A Knightly Effort: The Order: 1886 Review

Alternate histories are one of the most commonly generated worlds in the realm of video games. Version of the planet Earth with slight historical or geographic differences, technologies that span multiple eras or figures from human history that break out of text books to contribute to stories in a more animated fashion. Alternate timeline formulas have been rewritten again and again by games such as Fallout, Resistance and BioShock. While it lacks the brilliance of some previous ventures, Ready at Dawn's The Order: 1886 is a wanting, but noteworthy practice in bringing fun and interesting alternate history to next generation gaming.

Let's be clear, this game fell short on its expectations. It's not awful, but it was certainly seen as a disappointment by many excited players. The Order is a third-person "cine-shooter" that takes players to, you guessed it, 1886. This alternate history pits you against a fraction of the human race that have evolved into Lycans, werewolf-like beats commonly referred to as Half-Breeds. The alternate part begins sometime around King Arthur and Knights of the Round Table's, when they unite to begin humanity's war against the Half-Breeds. After discovering the mysterious "Blackwater" which grants eternal life, knights are accepted into the Order to combat the threat. This is where you, the player, come in.

A man named Grayson, operating under the moniker "Sir Galahad," is a centuries-old Knight of the Order. Cool, collected and a total badass, he serves the now modern nation of England in its daily struggles. The game takes place exclusively in London, during what is called the Neo-Victorian Era. While it may be 1886, the struggle with the beasts has encouraged humans to develop more effective technology quicker - practical electricity, combustion engines and wireless transmitters. Not to mention incredible weapons and equipment, such as esteemed inventor (and your main equipment guy) Nikola Tesla's "Arc Gun," a real-life lightning weapon. The style of the London that Galahad walks is a thought provoking effort in "steam punk," the blending of modern technologies with older environments and lifestyles, which results in an beautifully visualized Neo-Victorian world. The physics and graphics of this game truly are gorgeous, and the game lets you explore that beauty with a built-in "photo mode."

But what about the gameplay, Game Chop? Settle down, sport, we're getting there. As we previously mentioned, this third-person is a cine-shooter, meaning it's designed to mirror the visual characteristics of a film. This is not an uncommon approach to game developing, and The Order accomplishes its visuals quite well (it even has black bars as if it's a wide screen version of a film). However, the problem is shown in pacing. Movement throughout the game is responsive, and players can easily use the game's cover and combat systems, but too often are we stopped. Cinematics may be awfully pretty, but damn they're everywhere. Players are often stopped dead in their tracks by brief animations, that look flawless, but can dampen the momentum of a fire fight. It's like the game has a bit of a personality disorder - it doesn't know if it's a movie or a game first. Plenty of games use cinematic value to blend the two mediums, but the balance in The Order isn't the best.

Getting back to the player's quest, The Order follows a very linear plot to deal out some ass kicking on humans and Half-Breeds alike, uncover some vicious truths and explore the reimagined nooks and crannies of London. Galahad is accompanied by his fellow Knights such as his mentor Sebastian (Sir Perceval), his trainee Isabuea (Lady Igraine) and everyone's favorite American Revolution General the Marquis de Lafayette. You and your team have access to the best weapons and gear this modern world can offer, including the super healing Blackwater. Galahad is a mild mannered killing machine, but players will have to guide him as certain pictures of the world are painted and revealed to him, with very intense consequences. You will blast, stab and essentially British accent your way to victory, or the truth.

While The Order's premise is fine and dandy, the folks at Ready at Dawn overlook many details while laying out their story to eager players. The state of the rest of the world, also beset by Half-Breeds is left relatively undiscussed, as is the origins of the monsters. Furthermore, certain twists and turns lead to a lot of questions that go unanswered, causing some occasional confusion. The bare bones of this story-driven game are acceptable, but there's something missing when it comes to story progression and world background, not to mention it's a very short game. Forgivable? Of course. Something we would want looked into for a sequel? You bet your ass.

And yes! We want a sequel. The Order: 1886 introduces a phenomenally imagined world full of intrigue and amazing story-telling potential. It tries so hard to legitimize the alternate history, steam punk genre, which has been marginalized by some games over the yeas. The game paints a beautiful picture of a reimagined history, albeit lacking some detail and thought here and there. Over all, The Order is fun enough for a curious PS4 player to pick up and enjoy, but it's not the caliber of game it was expected to be.