As you all probably know by this point, yesterday saw E3 2013 getting off with a bang with some huge reveals, some in-depth looks at anticipated upcoming titles, and even some rousing promotional speeches for the gaming industry as a whole. What the first day of E3 was mostly about, however, was previewing some new and exciting games for the 8th Gen consoles.
One such game was the forthcoming collaborative effort by Santa Monica Studio and Ready At Dawn Studio, The Order: 1886. Now, in case you don’t already know, SMS is the studio behind a little series of games called the God of War franchise. You might have heard of it. If the critical and economic reception of these games is any indication of what Santa Monica is capable of, then The Order has the potential to be a breakthrough success for the console it’s being exclusively released on, the PS4.
So, what’s the Skinny on this new game?
To get the full experience of what The Order will offer gamers, I recommend you check out the above announcement trailer that Sony premiered during its press conference last night. If you don’t have time for that, though, here’s the abbreviated version:
First and foremost, the trailer begins by letting us know that the entire video was created in-engine, meaning that the graphics you see in the preview are pretty much what you get in gameplay. Considering how life-like, how totally REAL some of the shots look, that’s a feat in and of itself. That aside, the trailer follows a group of people riding in a stagecoach through late 19th century London. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that it’s probably 1886, but I suppose I could be wrong.
The brooding narrative playing over the scene talks of “new worlds” marked with “scientific marvels” that merely mask an “enduring old struggle.” Though we’re not let in on what this mysterious “struggle” is, when the carriage reaches Whitechapel and the driver suddenly disappears, the passengers step into the characteristically foggy London streets and begin unloading rounds from futuristic weapons on some shadowy figures crawling up lampposts, building walls, and on top of some train tracks. In fact, the trailer ends staring down the barrel of some electrically charged rifle presumably aimed at one of these creatures as it leaps towards one of the now abandoned carriage’s passengers.
Even with this cool trailer, you’re probably still wondering what in the world is going on here.
What does all this mean? Who are these people? Where did they come from? What in the world are those things creepily jumping around in the shadows? Santa Monica and Ready At Dawn don’t provide too much in the way of answers to these questions in their trailer. However, a coinciding statement released on Sony’s PlayStation blog sheds a ray or two of light on these big questions.
“With The Order: 1886, we introduce players to a unique vision of Victorian-era London, an alternate history where technological advances take center stage in a battle against a powerful and ancient foe. The game takes place nearly forty years after the Industrial Revolution. But unlike in real history, our Industrial Revolution stems from mankind’s desire to prevail in a centuries-old war. The advances in technology, invented by some of the foremost minds of the time, give man an opportunity to take the upper hand for the first time in their struggle.”
Not much else is known about the game besides these few shreds of information, but we here at GameSkinny will keep you posted on any further developments with this and any other games discussed at this year’s E3. Until then, keep your ears to the ground, and a controller in your hands.
