The Order: 1886 Won't Offer Multiplayer, Gameplay Details Revealed

As we inch closer to E3 where games like The Order: 1886 will likely make their full debut prior to their scheduled Fall release, new details have begun to emerge about the game. That includes the shocking revelation that the game will not feature any multiplayer as revealed by Andrea Pessino, co-founders of Ready at Dawn, the studio behind the PS4 exclusive game. In the last few years, the trend has been for most titles to receive some form of multiplayer, even if they’re traditionally more in line with a single player title. This includes games like Uncharted, God of War: Ascension, and The Last of Us. While not taking cues from other titles that have gone multiplayer, The Order: 1886 will share features with other games out from Santa Monica Studios, including quicktime events. Let’s talk more details.

@TheRazorRex @elcuco786 Correct. No multiplayer, it is a single player, third person action adventure game. 🙂

— Andrea Pessino (@AndreaPessino) February 6, 2014

In the game’s teaser reveal trailer and the subsequent story trailer that has recently been released, little is shown of the game’s gameplay and instead, we’re given a glimpse of the world through CGI. That doesn’t mean that the game isn’t ready for prime time and is instead a reflection of how far the team has come with their in-game engine. Ready at Dawn founder and CEO Ru Weerasuriya:

Our game models and our cinematic models are one and the same, and everything is rendered real time in the engine as you play the game.

In fact, from what we’ve seen from the game, the gameplay beautifully unfolds and transitions between CGI and back into the game. It’s also worth noting that the above image is from gameplay. Once again, Ru:

We wanted to build this filmic aspect to the game, from the atmosphere, to the way we use cameras in the game, to make it more immersive

This theory also translates into the game’s use of quicktime battles. Chances are that if you’ve played God of War, then you know how the QT system will be handled in The Order: 1886, though there are differences. In all CGI or QTE , players will have limited control of their character like the ability to look around and make small movements. This mechanic is further presented during battle where, unlike GoW, where only one series of commands was available to the player, you can opt for different actions during the QTE battle which will affect the outcome of the battle and, in some ways, the game. Suck at QTE? Luckily that won’t be a problem as failure to complete one adequately won’t translate to death or a redo of the scenario.

Gameplay itself consists of cover-based, third-person shooter mechanics, and hand-to-hand combat. What makes the game more unique is its London setting which gives the developers a bigger opportunity to surprise and delight players vs. the traditional modern shooter scenario which has been played out. Ru:

We tried to infuse the London that existed at the time [into the game], not just the London we remember. Airships didn’t exist [at the time], but they’re fun.

While you can find the city’s famous Crystal Palace, also expect to see more modern and semi sci-fi aspects creep into the game to create a unique world and feel. Think what Naughty Dog did with the Resistance franchise. This means that you don’t have to just rely on muskets and pistols.

We’re building weapons that were not only cool and technologically advanced but believable at the time. These weapons did not exist, but every piece of it, the research [pulled] from things that existed at the time.

It’s expected that The Order: 1886 will be released this fall.