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It was the Victorian England setting of The Order: 1886 that was first highlighted when the PS4-exclusive was revealed at E3 2013 via a moody cinematic trailer. Yet the mutated enemies that the player would seek to destroy were kept (literally) out of focus. Now more is known about the monstrous 'Half-Breeds' that threaten the western world in the game's alternate take on history, and the newest trailer goes behind-the-scenes about the design, the fiction, and 'The Evolution of the Half-Breeds.'

The premise and visual style of The Order: 1886 was enough for most next-gen optimists to get excited about what Ready at Dawn had in store, and all gameplay shown has delivered on the visual hopes for next-gen hardware. But it wasn't until E3 2014 that the developers revealed the Half-Breeds in detail, pitting the game's hero Galahad against one of the human/animal hybrids. It was clear at the time that the beast in question was a variation of werewolf, and the latest developer diary confirms as much.

The Order's twist on werewolf - or Lycan, as they prefer to be called - Half-Breeds means that the mutated monsters that have been hunted since the Knights of the Round Table were founded to keep them at bay are able to walk in human form as well. As the gameplay footage shown at E3 confirmed, the enemies are capable of feasting on human flesh without having transformed into werewolf form (where that leaves the human beings seen engaging in combat with the player is still unknown).

The Order 1886 Lycan Trailer

It's still hard to tell if the shift from a mysterious order hunting monsters to a werewolf-killing gang will change some gamers' perception of The Order, but the developers have clearly put the time in to make their breed of Lycan something entertaining. The transformation from human to Lycan shown at E3's press conference was both hard to watch and captivating, and it wasn't the PS4's technical prowess that was to blame.

Enemy motivations or detail aside, our time with the game at E3 2014 left us more than impressed, since Ready at Dawn is clearly crafting one of the most visually impressive experiences we've yet seen. With that in mind, fans will no doubt hope that the enemies will hold up their end of the bargain, and be more than generic werewolf/bloodthirsty mutants.

What do you think of The Order's Lycans? Are werewolves the new zombies for you, or are you more interested in the fiction and mythology behind the game's characters? Sound off in the comments.

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The Order: 1886 will be released exclusively for the PS4 on February 20, 2015.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.