The Order 1886 Review

The Order: 1886 has long lived in the "backlog legends" category, a game often whispered about in retrospect with a heavy caveat: it’s beautiful, but incomplete. For a player jumping in today, especially after skipping the bulk of the PS4 era, it stands as a fascinating time capsule. Released in 2015 as a technical showcase for the PlayStation 4, it remains one of the most visually arresting experiences on the platform, even if it feels more like a high-budget tech demo than a fully realized journey.

A Technical Masterpiece

At its current price point of under $10, The Order: 1886 is an absolute steal for the visual feast alone. The attention to detail is staggering; the motion capture and facial animations are still top-tier by modern standards. It makes bold stylistic choices, forcing letterboxing and heavy motion blur to achieve a film-like aesthetic. While these are settings most PC players disable immediately, here they serve a purpose, grounding the Victorian steampunk London in a grit and atmosphere that feels tangible.

The DNA of modern PlayStation titans, like God of War (2018), Uncharted 4, and The Last of Us Part II, is clearly visible here. The over-the-shoulder camera, the obsession with animation variance, and the cinematic pacing all felt like they were being road-tested in this title.

The Combat Sandbox

When the talking stops and the shooting starts, the results are a mixed bag. The cover-shooting mechanics are serviceable and polished, but the punch of the arsenal is inconsistent. While standard pistols and rifles often feel wimpy and lack the recoil you’d expect from 19th-century weaponry, the specialized gear shines. Using the Thermite Rifle or the Arc Gun provides those wow moments that make you wish the entire sandbox was that inventive.

The greatest disappointment, however, lies in the supernatural encounters. For a game centered on an ancient war against "Half-Breeds," the werewolf fights are surprisingly pedestrian. These encounters boil down to repetitive animations: dodge, shoot, and a quick stab. Had these moments captured the true terror of the Lycans, the gameplay loop might have felt more substantial.

The "Ryse" Comparison

It is impossible to play The Order without drawing parallels to Xbox’s Ryse: Son of Rome. Both were early-generation technical showpieces (utilizing the RE Engine and CryEngine respectively) that prioritized visual prowess over deep gameplay systems. Much like Ryse, The Order feels like a prologue, a stunning Order: 1887 teaser that never received its second chapter. After a tight 5-hour runtime, you aren't left with a sense of completion, but rather the feeling that you’ve just finished a very expensive playable demo.

THE VERDICT

FINAL RATING: COP (At Discount) 📢 The Order: 1886 is a gorgeous, flawed, and fascinating what if in PlayStation history. It is the ultimate palette cleanser, perfect for the player coming off an 80-hour RPG who just wants a highly polished, two-night romp through a dark and beautiful world. It’s a tragedy that mixed reception likely killed any hope for a sequel, as the foundation laid here had the potential to be a cinematic killer.