The Order: 1886 has been slated as the next big PS4 exclusive to be born out of the AAA development machine. Developed by Ready at Dawn and with the backing of Sony as a publisher, this game has some significant weight behind it. The game is gorgeous to behold with an interesting design for the characters and the graphical power to showcase them. The setting itself is a new IP which explores an alternate history which is equal parts steampunk and gothic horror.
Heading down to the Australian headquarters of the fictional order (the refurbished ‘Hero of Waterloo’ at the Rocks in Sydney) a couple of days ago. I grabbed myself a tankard of ale and tried to learn as much as I could about the secretive order. I got some hands on time with the game but due to the fairly short duration of the levels, I did not gain too much more insight beyond the fact that the controls have been improved significantly and that bugs have been ironed out. The combat is satisfying and draws from well-established mechanics in third-person cover-based shooters. There wasn’t something as interesting as the thermite rifle from my colleague’s playthrough of the game.
I was also given the opportunity to watch a playthrough of two levels by one the developers. The first level showcased the aforementioned 3rd person shooter gameplay as the Order set about to infiltrating a fancy looking estate. The second level was more interesting as it showcased combat with one of the lycanthrope antagonists (“half-breeds”). It was interesting to see the design for these villains, but it is unfortunate that encounter largely came down to being quick-time events. It was a shame that the two levels I could play through during the event, only had human foes for me to fight.
Unfortunately the hour was late and I had to cut short my time with the game to get home before various ghoulies could ambush me on my stumble home. The game is to be released on the 20th of February of this year and is a PS4 exclusive.