The Order: 1886 is an upcoming third person action title currently in development under Ready at Dawn and Sony Santa Monica and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The game was first announced at the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) event.
The Order takes place in an alternate history surrounding a group known as "The Order" and its pursuit to stop monster-like inhuman creatures and ancient foes threatening man’s existence. The game is set in a universe where the industrial revolution came about as an effort to win a centuries-old war.
The titular Order is basically an ancient group where the player serves as a knight. While the game takes place in an alternate reality, players will get a chance to go back in time and strike a conversation with real-world historical characters who will also aid the players in their quest. Not only do the players get to see and navigate real places, they will also stand as witnesses to whatever happens in the time period, and have a hand in real events that have already unfolded.
While not much is known about the game at the moment, studio co-founder Ru Weerasuriya was kind enough to provide the official PS Blog with some details as to what we might get to see in the upcoming months. As far as the in-game setting (a stylish London) is concerned, Weerasuriya stated that “London is one of the greatest cities in the world. There’s a real diversity there. A lot of European cities have it but specifically London, as there are moments throughout history that have played out there.”
He added that the setting has a very interesting history, which amplifies at the end of the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution. “Because this game is based in the real world, we wanted to feed off that and use some of the events, the people and the stuff that existed in that time to accentuate and bring our IP into a world that is believable.”
The game is expected to arrive with some “very cool” gameplay features, and the developers are currently just playing around with a lot of ideas just to see what matches the list best. However, Weerasuriya added that the overall gameplay is a rather filmic experience, as opposed to the games we see otherwise.
“When you watch a movie you don’t question what lens is being used. You don’t question why there is grain on the film or why there’s a certain lighting. Those are things we’ve been accustomed to seeing for 30 years. So when it’s missing we usually go 'Wait, something is wrong with this image,'” Weersauriya said.
There have been a lot of physical attributes that have also been introduced in the game. There is the possibility of true lens distortion, alongside physical lenses in the game’s engine “so we could get something where people will look it and not be totally disconnected. Games have a tendency sometimes to be too clean and crisp. We thrive in the dirt. We just love the fact that it feels dirty. It’s filmed in a very realistic way.”
The Order: 1886, a PS4 exclusive, is scheduled to release some time in 2014.