The Order: 1886

This will easily be the quickest turnaround time that I ever have for a videogame review.

And not because The Order: 1886 is as short as some misleading internet posts would have you believe. I'll admit, it is on the "shorter" side of length as far as games are concerned, but that's because developer, Ready at Dawn Studios, had an experience in mind for the players and they wanted to present it undisturbed of side quests, hundreds of collectables, etc.

Which leads me to this review which, I fear, will be one of the more complicated ones I have ever attempted. You see, I truly feel like there have been many reviews that have unfairly critiqued and praised (yes, I'm talking about both ends of the spectrum here) The Order by shoehorning it into the category of a "videogame". Make no mistake, it is a "videogame" but in an age where we are asking developers to show us more, to show us the future of gaming, I believe The Order represents a single branch of that tree...an attempt at blurring the lines between a film and game. So why judge it as a single entity? For me, I was able to categorize it into three segments that matter to me as a gamer: first and foremost: a game, and then an experience, and lastly, a purchase. Thus, this review will be split up in the same way...

It makes for some DAMN fine screenshots...

As a Game...
The first thing that any gamer should know about The Order is that it isn't a third person shooter. Sure, it has those elements, but it represents probably only two-thirds of the total gameplay. This is where I think a lot of the disappointment lies with other gamers/game critics because truly, the game was marketed as such. It was a terrible decision by Sony because The Order is also equally a storytelling game much like Beyond: Two Souls or The Walking Dead. Personally, I'm a firm believer in managing expectations and that's something that's extremely difficult when you are promised a pizza and the reality is that you are getting a calzone (can you tell I'm hungry?). So, to any gamers reading this now: manage your expectations and know that The Order is NOT a straight forward third person shooter.

Possibly the goriest weapon ever...

The second thing that any gamer should know, especially graphic whores such as myself, is that The Order is the best looking game I've ever played and/or seen. It was continually dropping my jaw and although there are only about 5-7 screenshots in this review, I took over 20 of them. It's absolutely insane how good the game looks and the fact that this is game on a relatively new console pretty much melts my face off when thinking what games might look like at the end of this console lifecycle. The transition between cutscene and gameplay is non existent, so it's basically a game where the graphics of the cutscenes are that of the actual game. Most gamers know how rare that is. Character models are incredibly detailed, much like the world around them, and character animations are top notch. The light filtering and shadow usage is extravagant, and even under action, it looks impeccable. Some of the weapons have the best visual effects that look so realistic, I still can't quite wrap my head around it. If you are looking for a way to show off your PS4, this is the way to do it. Just remember to bring some extra diapers for your guests when they s**t their pants.

As far as gameplay goes, The Order is a combination of quick-time events (QTEs), third person shooting/exploring, and a few gadget minigames. I was impressed by it as a shooter...I had a blast with the unique weapons and I found the shooting mechanics to be fluid and natural. The player's control of the character and camera is well constructed and I rarely had any moments where my character did something I didn't want him to. Cover was generally well designed, but a little too sticky at times, particularly during stealth segments, which are by far the weakest part of the game (when will developers learn that insta-fail stealth sucks?). The QTEs are generic and don't bring much new to the table which led me to beg the question, why did we completely ignore all of the fancy new bells and whistles on the PS4 controller? There is only a single , 15 second segment when the touch pad is used to communicate Morse code (brilliant by the way), and that's it. The internal speaker, light bar, motion control, or touch pad are never used again. Given that this is a PS4 exclusive, that is completely unacceptable. Anyway, all of this adds up to a game with almost zero loading times that lasts about 8-10 hours, most of which are solid (I'll get more into the story later). All of these gameplay elements (graphics, mechanics, originality, etc.) lead me to my game score:
GAME SCORE: 7.5/10

Motion blur for the realistic win!!

As an Experience...

Believable performances and animations
galore!

The Order is truly an experience; one that the developers crafted in their own vision and wanted players to experience. There aren't any open worlds here...no choice branches...each player will have the same experience as the next. That's not a bad thing, per say, but that means that there needs to be special care taken to make sure that experience is one worth having. Luckily, Ready at Dawn did a great job in this regard. The game IS the story, and thus the player pays much more attention to it and is much more invested in it. The story isn't really anything all that original from a plot perspective but from a world-building angle, The Order has one of the most potentially-rich gaming worlds currently. Set in a somewhat-technologically-advanced 1886 London, the story follows the Knights of the Order, which is basically a secret agency. The plot unfolds expertly with twists and turns (which I don't want to divulge) and ends with the promise of more. The protagonist, Sir Galahad, is one of my favorite PS-brand characters in a long time and I can see him quickly becoming an iconic character for the PlayStation brand. Part of this is because of the phenomenal animation and voice work provided to all characters. This is truly a game story that is acted and it shows. The script is pristine (except for a few too many "on the nose" gaming moments) and the story is compelling from start to finish, introducing an incredibly strong mythology that I loved. Equally as impressive is the sound design and original score of the game. Both are exquisite and really help to evoke numerous emotions throughout. The Order is truly best when it's viewed as an experience, one to not be deemed 100% a "videogame" but still a form of media that shares some of its traits.
EXPERIENCE SCORE: 9.5/10

As a Purchase...

Making love to the blimp controls? Awkward...

Where The Order falters is also an area where many critics and gamers have complained, rightfully so: its worth. Games are $60 these days and it can become an expensive hobby. Gamers want the most bang for their buck and often that $60 can lead to at least 20 hours of gameplay, even for shorter games. The biggest problem with The Order is that it has borderline zero-replay value. There is no New Game+ mode, no multiplayer, no co-op, no unique abilities or traits upon a second playthrough...once you're done, you're truly done unless you want to trophy hunt or experience the game again (the same exact way you did the first time). That is NOT ok, at least not if you're going to charge $60. It would be the equivalent of charging $11.50 for a 45-60 minute movie -- the value just isn't there. It's a shame because when gamers don't get their value worth, it usually results in fanboy rage which can be a detriment to a second installment. And I guess that's what I don't quite understand is that Ready at Dawn has all the pieces for a hit: story, gameplay, graphics, and mythology...but then you turn in a one-time playthrough that's on the shorter side of average? It's something that should have been discussed in the early phases of the game and someone (either from Sony or Ready at Dawn) should have waved a red flag and mentioned that gamers are going to want more. It's just unfortunate because, as a one-time experience, it's pretty phenomenal but then I truly don't have any reason to put that disc in my console again. Huge misjudgment there.
PURCHASE SCORE: 4/10

Those light effects though...

The Order: 1886 represents (or at least it should) a HUGE learning lesson for Sony with its marketing. For starters, this should have never been an exclusive that launched outside of the first 6 months of the console. Truth be told, it should have been a launch title exclusive and its ratings would have been FAR better. It shows the console's power, but doesn't try to accomplish all that much at the end of the day. Perfect fodder for console launch exclusives. Secondly, this should have never been marketed as the PlayStation's answer to Gears of War or as a third-person shooter in general. It has those elements, but to lead gamers on to believe that's the type of game they will be getting is a bit dishonest, and it certainly didn't do the game any justice.

I truly hope that Sony and especially Ready at Dawn shake this one off and move forward. They have a GREAT new IP for a variety of different reasons, but it's not really something that is a sustainable experience for gamers. Where they go from here is up to them. Personally, I hope they buck up, make The Order: 1887 with a longer campaign, New Game+ mode, and some type of co-op horde mode and we could have a GOTY contender next time Sir Galahad takes center stage.

As it stands, I truly hope that The Order: 1886 is an incomplete promise of future great things to come.

CONS:

• There is a severe lack of replay value here and that's very inexcusable
• Time management throughout the game sometimes leaves the player bored...walking, talking, etc.
• Instant-fail stealth gameplay sucks most of the time. It's one of the worst segments in this game
• The lack of utilization of the PS4 controller's features is ridiculous. How did Sony execs allow this to happen?
• Fairly standard plot and some dialogue that is exposition-heavy
• The marketing for this game was a huge misfire and it should have been a priority to be a launch title. It would have fared much better

PROS:

• The production values are some of the best I've ever seen in a game. The performances from the actors are convincing and well-delivered, the script is often amazing, the sound design is superb, and the original score is something special. There was a lot of TLC put into making this a truly unique experience
• I loved the gameplay as I'm not really a huge "hater" of QTEs. Also, the third person shooting mechanics were tight and well crafted
• Some really unique and fun weapons. My favorite was the Tesla rifle by far
• To date, the best graphics I have ever seen. The game constantly drops your jaw and it looks just as good during cutscenes as it does during intense firefights
• The world and mythology have a vast amount of potential and this truly could be a special property in the future
• Sir Galahad is an instantly-iconic PlayStation character
• I enjoyed the story a lot

Rath's Review Score: 7.5/10

Check out some of my PS4 gameplay in the video below: