The Order: 1886 review | Thunderbolt

The concept of cinematic videogames has always been an odd one for me. Why would a developer restrict themselves by trying to emulate the silver screen when videogames are capable of so much more? It’s a question something like the Uncharted series answers with a brash confidence, banishing doubters of its filmic spectacle by making the player an integral part of its breathtaking action – meticulously scripted as it may be. Games like Beyond: Two Souls, on the other hand, fall on the opposite end of the spectrum, laden with cutscenes and minimal player input beyond some dreary QTEs and rudimentary engagement. In recent years, the inclusion of player choice has somewhat alleviated the lack of agency in dialogue-heavy games like this, making it feel like you actually have an effect on the narrative. In that sense, The Order: 1886 feels like a relic of the past, its mixture of engaging combat and dissociated storytelling falling somewhere between the likes of Uncharted and Beyond: Two Souls; where every step of the way is predetermined and rigidly structured as it dictates proceedings with its hand firmly clenched around yours.