You wake up in a dark warehouse, tasked with packing orders while something lurks in the shadows. Work fast, stay safe, and protect your cat. He’s all you’ve got.
Developed by: Cybernetic Walrus
Played on: Steam
Length: 4 hours
A review key was provided by JanduSoft.
Order 13 is a great fusion for two main fandoms: Cat Lovers and Horror Enthusiasts. (Okay, maybe more so on the horror). But thematically, Cybernetic Walrus was clear on what path they wanted to take and that translated very well into a simple yet compelling final experience.
In Order 13, you are taking on the role of a seemingly mundane warehouse worker with a fully customisable cat of your own (amazing, right?). There is an order quota to fulfil everyday which would require you to ship enough of those orders in time. The time limit of the game is your personal cat’s stress level. If you fail to manage your cat’s stress level in time, well, let’s just say something bad happens.
So the main goal of the game is to efficiently get your orders done in time every round, while also avoiding monsters and enduring jump scares in an eerie, gory warehouse. Sounds easy, right?
The game has done well in terms of their horror aspect design. They have utilised the darkness and the “fear of the unknown” of players quite well, often limiting visual perception and using eerie sound design to create a great, scary atmosphere. The monster and warehouse designs are well thought out too, with enough horror aspects to not feel like it is trying too much.
From the gameplay perspective, I found the need for memorisation quite fun and sufficiently challenging. Sometimes, I would focus too much on avoiding the monsters and forget which order I was meant to pick up in the first place. Fortunately, the game has tools to help players with that issue, which becomes unlockable as you play more.
Aside from memorisation, the management of the cat’s stress level is also dynamic and exciting. Having a constant timer (in the form of a cat) pushes the horror aspect even further, forcing players to constantly weigh and dread their decisions while under their cat’s pressure; making the game not just about remembering correct patterns but also how to efficiently plan your own routes and executing it even when panic sets in simultaneously.
In terms of progression, I find that the game struggles with making the end goal clear to players. If players are not looking hard for it, they might assume that the game is just repetitive and ends on a certain day. Granted, you will eventually know the finish line but only as you progress way further into the later parts.
However, that is where the criticism ends for progression as there are plenty more positives to talk about and the main one being the evolving theme of the game. As you progress into the game, more parts of the map will be unlocked, with even creepier themes and harder levels, keeping it refreshing while also giving players more lore into what exactly goes on inside this gory warehouse.
All in all, Order 13 is an exceptionally well-made indie game and Cybernetic Walrus deserve all their flowers. Great graphics and strong atmospheric design, an engaging yet horrifying gameplay loop and backed up by a unique concept behind it with actual relevance of the cat to the gameplay. All these aspects have successfully carved out Order 13’s identity as a standout indie horror game.
Verdict: Do It For Her (Your Cat)
Order 13 turns the seemingly mundane role of a warehouse worker into a panic-inducing blend of cognitive challenge and time-sensitive tension, making gameplay feel both absolutely rewarding and nerve-wracking. The addition of a (fully customisable!) cat to the equation only adds to the appeal, and the pressure.
This article was contributed by Seth Foo.
