Review: The Order 1886

Excuse me waiter, there's a penis in my video game.

Games have grown up. True, the industry has been saying this for years but I think only over the last year or two this has really been the case. With adult and intense stories like The Last Of Us and The Walking Dead video game pathing the way for how a game can be more than a nerdy passtime. Gone (almost *ed) are the days of dev's thinking a bit of boob and more F bomb's than a Roy Chubby Brown tribute act convention are whats needed to make a game grown up. The Order 1886 follows in the ironic trend of a game trying to be more than one. And to this gamer, my word does it work.

   The problem however is not that games have grown up-they have- but that gamers havn't. I will try my best to focus on the qualities and fault's of The Order 1886 throughout this review but it must be brought to peoples attention how hypocritical the gaming industry can be.

   When the PS3 was in its infancy it had a library of, shall we say underwhelming games. Games like Resistance: Fall of man, Genji: Days of the Blade and the standard of average EA sports titles meant fan's were desperate for the first Killer app of the 7'th gen. They got it with Uncharted. Uncharted was (and still is) a cinematic mish mash of story and game and it worked. It worked so much that Nathan Drake became a mascot of playstation and starred in three more games,with another Uncharted to come to PS4 this year. But back to the first game (and my point! *ed), the first Uncharted was a single player experience with around seven hours on the clock once the game was beat. It got 8's and 9's and as stated above was praised as a masterpeice. The Order 1886 is a single player experience with around seven hours on the clock once the game is beat. The marks it has recieved from critics? 5's and 6;s Its this hypocrisy in the gaming industry that this particular gamer feels will be the death of our beloved hobby.

For Queen and Country, guv'nor.

   Anyway,rant over, in terms of the game itself. It has a fantastic blend of cinema and cover based third person shootery that really pulls you into the steampunk universe. The game takes place in (you guessed it) 1886 at the peak of the industrial revolution. The queen vic is in power (the person not the pub *ed), London is full of fog, Jack the ripper is on the loose and Werewolfs run rampant.

   Yes this is an "alternate" London with the aforemention Lycans causing a problem for our games protagonist's, a bunch of Knights no less. This review will contain no spoilers of any sort because part of the apeal of this game is to draw you into its mystery and intrigue. Needless to say there are twists and turns a plenty and this particular gamer didnt see many of them coming.

   As for the gameplay itself. The shooting is tight and the weapons feel sufficiently powerful. The Thermite rifle being a favorite involving covering an area with thermite gas then igniting the gas with a flare. There are area's where you are doing nothing but walking through the foggy suburbs of Whitechapel and even stealth sections. All these don't impose too much on the staple gameplay of area to area exploration and shooting. The game does nothing you havn't seen countless times over the last few years however what it does, it does very very well. And again with such an atmosperic setting and story it hooks you like its the first time you have seen such mechanics in a game.

Bit short innit? Thats what she said. Arf arf.

Of course a review of such a big release like The Order 1886 would'nt be complete without regarding the elephant in the room. Its length. Well let me ask you, what would you prefer? A game with fetch quests, side activities  and many hours of exploring the same area before progressing the story? Or a game that is no longer than it needs to be to ensure the narrative is tight,well paced and immersive? If your ideal game is the former,this may not be for you and you may find more enjoyment in games like Destiny or Dying light. If however you love a good story then look no further. The Order 1886 is a great one.

How much I'd spend on this game.

   So in summary, I love The Order 1886. It has just what I want from a narrative driven game. A great narrative. The length dosn't come into it. After all, did you hear people complaining that Bambi was only an hour long? Of course not. It's a great film and adding any more to it would just detract from the overall experience.

   Oh and yes. There is a penis in this game.

I would pay £40 for The Order 1886.