Graphically, as I stated above, “The Order” is the best looking console game I have ever played. The game is letter boxed as well, which I actually enjoyed because it added a certain cinematic touch. Cut scenes are almost indistinguishable from gameplay. However, graphics can only get a game so far. Environments, albeit linear, are beautifully designed. If you explore, you can inspect photos, among other things to immerse yourself more into the game’s world. Every hair can be seen on the characters’ heads, every crease in their clothing, every fiber of their clothes, even the reflections of light in their eyes.
Most of the weapons seem standard except for the ones invented by the young and great Nikola Tesla such as the Arc or Thermite gun. The Arc gun fires a charged electrical blast inflicting serious damage on anybody who stands in its way. The Thermite gun fires a flare which is then ignited by a smoke shot from the gun. I only wish that these scientific guns were utilized more throughout the game’s campaign. The futuristic elements of "The Order" are what made it so fascinating. For instance, when injured in combat a knight can drink from a special bottle to heal their wounds. Gore effects when shooting enemies were unbelievable. Detailed red mists of blood spurting into the air caught my eye in numerous instances. The camera is pulled in tightly to Galahad making for some tense moments during combat. While shooting bad guys is always fun, at a certain point, the fire fights just became mundane. It became a simple act of sticking to cover, popping your head in and out while picking off the bad guys.
“The Order’s” main problem is control. It is constantly taking control away from the player with its far too many QTE’s. The QTE’s made me feel like I was watching a movie instead of playing a game. When executing a takedown the game always decides for you whether it will be a lethal or non-lethal takedown, even in stealth sections of the game. You’d take cover behind a corner, wait for an enemy to approach you and then wait for a QTE circle to fill, timing your attack. Boss fights are even reduced to simple button mashing or pushing the stick in a certain direction. It became so bad that I actually sighed each time a button prompt was displayed on screen.
“The Order” is not open world; it confines the player to a lot of relatively tight spaces with not a lot of wiggle room. This is not a bad thing though. In today’s generation of games, all I see is open world. Playing a linear game again made me kind of happy. The game may be linear, but there were definitely some cool set pieces such as rappelling down the side of a zeppelin then fighting your way through it. The characters in “The Order” are well voiced and I really got a sense of what they were feeling while playing through the story. Certain characters could have been developed more, such as Galahad’s partners Isabeau, Sir Perceval and Marquis. Isabeau was clearly a love interest of Galahad and I just wish that Ready at Dawn had done more to build a relationship between the two of them instead of a few little moments here and there. On an awesome side note, kudos to Ready at Dawn for working Jack the Ripper into the story.
Remember how I said, “It is your sworn duty to uphold the order and fight against the supernatural”? Well… you do fight the supernatural; werewolves or “Lycans” to be exact. However, these fights are reduced to dodging the werewolves with the press of a button, shooting them a bunch of times and then finishing them off with your knife with a one button press. Oh, and did I mention the fact that you fight more humans than supernatural? Lame. Why entice with such a cool idea then barely expand on it? You fight about 80% humans, 20% supernatural. A quick backtrack to the QTE’s; the developers clearly recycled an almost exact boss battle from the beginning of the game for the end of the game; talk about lazy.
The Order: 1886 isn’t a bad game; it just could’ve been so much more. Let’s put it this way, I believe that this game was merely a test of the PS4’s power. Having seen the so blatantly obvious sequel bait left at the end of the game, I’m excited to see where Ready at Dawn Studios takes “The Order” next.
PROS:
- Best looking console game to date
- Science Guns
- Bringing linear back
- Voice Acting
CONS:
- Frequently changing story
- Not enough Science gun use
- Mundane fire fights
- QTE’S
- Lack of Supernatural enemies
Final Score: 6/10
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