REVIEW: The Order 1886 [PS4]

Written By Tyler Pederson

Sometimes reviews come easily. Often, I finish playing a game and have concise feelings on it, can put that to paper, and go from there. When I finished playing The Order 1886, I can’t say that was the case. That’s not a bad thing, and by no means is The Order a bad game, it’s simply not a very good one. It’s unfortunate that the game was put under such a spotlight, because taken for exactly what it is, a new first party IP from a studio previously given the job of porting existing games and crafting side stories - I strongly believe The Order stands not as any sort of failure, but as the very definition of a tragically flawed video game.

One thing is without question. The Order is the best looking game to date. Some games have sections or CG sequences that outdo it in some aspects, but as a graphical showcase nobody can tell the game it isn't doing it’s very best. The subtle smoke and lightning effects observed in the slow times, escalating into bombastic shootouts with a couple of the most unique weapons I've had the pleasure of firing in some time, every bit of the game is dripping in atmosphere, and every bit of that atmosphere looks truly astounding.

Chances are you've been made aware of The Orders length, and likely told what you should think about it. I’m not going to do that. I feel strongly in my opinion that a games worth is totally relative. If someone only has the ability to afford one game, they may want one with more to play - but just as likely, there’s someone out there who want’s a game they know they can finish without a large time investment. My point is simply that everyone has the right to decide for themselves if the game is worth it or not, and they have every right to feel differently upon finishing it. The game is, in all honesty, about 6 hours from start to finish. You can easily shave some time off that, but not a ton because there are 5 lengthy cut-scenes the game insists on calling chapters of their own.

This is the one bit where I talk directly to Ready At Dawn, the developers of The Order 1886.

Don’t do that shit. It’s simply disingenuous. You made 11 chapters, just be honest about it.

Cut-scenes open or close chapters of a video game, they do not constitute one of their own.

The plot is most certainly one best experienced for yourself, but not one that isn't without it’s fair share of unanswered questions I’d have liked to know more about. It comes off as setting up much more than it has the time to take on, and whether or not that was always the plan is really left quite vague given the games ending. At times, it seems the plot was meant to continue for another dozen chapters, and just as the whole thing comes together, it ends. The strangest part of it in my eyes is that it’s not a bad ending at all, just one that comes too soon. The conflict resolved isn't necessarily the one you were looking to get to the bottom of, and while it provides a definite sense of closure on this chapter of the story, it only serves to tease the fact that it’s follow up has infinitely more potential.

This leads me to discussing one of those fatal flaws in The Order. That of limitation. The world, as I said, is one of the most beautiful I've seen. This is despite it’s incredibly muted color palette and consistently cloudy skies - but the world you see is not traverse-able. On occasion, you can venture slightly off the path you’re made to follow, but there is little to no reward for doing so, and more often than not these offshoots end with a dead end. This, coupled with the very frequent checkpoint system ensure that this world is not one to be explored freely, but shown to you just the way the developers wished for you to see it.

The limited area may be a blessing however, because the control scheme for Sir Galahad is one riddled with questionable choices. From the investigative sequences of LA Noire to the sprint and cover system pulled right out of gears of war - The Order tries desperately, and I mean DESPERATELY to be like other games you’ve played. This works somewhat in it’s favor, because for the most part they did a grab bag of some of the better mechanics of the last generation of third person shooters. That said, the version they’ve made based on the ideal formulas don’t work as well as the games they’re seemingly based upon.

The sprint and cover system feels much less responsive, most especially in a stealth sequence near the games end that long overstays its welcome. The investigations boil down to either luck or trial and error. It’s all so close to being on point, but misses it by just enough that it really becomes detrimental to the game experience. It begs the question, would I have enjoyed a longer gameplay experience given the actual mechanics aren’t as enjoyable as I’d like them to be? I tend to doubt it.

One thing I do want to give praise to are the guns. I’m not the guy to tell you which game has the most realistic guns, but I will happily tell you when a game has fun guns to use, and that’s definitely the case with most of the guns here. The arc gun and thermite rifle are the only truly unique weapons to the world of The Order. Both will be given to you at a particular point, but can be picked up from enemies or the world at any point from then on. The way ammo is handled, you will need to find ammo pickups to continue using them, or drop them in favor of a gun with more plentiful resources. There is also no persistent inventory, so you’ll often have things taken from you or given to you, only to go looking for the same supplies in the next area. It comes off as unnecessary, but not a huge drawback. The rest of the guns are standard for the genre but feel particularly well crafted for the most part. If paired with a better cover system, they’d truly be given a chance to shine.

So where does this leave me? Well incredibly torn. The Order succeeds in creating a world and future that holds infinite potential for amazing stories, but only does so by getting the setup out of the way here, and in doing so, tells what is likely the most boring part of the worlds story as a whole. At moments it is redefining what a game can be, and at others falling back onto the mechanics it knows will sell, falling short on their delivery. I try to see it this way - Imagine a world where we got Episode V without IV, sure it’d be awesome, but the character arc wouldn’t be as significant, and none of it would carry the weight it otherwise did. Given the final few chapters revelations and mid-credits scene, there will be a sequel, and I’m all for it all things considered. I look forward to venturing deeper into the world of The Order, and hope sincerely they learn from their missteps.

The Order 1886 gets a 6/10.