. The music was excellent as well, from weapon reloads, to voice dialogue there is a lot of detail put into all facets of sound design and music.
The gameplay is what people are complaining about. The Order: 1886 felt like you were playing a movie with interactions. I personally really enjoy this when the story is good, however a lot of people do not. It’s also worth noting I’m a fan of Telltale games as well as first and third-person shooters. Now, this game is on rails however you can explore certain areas and find Easter eggs like audio cans and fun things like the Playstation Sack Boy in one home. You just don’t have free reign in game to back track and fully be in control. Some people also complain about all the dead ends within the level. I agree that I got frustrated on occasion when I saw a lot of beautiful areas, thought I was getting somewhere and then found myself staring at a dead end hallway or wall.
In certain areas a cut scene will play, most of the time during pivotal events and quick time events will present itself to interact with that scene. Without ruining anything most fights are free movement fights meaning you are in full control, just certain facets of boss scenes near the end are prompted with quick time events. This is what has people’s hair in a knot. They wanted full reign. Personally, I do not mind this mixture of free play and quick time events and I found it entertaining and fun.
Ready at Dawn does mix it up with gameplay. It’s not all just cover and shoot like people are saying. If you honestly think that, you obviously didn’t play the game all the way through. There are elements of stealth like Metal Gear and this is one facet of gameplay I love. There are two places this happens, at the mansion and on the zeppelin. I’m keeping it generic so I don’t ruin anything for people wanting to play it. The goal of those areas of to go undetected while continuing your mission and gaining entry inside.
If you want to break down The Order: 1886 from what you get to what you pay for I would say it like this. The game is about 5-6 hours of gameplay. Which is a really long movie that’s interactive. Do I think it is worth the $60? No. Do I think it’s worth $30-40? Yes, I think that’s a fair price for the amount of content you get. This is obviously my personal opinion but I feel that if you enjoy these type of games you won’t be disappointed.
The Recommendation
If you can find The Order: 1886 for $30-40 used and you really enjoy cinematic games with some stealth gameplay, cover based shooting and intriguing story I recommend checking it out, I highly enjoyed it. If you are not a fan of quick time events, then I would steer clear.
