Order 13 is an upcoming horror game developed by Cybernetic Walrus and published by Oro Interactive and Drillhounds. It takes a regular warehouse work environment and gives it a stress-inducing and scary spin. The game has already gained plenty of attention, with over 4 million views through streams, videos, and media coverage. Total Apex was given the opportunity to play Order 13 thanks to a free key given to us by Oro Interactive. Through playing the game in its entirety, we now know how it’ll stack up against all the other scary job simulators out there.
What Makes Order 13 Work
Layers of Horror
Order 13 starts off simple. You must take orders, find the correct items, and package them properly before shipping them out in order to make your increasing daily quota. However, once you venture into the vast steel nightmare of The Jolly Box Co., you quickly realize that your job isn’t normal. That is due to the fact that there are bodies littered around and monsters too eager to forcefully end your shift and your life. Not only are there terrors among the aisles, but there are also body parts among the items that players must collect, package, and ship out.
Obviously, this makes the player character hate their job and gives them the goal of escaping. To do that, players must earn money for upgrades to help them dive deeper into the facility. These upgrades include a scanner to help players remember the codes and locations for items they’re meant to grab, a backpack, sprinting shoes, and certificates to reach the lower levels. With each of those levels comes a new and dangerous layout that players must navigate and avoid monsters in. As scary as they may be, they’re quite easy to get away from if you duck under the metal shelves.
A Fuzzy Companion
The only thing that is innocent about Order 13 is the fluffy cat companion that the player character has. It can even be customized and renamed to make players more attached to it. However, that may backfire, considering that if the cat’s happiness meter runs out while you’re outside of your tiny room, it meets a sad fate. Thankfully, you can upgrade this meter by getting their cat new toys, food bowls, a better litter box, etc. You can even pet the cat and buy it food for a temporary boost to the meter. Giving the cat better living conditions almost makes risking death with every outing worth it.
Satisfying Shipping
For those who might be drawn to the simulation aspects of Order 13 rather than just the horror, that part is solid as well. Finding and collecting the items (minus the dodging monsters part) is oddly fun. The actual packaging part of the process is simple yet satisfying. When I played through the game, I found myself focusing a bit too much on making sure the shipping label was centered. For job simulation fans who want to dip their toe into horror, Order 13 just might be the game for you.
A Scary and Stressful Experience
While Order 13 is a stress-inducing experience at times, it’s an enjoyable one. The monsters and occasional loud bang aren’t too scary, but the time management aspect increases the fear factor. No one wants their loyal feline companion to meet its end. I can definitely see fans of games like Lethal Company and Murky Divers (another game that Oro Interactive published) enjoying this singleplayer indie horror experience. While they won’t have human friends to keep them company, the monsters and the cat might do just fine.
Order 13 will be released on Steam on March 10. The regular price will be $8.99, which is reasonable considering the ever-increasing video game prices as of late. According to Oro Interactive, the game takes around three hours to complete on average. However, if you want to keep playing after the main objective is met, you can readily do so.
Score: 4/5
Spooky Score: 3.5/5
