The current slate of upcoming games may be filled with cross-gen titles (releasing on both current and next-gen consoles), but hopes are high for what the true next-gen games will bring. From a story story standpoint, few seem as intriguing as The Order: 1886, but a strong story and characters might not be enough to satisfy hungry fans hoping for mind-blowing visuals.

The developers at Ready at Dawn have spent plenty of time focusing on The Order's story and setting, but the newly released screenshots and renders show how the game will be excelling in a technical sense, not just a narrative one.

It's always hard to know what to expect from the first batch of games on next-gen consoles, even if the PS4 and Xbox One are closer to a PC architecture than ever before (compare the previous generation's launch games to those releasing this year for context). But even if the full graphical horsepower of the PS4 won't possibly be harnessed for a few more years, the minds behind The Order: 1886 are relying on more than just polish to distinguish themselves.

For starters, they plan to bring cinematic use of lenses, distortion and atmosphere to blur the lines between the game and traditional film-making. It's one thing to hear the developers explain how they hope to bring something new to third-person shooters through those effects, but another to glimpse them in actual screenshots. Have a look:

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Besides offering a clearer look at Isabeau (a.k.a. 'Lady Igraine'), the romantic interest of the game's hero Galahad - and the nasty scars that mark her combat prowess - the screenshots give a sense of how particle effects, exposure and lighting are areas the technical team is setting their sights on.

Whether it's the slight hint of film grain applied in the darker, more horrific scenes, or the abundance of dust particles wreaking havoc with focus, these images should help players understand that not every advantage offered by next-gen hardware will be immediately apparent. The riskier decisions made by the developers could prove divisive among players, but nobody can say the studio is making their first console game easier on themselves.

For our part, the effects implemented in these images may just be a taste of what's in store, but if the developers are hoping to inject tension or stray into the 'horror' genre, they look to be well on their way.

What do you think of the artwork and screenshots released? Does this build your confidence that Ready at Dawn is doing everything possible to win fans over? Or are you still not sure how much more to expect from next-gen visuals and detail? Sound off in the comments.

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The Order: 1886 will be released exclusively for the PlayStation 4, at an unannounced date.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: AGB