The Order: 1886
Play it on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Current goal: Dig into the lore
When steampunk cover shooter The Order: 1886 was first revealed with a flashy trailer at E3 2013, I was sold. Of course I wouldn’t actually get a PlayStation 4 until a year after the game finally released in 2015 and by that point I had read enough reviews deriding it that I never bought it. But thanks to a strong recommendation from my colleague Kenneth Shepard and a perfectly timed sale on the PlayStation store, I decided to finally see what all the fuss was about. About two hours in I can confidently say the game is… fine? It’s just fine, guys.
Combat itself is a mediocre attempt at recreating the slick cover shooting mechanics of Gears of War and is nothing to write home about. The spark of brilliance The Order does bring to the table is a collection of wacky steampunk weaponry provided to your protagonist by the game’s version of eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla. Shooting an old-timey rail gun at enemies is undeniably a joy that brightens up the mostly average combat loop.
The real star of the show, however, is the world. Steampunk Victorian London is a marvel to behold thanks to excellent graphics that still hold up nearly a decade later, but the worldbuilding is equally fascinating. By adding some magic and occult elements to the game’s alternate-history London, developer Ready at Dawn carefully weaves a fleshed out-timeline that makes the game’s setting feel rooted in reality. This detail is present in everything from the architecture of buildings to the dialogue of random NPCs walking around between gunfights. Even when I’m tired of repetitive shootouts, I always look forward to gathering bits and pieces of lore along the way. I’m curious to see if the rest of the game can somehow make the actual gameplay experience as interesting as the world itself, but considering the game’s reputation, I doubt it. If anything, my time with The Order: 1886 just makes me wish the game had the chance to get a sequel. -– Willa Rowe
