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Easily one of the most talked about reveals at Sony's E3 2013 Press Conference came in the form of an intriguing cinematic trailer for The Order: 1886. At the time, little was known about the PS4 exclusive other than gamers would, apparently, play as one of several pre-1900s warriors - tasked with taking down supernatural threats using surprisingly modern weaponry. The game was not demoed at the annual game industry event, given that it is scheduled for a much later release date, and while the E3 reveal was sparse, it helped build buzz for new Sony-exclusive experiences as well as showed that the publisher has a number of intriguing pS4 titles in the development pipeline.

Since that time, we've been privy to some intriguing and otherwise revealing new details - including the gameplay format (a "dirty" third-person shooter) as well as core story details (centered on dangerous "halfbreed" creatures that threaten Europe). Still, despite a few minute details, developer Ready at Dawn has maintained a thick cloud of secrecy around the game but, thanks to a Japanese press release from Sony, we've got a few fresh insights to share.

The new info originated out of Japan where the publisher debuted a Japanese-dubbed version of the E3 cinematic trailer (which you can view at the top of the page). In addition to the trailer, Sony posted a full write-up, adding previously unrevealed details about the game.

Check out the full write-up (translated into English) below:

It is said that everything began around the 7th or 8th century. Suddenly mutations appeared in the human genetic code. While the change wasn’t immediately visible, some began to show traits similar to beasts. This turned them into a species different from humanity, and marked the birth of the half-breed (half man, half beast). Over time the people started to call the half-breed with the names of the monsters of legend. Conflict and confrontation against the monster has upset the history of mankind. Although mankind had the advantage in sheer numbers, it was inferior to the half-breed because of their resilience and overwhelming regenerative powers. At last, after a few centuries passed, humanity is presented with a chance to retaliate. Brave men and women vowed to devote their life to the war against the half-breed and became knights. Those knights were named “the Order”

Since then, over the centuries, many knights lost their lives in battle, but the Order never perished. If a knight is killed, a new successor to his name appears, and throws himself into battle on behalf of Humanity. In the London of 19th Century the conflict between mankind and the half-breed continued, even in the terrible district of White Chapel, one of the many districts that will be remembered by the posterity. This area has become a major turning point in the battle over the years. The development of science and the industrial revolution has become a mighty assets for the human race. Enormous airships patrol the sky of London, and at times they are at anchor at enormous mooring towers to monitor the city center. The railway powered by electricity has become the blood flow of the city, connecting each district. With their technology, humanity has the advantage over the half-breed for the first time.

In this time, when the threat of the half-breed begins to decline, a new threat attacks the knights: A full-scale insurrection in the British Empire. Suffering the poverty brought by the industrial revolution and the disparity between classes, angry citizens take arms and rebel.

And there’s more than those two “enemies” to cause trouble for the knights…

The story breakdown does not provide much in the way of gameplay details but it does add context to the trailer footage - as well as isolated aspects of the plot that we've heard about before. Unsurprisingly, Sony appears to be building a rich, complex, and cinematic world for gamers to explore (likely over multiple franchise iterations) with all the necessary elements for great gameplay too - creative weaponry, a diverse batch of mythological creatures, and a multi-faceted conflict that's more than a basic "kill all monsters" story.

The notion of "successors" taking over for fallen Order members is also interesting - though, whether or not the story beat plays directly into the gameplay (i.e. your character can die a permanent death) has yet to be unveiled. Regardless, the successor aspect could also mean that future Order stories could be told - but in different (and even earlier) time periods, i.e. The Order: 1776, etc.

Without question, Ubisoft has made a killing developing gameplay experiences in an array of historical periods for the Assassin's Creed series, so it stands to reason that Sony and Ready at Dawn might want to keep their sequel (or prequel) options open.

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

Follow me on Twitter @benkendrick.

Source: Sony [via Dual Shockers]