The Order: 1886
PlayStation 4
Nostalgia Factor:
Nothing to get nostalgic about here, as this was the first and only time I have ever played this game. I first became aware of The Order: 1886 a few years ago, when it was featured as a cover story for Game Informer. I thought it looked pretty cool back then and I made a note to myself to check the game out someday. Well, someday finally came.
Story:
*sigh*
I know that this game’s storyline is one of its major selling points, and when people try to pick a bright spot from the game they usually point to its story. Not me. I have a very short attention span and if a game doesn’t grab my attention in the first hour or two, my mind wanders off and I completely lose track of what is going on. That is what happened here.
Not to say that this game has a crappy story. If you pay attention and have a good idea of what is happening, you might actually enjoy this. I just… couldn’t. Things moved too fast at the beginning, with little to no explanation of what was going on. I didn’t know who my character was, I didn’t know any of the backstory of the game’s world, I had no idea what was happening. After a little while I stopped paying attention completely, and simply played the game for its shooter-based gameplay.
Here is what I know about the game: it takes place in an alternate history steampunk London. That’s about all I was able to gather before I started to zone out. Informative, I know!
Here is what I think happened the rest of the game: You control a man who is part of an ancient order that is out to protect London’s interests. I believe this group is actually the Knights of the Round Table, still in existence in 1886. They’re battling against a rebellion, while at the same time fighting evil mutant creatures that occasionally pop up from time to time. Some kind of conspiracy is unveiled involving the werewolf creatures. Your character’s family is somehow involved. Corruption within the Order? I don’t freaking know. Like I said, I paid little to no attention to the game’s story once I lost interest in it.
It’s kind of a shame I wasn’t paying closer attention, because the final moments of the game deliver a big moment that probably would have been quite emotional if I actually cared what was going on. Oh well.
Gameplay:
There’s no other way I can describe this game than as a Gears of War clone. You run through linear hallways and outdoor areas, shooting enemies and ducking for cover. Get shot too many times and you die. If you need to recharge your health, just wait in cover and your health will start to regenerate over time. It looks just like Gears of War. It handles just like Gears of War. The weapon selection menu thingie operates just like the one in Gears of War. If I didn’t know anything about this game coming into it, and someone had told me it was a prequel to Gears of War, I might have believed them. It’s just so damned similar. The only things that are different are the characters, the setting, and the enemies. As far as gameplay goes, it is nearly identical.
That said, I didn’t enjoy this game as much as I did Gears of War. I can’t even really put my finger on what the difference is. It could be because I didn’t care for the game’s storyline, but at the same time I didn’t care about the story in Gears of War either and I still enjoyed that. Maybe it was more of a setting thing? I don’t know. All I know is that this game felt like much more a chore to play. Even though it is a game you could beat in one sitting if you were really dedicated, it felt a lot longer than that.
I think maybe the fact that there is SO MUCH story is what I found off-putting. Be prepared to watch a lot of cutscenes and be prepared to spend a lot of time walking your character down hallways as he talks to other characters. If you don’t care about the story, like me, you will find these sequences to be very boring. Even though the shooting sequences are fun, many of them are few and far between. This could be a huge reason why the game felt like such a chore to me.
Graphics:
The graphics are the best part about this game. I may not have been too infatuated with the rest of the game but at least it looks pretty darn good. I do have to give it credit for that. The characters are lifelike, distinct, and well-animated. The outside environments are breathtaking. The inside environments are extremely well-detailed, down to all the little things like food sitting on a table, the wall hangings, the type of bricks that are used in the walls, and the way the lighting effects play a role in this. So much work was put into making this game look beautiful, and it definitely shows.
I was playing Red Dead Redemption 2 at the same time I was playing this, and I can safely say that this game, which came out a few years ago, looks just as good as Red Dead 2. That’s high praise from me. If I do have to offer some kind of criticism it would be that things are a bit too gloom and doom-y for my taste. I would have liked to see some more color in this game.
Sound:
Everything checks out in the sound department too. Don’t get me wrong, the audio quality of the game isn’t quite as good as its visual quality, but it is comparable. The sound effects, such as the sounds of explosions and gunfire, are terrific. The music is not memorable in any way, but it does its job.
The voice acting seemed good. I’d offer more praise for it, but like I said I rarely paid any attention as to what was going on when the characters were talking. I’m sure it is great. It sounded good from what I did hear.
Overall:
I have very mixed thoughts about this game. Its story sucks, but its graphics and sound effects are very good. These things kind of negate each other a bit in my mind. What really matters to me is if the game was any fun or not. So, was it?
Sort of. If you’ve played Gears of War you should know what to expect out of this game’s combat. If you haven’t played Gears of War, picture Uncharted’s combat but with stiff, awkward controls and less maneuverability. All you do is run down narrow hallways or open outside areas, ducking for cover and peeking out to shoot your enemies. When you’re not doing this, you’re watching big long story sequences involving the characters gabbing away at one another.
To me, this kind of combat isn’t exciting enough to carry a game, especially when you’re spending SO MUCH time watching long story sequences. Why did Gears of War work, despite having a very similar formula to this game? For one, there weren’t as many boring story sequences in that game. Its play/sit there and watch ratio is a lot more even than it is here. Gears’ weapons, its enemies, its futuristic setting, and its characters were a lot “cooler” than anything you see here as well. Combat sequences were more plentiful, and mowing down crowds of enemies at a time made you feel like a real badass, especially when you’d whip the chainsaw out and get up close and personal. In general, things moved along fast enough in Gears of War to keep me interested.
None of that happens here. This game is slow, it is boring, the setting is very “meh” to me, the characters are not memorable, and you do too much idle watching rather than actually playing. The combat is okay, but at the same time very unoriginal and uninspired. I was just going through the motions as I played this game. I probably would have had a lot more fun if I’d been a fan of the game’s story, but I just wasn’t, and there is no way around that.
I stand by my statement that the game felt like a chore to play. There is some fun and enjoyment to be had in combat, plus the production values of this game are very high. If anything, it was a very easy platinum trophy for my collection. I am not going to give it TOO low of a score for those reasons. It’s not like the game is a complete failure or anything. There are some bright spots to be found here, for sure. But I’d be lying if I said the game was great, or even above average. It’s just very forgettable.
Ask me in ten years what I thought of The Order: 1886 and I will probably not be able to tell you much of anything. That should tell you right there whether you want to check this game out or not.
Final Score:
D
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