The Order: 1886 has finally arrived, and it is without a doubt one of the most impressive looking games ever made, setting a new standard for graphics in console games. California-based studio Ready at Dawn has been spending the last four years creating an exquisitely detailed Victorian London, albeit an alternate history London replete with Werewolves, Steampunk airships, and Arthurian knights of the round table. Although much of the action takes place in zeppelins or dark urban streets, Ready at Dawn chose SpeedTree to create the trees and plant life that stand out against the bleak city landscape.
Pushing back against the trend of open world games with endless side missions, The Order: 1886 is a third-person shooter intended to be a guided cinematic experience in the storytelling vein of the Uncharted series. The player is taken on a ride through a gritty dystopian underworld as the action seamlessly transitions from cover shooter gameplay to cutscenes and quick time events, giving the player plenty of time to admire the scenery. Despite all the controversy that surrounds this release, it has set the bar high for every title that will follow in 2015.
