Sony promised big games for the PlayStation 4 in 2015, and the publisher has quite a lineup, including titles like Bloodborne and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Before these potential mega hits arrive, however, we’ll get our hands on the long awaited The Order: 1886, developer Ready At Dawn’s PS4 debut.
This action adventure game could be one of the most stylish around, as you work with a team of knights as they battle nefarious adversaries and monsters to restore peace and preserve the human race.
If you’re the fence about whether to buy The Order, perhaps this will push you to pick up the game on launch day.
Revisionist history
Rather than follow a historically accurate timeline, The Order: 1886 takes its own twisted route in a Neo-Victorian London. Here, chaos seems to rule, with people running around like crazy and whispers of monsters (the Half-Breeds) that would make Jack the Ripper run like mad.
It’s here where we’re introduced to some alternate Knights of the Round Table, who have been assigned the task of stopping this evil before it gets worse, by any means necessary. With the industrial revolution in full swing but with a steampunk vibe, these heroes are able to use unconventional weaponry to stop their foes, ranging from a modified shotgun to the TS-23 Resonant Circuit Arc Induction Lance, an Arc Gun that would make Nikola Tesla proud.
That said, the time period alone makes The Order worth a look. The game recreates genuine London locales, including Big Ben, the London Tube and the Palace of Westminster, to fit into the storyline. The fact that Ready At Dawn would go to such painstaking research is more than enough reason to check out the game.
Familiar action
Judging by some of our early hands-on with the game, The Order: 1886 has things in common with the Gears of War series. It controls almost the same, where you aim at enemies from a third-person perspective and select more effective weaponry to bring down larger armored types, and you can also perform melee and stealth attacks for quick kills.
While that may throw a few players off, it’s this familiar style that makes the game much easier to get into, since it won’t take long to adjust to the mechanics. Running and gunning will feel familiar, even if some opponents put up more of a fight than others.
Plus, some of the firefights promise to occur in terrific locations. One even takes place atop a zeppelin, where you’ll struggle against high winds as you pick off enemies that get in your way. We’re all for that.
Lots of cool weapons
One unique twist you’ll find in The Order: 1886 is that, for the time setting, there are some imaginative weapons available. You’ll find an assortment of dangerous toys that would just as easily suit a hero from the future as it does these knights from the past, ranging from the Essex M2/Pn83 Falchion Auto-Rifle with multi-firing capabilities to the Thermite Gun, which can launch powder charges that can be lit to explode – ideal for larger enemies.
It may seem a bit odd to see such unconventional weaponry in a time like this, but the special effects pay off – especially when you watch enemies drop to the ground from a well placed hit.
Intriguing plot
In The Order, you’ll play as Galahad, the leader of these knights (which also include members like Grayson and Mallory) as you fight the Half-Breeds, along with rebellious humans who aren’t too fond of your cause. These encounters can take you all over the place, from a firefight on a zeppelin to a dark basement encounter with an unfavorable Half-Breed.
The story promises to have plenty of twists and turns throughout, making the game worth playing through on more than one occasion so you see everything it has to offer.
Spectacular graphics
Finally, The Order: 1886 looks spectacular.
Ready At Dawn went out of its way to assure the game utilizes the PlayStation 4 processing power to its fullest, and it shows in both indoor locations where lighting breaks through the cracks, and outdoor locales where monsters can jump at you from pretty much anywhere.
In addition, the gameplay quickly transitions into beautiful cut scenes that boost The Order’s cinematic quality. During our recent demo, one of the PS4 reps had to tell us that we could start playing – that’s how seamless a presentation this is.
Look for The Order: 1886 to turn a few heads when it arrives for PlayStation 4 on February 20th.
Are you ready to Discover History’s Darkest Secret? Join a centuries-old war against a powerful threat with the essential Signature Series guide! The guide takes you beyond the basics so that you can delve fully into the narrative of an alternate-history London.
- Discover all collectible items with maps and a quick-reference appendix.
- Optimize your weaponry with tips from Ready At Dawn on using special weapons like the Thermite Rifle and the Arc Induction Lance.
- Defeat the trickiest monsters with advanced combat strategies.
