After 5 years of development and 2 years of publicity the order 1886 is finally here and after much debate this review reveals all. The order 1886 starts with you escaping prison with 3 button presses and about 10 seconds of gameplay, it wasn’t really a good sign but unbelievably the game pulls a 360 and delivers one of the strongest games to ever hit a console if you love a strong story and memorable shoot outs.

Gameplay

The game offers a very strong 3rd person cover / shoot mechanic that is silky smooth and delivers visceral combat throughout the many encounters, throughout the game, although the stealth is rather weak, thankfully these sections are brief and do not deter from the game. The black sight ability used in game is a little weak and feels wonky but in tight situations, it saved my life a couple of times.

One worry with fans was the amount of quick time events in the game and while they are present there, not all over the game, and personally I feel they were used correctly here to make the fights a lot more interesting with boss Lycan’s, as they are well choreographed and visceral, and leave it up to the player to control the fight (it’s not press square, triangle etc in certain combinations in sections) My play-time of the order was about 10 hours on the normal difficulty. The split between gameplay and cut-scene is about 70 / 30 to gameplay and during my time playing I never felt that the cut scenes were taking over and I was just sitting there watching a movie.

While the game lacks multiplayer and co-op I feel that this is not a bad thing. Neither are missed as the game easily makes its purchase price justified with strong gameplay and

unbelievable graphics, when you see a guy transform into a Lycan, all in real-time, and then see as the game transitions from cut-scene to gameplay with no hiccup, it just amazes. A note, worth mentioning about the transitions – No load times at all!

Audio

Jason Graves once again creates an outstanding soundtrack that fits the action on screen and just sends chills down the spine. Outside of the music the weapons sound punchy and impactful. The ambient sounds makes the world feel alive, although I did feel that in some areas the audio did not match the setting (in the catacombs for example you would expect the weapons to sound reverb’y’)

Story

It cannot be understated how amazing the story actually is. From the mythology of the Knights of the Round Table to the people of the era this setting and story just ooze lore. I am going to refrain from mentioning much on this subject just so you can enjoy the plot twists and characters yourself but the story centred around Sir Galahad and his team’s search into a conspiracy as the half breeds attack and rebels put pressure on the Order. It’s a strong story throughout and the ending is perfect.

Conclusion

This is a game where everything just comes together perfectly, the audio, characters, the story and when you reach the end you can’t help but think back at the experience you just witnessed.

Screenshots:

Note: We’re not constrained by The Order: 1886 Review Embargo dates as the copy reviewed was purchased by the reviewer out of his own pocket, and it was delivered early to him by the retailer.