The Order: 1886 Hands-On: It’s All About The Ambiance

I’m not good at stealth games. If I’m playing one, my characters are going to die. I feel bad for them, but they knew what they were getting into when they placed their virtual lives in my hands. Knowing how those kinds of games frustrate me and the challenge they present, I can’t help but crave The Order: 1886.

It’s the ambiance. We saw a fantastic example of it during the PlayStation Experience keynote, where player saw a snippet of a mission they could experience on the show floor. It looked stunning in the trailer, more like an FMV someone was pretending to play, rather than actual gameplay. Yet, it was real. That was how The Order: 1886 looked in real life.

I saw it myself, the moment I had a chance to play The Order: 1886. It’s striking. Even the demo astonished me. While I love the look of PS4 and Xbox One games, I can’t get over the uncanny valley aspect of it. It nearly made me question my romancing of Solas in Dragon Age: Inquisition. But here, with The Order: 1886, there was no awkwardness. Everyone looked amazing.

Do you know what struck me, as I began playing? When Galahad rappeled down the Agamemnon, you could see his feet rest on the blimp and leave impressions. I almost wished I could control how far he would jump, because I loved seeing the impressions and shadows. I never thought I would marvel at lighting in a game, but I did in The Order: 1886.

I couldn’t help but wonder if the ambiance even helped my performance. As I said earlier, I’m not very good at stealth games. With shooters, I only excel if I set it to super-idiot-baby mode. With The Order: 1886, I found myself being pulled in and forced to pay more attention in the nicest ways. I dawdled during my initial exploration of the Agamemnon, because I was marveling at the inside of the blimp. I stopped and pored over a music box, on the off chance it had something to do with the story.

When it came time to sneak past guards, I feel like The Order: 1886 made it easier to be patient. The score is incredible. The lush, elaborate orchestrals mesmerized me, yet also seemed to help me focus. I felt like it almost helped me control my pace when I was creeping around.

The same happened with action segments. As I played The Order: 1886 demo, I feel like it helped me understand why I don’t do as well in some third-person shooter and stealth games. The fact that I was taking things slow, to enjoy the music and sights, made me realize I sometimes rush through other games.

I enjoyed The Order: 1886 at the PlayStation Experience, but I have to be honest. I feel as though I will enjoy it much more when I can play at a far more relaxed pace. I know tense segments await and this is an action game, but this taste makes me think I’ll love this game for the world Ready At Dawn is creating.