This review will be free from plot spoilers, so if you haven’t played please keep reading and if you have let’s seen if we agree.

There has been so much media attention regarding this game over the past year or so, about the money spent, the look and feel of it, it was only recently I actually knew what it was going to be about, I’d seen a few teaser trailers but they were vague, perhaps intentionally, and then there was a big push back on development. As the game release approached I seen a game play trailer and thought yeah that looks alright kind of reminds me a little of Uncharted in the mechanics of it.

Then there was a lot of fuss being kicked up about the length of the game, someone said not including cut scenes (of which there are a lot) they did a run through of 5 hours, now we have all paid a lot of money for games but I was not too happy about paying £45+ for such a short game which to the best of my knowledge didn’t have multiplayer (it doesn’t) however I managed to get the game for £32 so I thought why not.

I am not going to focus on the length of the game because that’s what everyone has done, I will say that I don’t like the way in which they clearly think having quick time events within cut scenes counts as game time, when it doesn’t and there are a lot of cut scenes so you always have to be ready for something to happen, and then sometimes you’d move through chapters within cut scenes not having done anything but maybe press X a few times. I would have been more receptive to the “short game” if they utilized the playing time better, a lot of time walking for no reason, having the option to look at things like papers, photographs etc but for no reason, I didn’t feel there was any need to explore the surroundings because your route was a set path.

The story is well done at parts but like I mention above there are long cut scenes and it gets a little boring, at points it’s a bit confusing as to who is who and what is what, or maybe that was just me, visually this is a masterpiece, it looks stunning load time is minimal and the transition from cinematic to game play is seamless, though it didn’t all have to be in letterbox format. (Slight spoiler ahead) The use of tech in this game is so enjoyable, the guns and gadgets are futuristic for the time period but they fit the game, such as the guns like the Arc Rifle, Thermite rifle (heads up, you’re meant to shoot with R2 cover an area then press R1, Do it the other way round is so much better), the comms device, and then there is the History of it all some people may turn their noses up at it, but I loved it, the use of fiction/nonfiction, the Knights of the round table, the holy grail, Nikola Tesla and Jack the ripper among others. (Spoiler over)

Overall The Order: 1886 is an “I like it but….” Game, for looks and tone, texture cinematography and transition it’s amazing, you can see the effort that has been put in, but then you look at the mechanics of the game and it really let’s you down, the walking, the useless “collectables” I was always walking somewhere constantly pressing on the D-pad seeing If I could get my gun out. I didn’t feel “involved enough” I felt like it was a “go here, now go here, now do this” there needed to be a lot more freedom, why make such an amazing environment if I can’t see it? You knew if a playable scene is coming because someone ALWAYS see’s you, the cover battles are a little too frequent and very basic and repetitive but not too difficult, I completely forgot about Blacksight which allows you to slow motion kill people (Red Dead Style), I used it once when the game made me then forgot about it. I can’t even say how long I played but it wasn’t long at all. It’s a PS4 game that should be at a PS3 price, and probably will be in a few months, it’s a play once done game.