No one wanted The Order: 1886 to succeed more than this author. If you go back and listen to our EGX 2014 discussion, you'll hear your humble host staunchly defend Ready at Dawn's alternate history escapade after an early hands-on demo failed to live up to the expectations of some members in the Push Square team. Reviewing the release over the past few days proved a bitter pill to swallow, then, as the PlayStation 4 exclusive practically fell foul to every potential pitfall that we predicted. Despite this, though, we still feel that the Californian outfit has laid the foundations for a potentially special sequel. But what does it need to change?
The Gameplay Must Complement the Story
The Order: 1886's primary ambition is to fuse story with gameplay, but it falls short in places. And this is not because of shoddy cut-scene segues, but because of a lack of forethought. Take, for example, one section in the game where you need to infiltrate an aristocrat's home. The narrative demands that you enter the building without being spotted, but because the title doesn't boast any real stealth mechanics, detection will result in an immediate restart.
The context that the release gives is that you get shot in the head, but this makes no sense, as you can take dozens of bullets during the average firefight, and still escape with your life. As a result, the impact of the story ends up diminished, and it ruins the illusion that you're playing an interactive movie. Consequentially, the developer needs to ensure that these two assets complement each other better in the future; the gameplay should enhance the story, not detract from it.
The Combat Needs to Get with the Times
There's nothing necessarily wrong with The Order: 1886's gunplay – in fact, we quite like some of the weapons. The thermite rifle, for instance, which peppers the air with flammable gas clouds, is an enjoyable armament, while the arc cannon is a deadly addition to the game's arsenal, too. The problem is that the title doesn't include enough interesting encounters to make use of them, and as a result, you'll be shooting static grunts in the head from a single piece of cover.
It's the kind of dreary third-person gunplay that was acceptable when Uncharted: Drake's Fortune was new, but the world has moved on since then. If you compare what Ready at Dawn's achieved here with the layered encounters in The Last of Us, it's clear just how far off the pace the developer is. And it's a real shame, because with mythological enemies as well as human adversaries, there's the potential to create some real pulsating gunfights in this universe.
There Should Be More Things to Interact With
The Order: 1886 really allows you to soak up the atmosphere of its alternate history world, and that's something that we appreciate. Skulking through the streets of Whitechapel or coursing through the bowels of Westminster is a real rush; the problem is that the game doesn't really reward you for taking your time. There are newspapers and objects that you can inspect, and a lot of effort has been invested into these, but interactive items are few and far between.
Make no mistake, we're not for a second suggesting that the studio should change the game's scope, and pad it out with boring bottle cap collectibles and shoddy side-quests. However, we think that if you were able to converse with non-playable characters – if only for short snippets of dialogue – and maybe affect the environment a little more in order to solve puzzles and the like, it would give you a much greater sense of place. At the moment, it feels like you're being funnelled through a museum.
The Story Has to Stay Strong from Start to Finish
For a game that's heavily dependent on its story, The Order: 1886 fails to come to a particularly satisfying conclusion. Ready at Dawn spends plenty of time building up a fascinating fiction, but just as it's getting interesting, it races to an ending without tying up any loose ends. There's nothing wrong with leaving a few threads – we actually appreciate the way that the writing treats you with some degree of intelligence – but there are far too many unanswered questions here.
It's a shame, because the studio clearly had much bigger ambitions. Newspaper articles that you uncover make references to Queen Victoria, but they're never picked up on. Worse still, an enormous chunk of the main character's motivation is left to hang, and while this sets things up perfectly for a sequel, it's a bit frustrating that the plot is cut off so abruptly. The follow-up needs to be fulfilling from start to finish.
Do you think that these changes would improve a potential The Order: 1886 successor? Will the studio even get a shot at a sequel? Hire a carrier pigeon in the comments section below.
Comments 25
Not sure its worth salvaging.
This is sad... Just sad... *Talking bout these The Order 1886 reviews.
Campaign coop would have been nice, these kinds of games are always more fun with mates.
I wonder if inexperience has played a part too, it is RAD's first original AAA console game after all and maybe they took one too many cues from other games?
This is kind of a sad day I agree
Poor RAD.
@Jazzer94 I think that if this game had MP coop, the reviews would be talking about how the single player mode is just okay, but what REALLY makes the game is the coop feature.
Add multiplayer and co-op? Come on Sammy.
It's what Uncharted 2 did, not that Uncharted had any of The Order's problems.
The developers were focused on th making stunning graphics, all that is left is an interactive techdemo.
Sony should tell their studios that gamers want quality. Look at Knack and Driveclub, now the PS4 has allready 3 exclusives wich are (at release) disapointing.
But if it's more of the same... Well... Then it's not worth it..
My guess is that this game is highly marketable to the masses of casual gamers who see the pretty TV ads. Good chance RAD were told to just push the hardware.
@Punished_Boss_84 Sure, and they were great in Uncharted 2, but that game went on to be such a smash because they elevated every aspect of the original's single player to the next level.
Co-op and multiplayer would be fun with the weapons and the fiction that Ready at Dawn's created, but they need to sort out the single player first.
@eLarkos It's trending very well on Amazon. Will be interesting to see whether the reviews impact that.
Great summary of the issues, Sammy.
It feels like RAD was telling the truth. They wanted quality over quantity. The problem seems to be, that they invested too much time into quality (except the AI it seems). But now RAD has a great working fundamental engine and hopefully tackles the weaknesses in the game, if there really is a sequel to come.
And even though the story might get weak at the end, it is great, that somebody actually creates a game with a good story nowadays.
Most games use a story as an excuse for certain situations, while a few others build the game around the story.
AI being good, enemies should be fearsome
I talked to my friend about this game while ago, and I said to him, "dude, this is gonna be bad, they will aim high, but will shot far from the target" and he dismissed my commentary. Well...what can I say, I'm good on predictions.
But as a ps4 owner this is very sad to me actually.
Unfortunately, Ready at Dawn may just be a studio better suited to handhelds. If this game sells well enough, it doesn't hurt to give them a second chance on a sequel but I definitely wouldn't be confident in it being a good game.
I was so dissapointed in the reviews and 6 1/2 hour length. Its very light when compared to uncharted 3, tlou, gow ascension. They had a good length amd multiplayer. I knew it wouldnt have multiplayer, but i was hoping it would make up for it somehow, unfortunatley it did not.
@eLarkos i still think it will sell millions, but not to people who are familiar with the ps3 and games like TLOU.
Maybe the next one should be an open world rpg...
I still want it somehow, but I guess i'll wait until the price is lower.
Half way through. Pretty boring but I'll see it through. I don't see any reason for a sequel anytime soon. I hate qte, they need to get rid.
Not sure how many of you have actually played it and how many are just going on reviews.
I think they've done a great job. New ip, new engine, new system, first proper console title for rad. It's a really solid effort that I'm thoroughly enjoying (up to chapter 8 so far).
I love the setting and the characters, graphics and audio are out of this world, the gameplay is great (typical tps fare but that's fine with me).
A real solid basis, and not far off being great.
I agree that there's room to improve, but now that the technical side is nailed down I reckon they can make a real leap with a sequel if they can concentrate on the content.
Let's hope they get the chance.
@jmbenetti I agree, I'm on chapter 11 and yeah, it's not perfect, but nowhere near the complete travesty some reviewers are making it out to be. I'd go for at least a 7 or 8.
I have yet to find a game or movie or TV show (apart from under the dome 😷) in fact that I've disliked 😂 so I can't wait for the order. Hype levels are still 💯
There is some many mixed reviews on this I feel like I have to play this now and make up my own mind. No high hopes though.
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