The Order: 1886 Plot Details Surface, Delayed to Early 2015

Sony and Ready at Dawn Studios has put together a small feature of the PlayStation 4-exclusive title, The Order 1886. The feature goes into some detail about how the studio is crafting a unique, vibrant universe for its game. In addition, Ready at Dawn has disclosed a number of major details about the game’s plot and setting, which you can read below. 

The game is set in Victorian Era London, where life for the commoners is monotonous with people, both rich and poor, going about their daily business. All the while, bad stuff is happening in the background that the Knights of the Order (that’s you and your allies) have kept at bay for centuries.

Accordingly, the Knights of the Order were founded in the days of King Arthur, when mankind was on the losing side of a war for dominion and supremacy against a race of beings known as the Half-Breeds. The King assembled a group of nobles to stand in defense of their brethren, and thus the Knights of the Round Table were born. 

The Knights of the Round Table eventually came to be known as The Order, enduring through the centuries bringing the war to a status quo. With the Industrial Revolution, technology gives them the upper hand and a time of uncomfortable peace settles in the Kingdom and the Commonwealth, our version of Pax Britannia. But this peace brings on a new opponent. The very people The Order had sworn to protect take up arms, as the Rebellion is formed in the streets of London. This new battle ravages the street of 1886 London, as both rebels and Knights fight each other to the death.

The latest gameplay footage, released last week, showed the Knights taking on their opponents in the downtrodden district of Whitechapel. Galahad is armed with a Thermite rifle that can take out enemies hidden behind cover, while Isabeau’s Arc Gun manages to deal an equally significant amount of damage to foes.

As seen in the trailer, one of the game’s main characters heals himself after being wounded in the neck by imbibing a fluid known as Blackwater. This magical elixir has imbued the Knights with inhuman longevity as well as mental and physical abilities that they can use in combat, a state called Blacksight. Using Blacksight, which works very much like Bullet Time in the Max Payne series of games, Galahad can enter into a heightened state to focus his skills and execute precise attacks.

Three new screenshots have been released alongside the game’s behind-the-scenes trailer. 

The Order: 1886 was originally slated for release in 2014, but has since been delayed to early 2015.