The Order: 1886

The Order 1886 is a steampunk action game. The game was developed by the Ready At Dawn studio, the creators of two installments of the God of War series released on the PSP portable console. A team at Sony Santa Monica help with the development.

The campaign takes place in an alternate, steampunk version of Victorian era, strongly differing from what we know from the history books due to two key events that forever changed the shape of the world. The first of these took place hundreds of years before the start of the game, when a small group of people began to show signs of weird mutations, manifested in acquiring the characteristics of a beast. Eventually, a war between the two species breaks out. An order modeled on the Knights of the Round Table, whose members use in the fight against substance with strange properties known as Black Water, takes the side of the humanity. The substance heals wounds and significantly slows down the aging process, allowing knights to continue their mission for centuries.

The second key event was the technological revolution caused by the innovative use of steam engines which after centuries of minor and major failures allowed people to start an effective counteroffensive against mutants. During the campaign, the player assumes the role of Sir Galahad, the most famous of the knights of the Order, who has grown tired of his exceptionally long life of constant fight. The game is set in London and the city was carefully mapped. The players will recognize many buildings which in most cases are located at the exact same location as in reality. Naturally, the developers had to make some compromises so it is not an accurate copy of the capital of England, however, it still is pretty impressive.

The title represents the genre of action TPP games. The game is linear and has many shooting sequences which use different types of weapons. The mechanics are also based on the cover system, similar to what you see in the Gears of War series. In addition, during the fights, QTE sequences appear, during which time slows down and the player can then avoid blows or use a nearby weapon. Interestingly, the cutscenes are interactive, allowing for partial control of the character (for example: shooting).

One of the most important elements of the game are weapons which capabilities are based on the principles of science, but at the same time have fantastic and unique qualities. Among the weapons available is, inter alia, Arc Gun, Combo Gun (two fire modes: repulsive load and regular shooting) and Thermite Rifle (shoots chemicals and incendiary flares).

Graphic design is of high quality. Ready At Dawn put a great emphasis on the details, so that what we see on the screen is, among others, a great play of light and shadows, dust particles visible near lamps, or costumes rich in detail. The developers tried to achieve the effect and atmosphere of that movies. For this purpose, a variety of tricks was used, including, e.g. special techniques of lighting and animation.

Last updated on August 14, 2015