Developer : Ready at Dawn
Release date : February 20, 2015
Synopsis :
The Order: 1886 is a 2015 third-person action-adventure video game developed by Ready at Dawn and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was released for the PlayStation 4 on February 20, 2015. Set in an 1886 alternate history steampunk London, the game follows the legendary Knights of the Round Table as they battle to keep the world safe from half-breeds, such as werewolves and vampires, as well as fringe organizations rebelling against the government.
The gameplay revolves around cover-based shooting mechanics and features a variety of weapons. The player progresses through the story by journeying through linear paths, defeating enemies and traversing obstacles. Quick time events and melee takedowns are also implemented and several collectibles are scattered around the environment.
The Order: 1886 received mixed reviews from critics. Praise was directed at the game’s production value, graphics, and technical achievements, while criticism was given for the game’s short length, story, gameplay, replay value, and limited involvement the player is given. The game has garnered a cult following over the years.
During the autumn of 1886 London is plagued by both attacks by half-breeds and an anti-government insurgency. After fighting off rebels in Mayfair, Sir Galahad pursues the survivors into the Underground where he encounters a number of werewolf-like half-breeds known as Lycans. Galahad’s mentor, Sir Percival, one of the Order’s most veteran knights, suspects that there is a correlation between the two and requests permission to investigate the rebel stronghold of Whitechapel. His concerns are dismissed by the Lord Chancellor, who believes that the Order should remain dedicated to fighting half-breeds.
With tacit approval from Sir Lucan, the Order’s Knight Commander and adopted son of the Lord Chancellor, Percival and Galahad undertake a mission into Whitechapel accompanied by the other two members of their team, Lady Igraine and the Marquis de Lafayette. After encountering fierce resistance they reach the rebel headquarters in the abandoned Royal London Hospital, to find it occupied by Lycans. Galahad and Igraine discover evidence of a rebel plot to infiltrate the Agamemnon, flagship of the United India Company’s airship fleet, and assassinate the company chairman Lord Hastings, a frequent guest to the Round Table. The team boards the airship and foils the assassination attempt before a bomb detonates on board. Hastings and most of the passengers are evacuated, but Galahad and Percival remain on board to search for the rebel leader. A second explosion sends the Agamemnon crashing into Hyde Park, destroying the Crystal Palace in the process. Galahad survives but discovers that Percival has been killed.
In council at the Palace of Westminster, Lafayette is knighted and assumes Percival’s seat at the Round Table. The Lord Chancellor is highly critical of the mission, asserting that Percival’s death and the extensive collateral damage were in vain. The council is interrupted when rebels stage a major attack on Westminster Bridge aimed at killing Hastings, who is saved by the knights.
Enraged by Percival’s death, Galahad returns to Whitechapel seeking a confrontation with the rebel leader, who is revealed to be an Indian woman named Lakshmi who is later revealed to be the hitherto presumed dead Queen Lakshmibai of Jhansi of the princely state of Jhansi in the Indian subcontinent. Pleading with Galahad that the United India Company is the true enemy, she leads him to the company’s warehouses in Blackwall where they discover a large number of hibernating vampires packed in crates bound for the Northeastern United States. According to Lakshmi, Lord Hastings is a vampire (known to the general public as “Jack the Ripper”) and is acting in response to the Order’s recent success.
At Westminster, Galahad’s concerns fall on deaf ears. Lucan sympathizes with him however, and joins Galahad and Lakshmi in infiltrating the United India Company headquarters in Mayfair. They find evidence of a conspiracy to traffic half-breeds overseas and encounter Hastings in his vampire form. Before Galahad can act against Hastings, Lucan reveals himself to be a Lycan and attacks Galahad. The two fight, but Lucan flees as the authorities arrive. Galahad is taken into custody by Lafayette and Igraine, charged with treason, and sentenced to death.
After several weeks, Galahad escapes captivity in the Westminster Catacombs and attempts to flee only to be cornered. Facing re-imprisonment, Galahad throws himself off a ledge into the River Thames and is recovered by Nikola Tesla, the Order’s armourer with help from an old man. Tesla seeks help from Lakshmi to help take care of him. Lakshmi reveals to Galahad, upon being questioned about her having blackwater, that she was bestowed a knighthood by Sir Bors de Ganis. Fearing that Tesla has come under suspicion, Galahad returns to Westminster in an attempt to extract him. He finds Tesla alive but also encounters Lucan in the laboratory. The two fight a second time with Galahad emerging the victor. The mortally wounded Lucan expresses regret for having betrayed the Order, claiming that he did so in order to save his race from extinction. The two are discovered by the Lord Chancellor, who confesses his knowledge of Lucan’s true nature. He reveals to Galahad that centuries before he had fought and destroyed an entire tribe of Lycans, but could not bring himself to kill the infant Lucan, who he adopted as a son instead. The Lord Chancellor orders that evidence of Lucan’s betrayal may not be used to exonerate Galahad and must be kept a secret for the sake of the Order. Unwilling to kill his son, he leaves Galahad to administer the coup de grace, then banishes Galahad from London. The two former comrades reconcile, and a remorseful Galahad raises his weapon and fires, killing Lucan, as the screen cuts to black.
In a post-credits scene, Galahad is seen on the roof of a building overlooking London, which has been put under martial law. He is warned by Tesla over the radio that the police could strike anytime and that they should leave the city immediately. Galahad reminds Tesla that he is “Galahad no more”.
Source : Wikipedia
