Review | Order 13

Ever considered working in a dimly-lit warehouse, picking and packing orders, all while trying to keep yourself alive from the horrors that lurk there and your cat companion happy while you’re away? Then Order 13 presents the perfect opportunity. The foundation of Order 13 involves printing customer orders, grabbing them from the correct location, and carefully packaging them to meet your daily quota. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Immediately after you leave the safety of your packaging area, there is more to consider: Not only must you keep your cat’s happiness from crashing down to zero, but you must also get to and from the product without being caught by the dangerous creatures that lurk around. With ways to spend your earnings, the ability to unlock additional areas, and a daily increase in difficulty, there is more to this warehouse than meets the eye. Developed by Cybernetic Walrus and published by JanduSoft, Order 13 combines simulation with horror to create a unique title unlike any I’ve played before. Note: I have a small gallery at the end of the review if you’d like to see some additional screenshots!

Things I Liked!

• Gameplay loop | Order 13 gives you the job of being a warehouse operative: Print orders, retrieve them, package them to the highest standards, and get paid while keeping up with your daily quotas. Well, that’s the whittled-down version of what you’re required to do in Order 13. In more detail, you’ll have creatures who want to kill you, a cat who needs to be kept happy and can’t be left alone for too long, and unlockable areas that will have you venturing further away from the safety of your packaging room. The gameplay loop of Order 13 is fairly straightforward to get used to, not overcomplicating its features, but having enough to keep you entertained, frightened, and intrigued as the days progress.

• Cat companion | The true star of Order 13 is your customisable cat, who you must protect and keep happy at all costs. Before heading into the warehouse, you’re able to customise the colour, accessories, and name of your feline in the main menu. This allowed me to have a black cat with a ‘batcat’ mask called Alvin, amongst many other variations. Once in the game, you have to keep your cat happy. If your cat’s happiness reaches zero, you will fail the day and be reset back to the beginning of your shift. You can increase your cat’s happiness permanently with upgrades from the ‘cat toys’ section of the store, or for the current day only by purchasing cat food. As you leave to get orders, your cat’s health will deplete gradually, and won’t change when you’re nearby. You’ll also spot them in a few different places: On a keyboard, in their bed or your bed, and possibly above the packaging area. I loved petting Alvin at the beginning of each day, getting my orders, and then coming back to make sure he was ok, making sure he got the most luxurious items I could buy. Any game which has a customisable cat I can pet and spoil gets a thumbs up from me!

• Purchasable upgrades | Throughout your shifts, any money you manage to earn when packaging orders is then made available to you the following day. How you choose to spend or save your money is entirely up to you, but it can also make future days much easier or harder due to the increasing daily quota. Whether you want to make getting around the warehouse easier, increase the number of orders you can fulfil, increase your cat’s happiness, or unlock additional areas for higher-paying orders, the money you make will determine what changes you can implement. It’s certainly worth taking some time to work out what will help you the most and whether it is worth saving for expensive upgrades. At my time of playing, I couldn’t see any descriptions for the shop items, but I’m hopeful this will be fixed in a future patch.

• Gradual difficulty increase | As mentioned in the previous segment, each day your daily quota will increase, requiring you to collect more orders to successfully complete the day. Day One was all rainbows and sunshine – I only had to keep an eye on my cat’s happiness. However, by Day Two, it wasn’t smooth sailing because that was when the creature appeared. With the gameplay staying linear but everything else progressively getting more difficult, it made all my decisions detrimental to whether I would be able to complete the day. The difficulty certainly doesn’t spike until the later days, and when you have access to other areas and more money to play around with, which I expected, and that is what makes Order 13 a fantastic game; not too easy or too difficult.

• Audio and visuals | As indie games go, the developers have done a brilliant job with the visuals, and especially the audio, in Order 13. The visuals are appeasing to look at throughout the game: the creatures look terrifying, the warehouse and basement areas are clear and use colour to accentuate certain details (despite the purposeful dark lighting), the items you purchase are satisfying to use/place, and the main safe area is bright and provides a calming atmosphere whenever you need it. As for the audio, there is a ton to mention. The music in the safe area radiates positive energy you can wind down to, while the warehouse is music-free and replaced with random terror-stricken sound effects that made me jump at a moment’s notice. If you are seen or heard by the creatures, you are met with a dreadful screech and pounding footsteps chasing you down. When scanning and collecting orders, the ‘beep’ sounds are highly satisfying. Packaging is great with the tape ripping and suction of the stickers attaching to the boxes. Finally, and by far the worst out of all the sounds, is when your cat’s happiness gets relatively low (around 20%), you’ll hear a ghastly meow from them (like they’re in pain) that sent numerous shivers down my spine, and instantly put me into panic mode each time, with an ominous background sound that woud stay with you until you returned to safety. It’s horrendous, but the audio was top quality.

• Achievements | I don’t usually make a point regarding the achievements of the games I review. However, I found Order 13 to incorporate a handful of indirect ways to make the game harder if you aim for full completion, which enhanced my overall experience. The majority can be earned from playing the game, but some require you to pass up on important upgrades while also completing the game, and this was where the challenge presented itself. It should be noted that the achievements do stack, but if you want an easier time, you can space them through additional playthroughs. Upgrades you must forego include the flashlight, scanner, backpack, running shoes, and no more than three ‘cat toys’. I got all but one of these in one playthrough (I was unaware that cat toys included the litter box, bed, and scratching post), and it was a tough yet enjoyable challenge. I found the achievement list well thought out, providing another level to the gameplay.

• Accessibility | If you like the idea of a warehouse simulator but the thought of horror, scary creatures, and time limits doesn’t appeal to you, then you’re in luck. Order 13 has three accessibility options – Disable monster, cat happiness, and scares – which you can toggle depending on how chilled out you would like your experience to become, making it inclusive for everyone. Although these options are great for those who want a relaxed simulation, I highly recommend, as the game does, leaving them on for the full experience. In addition to these, there are settings such as streamer mode, variable frame rate, and texture quality (to name a few) that I utilised during my play time.

Mixed & Disliked!

• No narrative | I don’t expect many simulators to have a story. Still, I do think Order 13 would have benefited from something like a mini backstory or progressive narrative, as the setting did have me questioning why I was not just working in a dangerous warehouse but also sleeping in a warehouse packaging room with my feline friend. I could picture perhaps a sticky note at the beginning of each day from your boss, a colleague, or something creepy, to provide a little extra background to your shifts. Or some letters explaining why you’re stuck in this job and how you plan to escape. Some proposed minor but fantastic additions that would have brought the game together, providing a better understanding of what is going on.

• More content | As Order 13 stands, there is only one mode which has a single save slot. As mentioned before, you can change the accessibility options to make the game chill without any worries, but there is nothing that makes the game actively harder, except for the achievements. There is certainly potential for additional modes, features, and a customisable difficulty for those who enjoy a more challenging experience. For example, although the monsters were scary and had me running for my life, I would have liked to see a variety of creatures (slow/quick, quiet/noisy, react to sound/visuals) and more than one in a single area. Another addition many would love, myself included, is a co-op mode. There is nothing ‘wrong’ with Order 13 – the game idea and mechanics are great. I hope to see the developers continue to update the game and consider new additions in future patches.

How long did I play the review before publishing? Approximately 14 Hours
How long to beat the story? Depending on the days completed, 3-6 Hours
How long to complete the game 100%? Approximately 8-12 Hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 33/33 (1000G)
You’ll love this game if you like these | Escape the Backrooms, Simulators with Horror elements

Conclusion

Score: 85/100

I’ve never played a game like Order 13, and with horror and simulation being some of my favourite genres, it made this game a truly terrific and enjoyable experience. Audio was the star of the show, but I found every element to be exceptional. I’m hopeful Order 13 will continue to be updated and have me making my way back to the warehouse.