The Order: 1886 is Police-State Propaganda!

I played The Order: 1886 in 2020. Big mistake. Huge.
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00:00 Introduction
02:10 A Knight's Tale
14:11 Making Sense Of Any Of That
20:09 An L Shape In Any Direction
24:03 In Days Of Old
30:05 Empire And Injustice
35:41 Framing
39:38 Just Following Orders
46:18 Politics In Video Games
51:13 Conclusion
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Featuring gameplay footage by:
Coyote Wild - / thecoyoteiswild
Gaming Portal - / @gamingportal
jackystone - / jackystone
Karma Jockey - / channel
vimmryan - / vimmryan
Sound Effects by:
Tim Kahn - freesound.org/people/tim.kahn/
Police Lights Graphics by:
Footage Island - / footageisland
Kanadaka - / kanadaka
Film Grain by:
fiatlvx - / fiatlvx
Music by:
Beats by JAE - / user-208079834
Broke For Free - freemusicarchive.org/music/Br...
ccradiocc-classic-morning - / ccradiocc-classic-morning
Darius Greene - / dariusgreene
Liz Stratton - / liz-stratton
Miguel Johnson - / migueljohnsonmjmusic
Myuu - / myuu
Scott Buckley - / scottbuckley
Kai Engel - freemusicarchive.org/music/Ka...

[@Windy2468]

Everyone: "Galahad no" Galahad: "GALAHAD YES"

[@lys6295]

"Yes, the airship is loaded with monsters and yes the system has been horribly corrupted by vampires. But there is no need to resort to violence, have you even tried writing a letter to your local representative?" - For this line you deserve an oscar in screen writing!

[@Silllybean]

I discovered this channel from the Devil Wears Prada video and the amount of work and thought that must go into each of these videos is incredible. I’m excited for more content. Amazing work!

[@are_you_f_serious]

21 Kiloton is definitely better. :)

[@Fuppy636]

I just wanna say, the chicken run bit is highly appreciated and has put a smile on my face for the day.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

"Two revolutions have taught Lafayette to speak about himself in the third person." ...Do the game devs think all French people do this, or is it just a Lafayette thing?

[@SteveBonario]

I that love you are the kind of guy who can do an incredible analysis of a boardroom scene in The Devil Wears Prada, and then just breezily state "steam punk knights fighting werewolves, what's not to love?" and that you'd enjoy its cover-based shooter gameplay. Now going off to watch more of your videos....

[@SteveBonario]

Only one other video? :-( Well, with this level of quality, I see why it takes a couple of months...

[@chrisbovington9607]

I have never played this game, nor had I even heard about it, but now I feel like I know it inside out. Bravo.

[@drstrangelove307]

That’s… not always a good thing. Just cause you feel like you do cause 1 side of a discussion made an engaging point doesn’t mean you should just ignore everything else of the context.

[@chrisbovington9607]

@@drstrangelove307 I am saying he covered the material so well that I feel familiar with it. That's all.

[@chrisbovington9607]

@@JosephMichael23 Yes boss. Sorry boss. Apologies for using an idiom boss.

[@fdfskfjsljfkg]

my god this video has a criminally low amount of views for the clear amount of time, effort, and talent that went into making it. keep it up, you're definitely a youtuber that will get bigger soon. love the intelligent and clear commentary on a game that becomes much more interesting when peeled apart.

[@mrgreenpickuptruck]

I honestly never thought about the "there are some things you cant de-politisize" and it explains why all those "our game is not political" comments have always been annoying as all hell. This is incredibly insightful and a look back onto this game Ive been looking for!

[@mrgreenpickuptruck]

@@JosephMichael23 well it was insightful for me having played the game when it first came out. It's a fresh perspective on the story. That's what I would call insightful.

[@kazzimazzi]

Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier-Daveed-Diggs marquis de Lafayette. Brilliant!

[@sweetpandageek]

five p.m. on a tuesday, watching a nearly hour long video essay on a game i’ve never played, never intend to play, and never even heard of- and yet, i would not have it any other way.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

This is so brilliantly made. I subbed on my 1st watch around the release & caught/kept up with the rest of the videos on the channel, & though I def enjoy all Woodallalia I've seen so far, I've returned at least 2 dozen times to re-watch this one --- or re-listen, now that I'm well enough acquainted to not be fully engrossed in the screen but still digging the commentary while keeping my hands busy. Background to explain Woodall's righteous vocal disappointed upset when Sir G + superknights attack normies/Rebels/sympathizers/Bedlamites* always makes me chuckle despite the grandiose bloody horrors the game puzzlingly treats inconsistently. I re-watch-listened again this morning after noticing I've started saying similar "GALAHAD! NoooOOOOooooo!...Awwww, GalaHAAAAAD. Oh no...not *again*!" type stuff whenever 1} I do something clumsy/impulsive/dumb; 2} whenever my tomcat-panion's being bratty; or 3} frustrating inconvenient pointless things happen outta nowhere. "NoooooOOOOooo Galahad" etc makes me feel better after I drop + shatter an irreplaceable kitchen item, kick over my cat's bowls (he moves them around in feline enthusiasm for getting every morsel), or accidentally sew my finger into my current craft-attempt. It's a perfect mantra for absurdist failure, & teases myself out of a bad mood after dopey sh!t happens. Which it does a lot bc neurological issues + brain fog *siiiiigh*. Anyways I appreciate being able to laugh about that stuff, adopting Woodall's witty running gag as an "in-joke" so "in" that it's really just about making myself take less serious stuff less seriously. It's helpful bc I have a life-threatening chronic physical illness that's basically ruined my life, yet sometimes I end up losing it on the smallest stuff, I guess bc I can't even really absorb the enormity of the bigger stuff & there's no real safe place to express how I feel regardless. So yeah, I know it's not what Woodall intended, but along with his humane, thoughtful, thought-provoking game (+social) analysis, I'm also thrilled to have an actual new goofball useful mental health tool. If he reads his comments: Thanks, James. * [...oooooh I think this time what I took from the Order 1886 critique is that from now on, I'm going to start referring to myself as a "Bedlamite" 1} to annoy the useless platitude-spouting therapist I was assigned; & 2} to bond-amuse the good-fit-for-me helpful therapist who's cool enough to have a laff with me before we have to deal with more heavy stuff!]

[@JamesWoodall]

This was a lovely comment to receive. It's very gratifying to know my silly rantings about a game nobody played sparked a little joy in the world. Much love to you.

[@ElizaSilent]

Thank you for pointing out that bit on Tesla's asexuality and queer erasure!

[@edo27]

my friend worked on this game! I haven't played it and I'm just here to support your other videos! I found your channel through your Devil wears prada video. Please do more movie screenplay essays bc you're a talented video essayist!

[@PixxieAlexx]

Galahad no! 😂 I’m so glad this channel was recommended to me - fantastic work on all videos!

[@lergha1013]

This and the other two videos you have up are top notch! Thank you for making them.

[@sierrae1233]

The quality of your content is astonishing. I don't even play video games and i watched this nearly hour long video with undivided attention. You're and excellent orator.

[@Caster-kb4jv]

I’ve never even heard of this game, and you really made me care. You deserve all of the subscribers. :D

[@Grubenhaus]

How often do they say 'Stealth Mode?' Has anyone ever actually said 'Stealth Mode' out loud and really meant it? Maybe that's the least of the problems....

[@thegeekclub8810]

This is an excellent analysis that deserves more attention! Great work!

[@lys6295]

That Yikes from Pitch Perfect killed me! xD

[@crazyace421]

Shame there's so few views. A lot of effort went into this. Good work dude.

[@wyrdtarot]

Made me snort me tea! So funny. Thanks for existing.

[@eatatjoes6751]

This game is if Chicken Run had the chickens fighting for Mrs. Tweedy instead.

[@CrazyAlsen]

a reference to the oiginal guild wars? you are my kind of guy! also: your content is great, keep it up and you will be "kind of a big deal" soon!

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

How have I not commented on this? I've seen it and loved it... odd. Well, here's a comment! :D

[@JesusCreamCakes]

Well... I didn't want to play this before and now I really, REALLY don't wanna!

[@enemycrumbles]

This is ridiculously good stuff. I hadn’t heard anyone talk about this game before and I was riveted.

[@adityaraman7265]

I had always found Rani Laxmibai's portrayal in this to be odious but couldn't quite put my finger on why. Thanks for giving a voice to these thoughts! There was so much potential in the worldbuilding for a coherent anti-colonial narrative, and it was disappointing to see it fall so short.

[@JFHeff]

This video is incredible. I had never thought of 1886 along these lines, but I can't disagree with any of your points.

[@ziggyq6712]

I would love yo hear your take on Spec Ops: The Line

[@MorShadi]

"Wow so much cringe and wrong in this game. Huh how much have I watched of this....ONLY 12 MINUTES!?" Subbed and notifs, your videos are amazing.

[@miniyupi3766]

this was very poignant but also very funny to watch. ur commentary is great

[@erdood3235]

1:37 what's that music?

[@poenpotzu2865]

Never heard of this game but this video was insightful and well made

[@fleetstreet11]

*Grand Admiral Thrawn has entered the chat* "LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE"

[@amysnapp823]

32:38 maybe it's all intentional? Edit: to have the player-character be the way he is, in the established setting

[@ButterflyScarlet]

I don't believe the point of the game was to support the existence of a police state. The protagonist =/= hero, and I don't believe we are supposed to wholeheartedly agree with Galahad, or even the order. Moreover, the game is set in AU history with all the trappings and bigotry that entails. It is uncomfortable sure, but I don't believe that the best thing is to erase the sins of our past and pretend that ableism, bigotry, colonialism, and abuse of power never happened. Basically: depiction =/= glorification or agreement. For media to be propaganda, it must have been created with the aim of convincing the viewer of a particular opinion. Granted I can't claim to know what the writers were thinking, but considering that the Order and Empire are depicted incredibly unflatteringly (and also they likely planned a sequel meaning this is only half the story anyway), then this is bad propaganda anyway. Also, sidenote, but I also consider it unwieldy to apply real world politics to fictional media, especially when the supernatural is involved. In the real world we can argue against the existence of trained militia because the "enemy" is other people just like us. They aren't monsters or demons or evil creatures. In media, the enemy can actually be those things.

[@eld1rt]

it seems like when they were making this game they forgot to make it make any sense.

[@yohtan]

What a mess of a game.

[@veraxiana9993]

Wow this has been the best video ive come across on this game in all of KZbin! Cool stuff!

[@renaigh]

seeing this poor excuse for a film be torn to shreds is my kink.

[@DavidCruickshank]

Came here from Devil wears prada and i already love your videos.

[@Rumpelstuz]

Bedlamites who escaped SOME mental institution and cause HAVOC is one of the greatest sentences of all time! Had to pause at minute 3 to comment because it amuses me so much! 😂

[@JEMA333]

I love long videos i subbed cuz of it

[@thirdcoinedge]

51:41 Yay, Yahtzee got mentioned! Worst Game of 2015, everyone!

[@errhka]

Best 5 bucks I have ever spent for a game. If I can 'play' a game that's more like a movie I will do that all day. The 'walk through' play style was a plus for me even though many people thought it was a negative. The only downside I found was during fights the aspect ratio narrows which made it difficult to fight. Anyway, problematic themes aside, I still loved it and would like to see a good script written for it.

[@juanme555]

wait, i always thought this game was garbage because it was a sony exclusive, you're telling me it has a BASED story??? brb buying a ps5*

[@RageQuit94]

star wars called

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

AKAB

[@belladonnairae7877]

Can't say I'm a fan of the clickbait title, or opening with commentary on, and a (perhaps unintentional) comparison to the BLM movement. More of a smack in the face, really; considering the actual plot/actions taken by the main character.

[@JamesWoodall]

I made only one reference to Black Lives Matter, in the context of how the 2020 protests highlighted issues of police brutality, which affected my reading of this game. I made no direct comparisons between BLM and the bedlamites, the rebels or the half-breeds.